For many years, those of us who admired Diana often wondered if her son could restore her HRH title upon taking the throne. Sadly, the answer was no. Although many of us would have liked to see this happen, it could not, as titles can only be bestowed upon a living person. She will always be known as Diana, The Princess of Wales.
- The style “Her Royal Highness” (HRH) is a royal style conferred by the sovereign. A reigning monarch can create, grant, remove or recognise styles and titles for living members of the royal family. In that narrow technical sense a future King William could grant HRH to someone alive during his reign.
- Diana’s situation is fixed by two facts that make a simple “restoration” impossible now:
1. Diana, Princess of Wales, died in 1997 and is therefore not a living person to receive or exercise a style. Styles apply to living persons; posthumous changes to styling are unusual and do not alter historical usage.
2. Her HRH status ceased effectively upon her divorce from Prince Charles in 1996. At that time the Queen issued guidance that divorced spouses of princes would not retain HRH. That was a royal prerogative exercised by the sovereign then and remains part of established precedent. - If hypothetically Diana were alive when William became king, William could instruct that she be styled HRH again (because the sovereign controls such styles). He could:
- Issue a letters patent conferring the style HRH on her.
- Announce by royal declaration that she should be treated as HRH for official purposes.
Any such change would be at the sovereign’s discretion and could be implemented immediately for official use.
- For someone deceased: a monarch can direct how historical figures are referred to in official state material (for example, use of posthumous forms or honorifics in proclamations, memorials or state records), but cannot retroactively “restore” legal rights or the living practical effects of a style for a person who has died. Public or private institutions might adopt a preferred styling on monuments or in publications, but this is symbolic.
Practical and constitutional considerations
- Conventions and precedent matter. Restoring HRH to a divorced spouse while excluding others would be politically sensitive; the sovereign typically follows precedent unless there is a clear reason to depart.
- Public opinion and family dynamics would influence any decision but are not legal constraints.
- Any change would be a royal prerogative and not require parliamentary approval, though the government would be kept informed.
Bottom line
William as king could grant HRH to a living former spouse of a royal; he cannot meaningfully “give back” HRH to Diana now that she is deceased beyond symbolic references in official material. If Diana had been alive at the accession, a letters patent or declaration from the sovereign could have restored her HRH.
