If Diana had lived and re-married

[acq80]

As it is coming up to what would have been Diana's 60th birthday, I sometimes wonder if she lived what her life would have turned out like. Obviously its only speculation and we will never know.

If Diana re-married and possibly had more children what effect do you think this would have had on her public image?

Would she still have been a member of the royal family if she re-married and would she still be seen as royal?

I think that Diana would have bumped up against the problem that for the public there is no room to be a complex person with faults, especially if you are a women. You have to be good or bad

Agreed - it is the extremes that make a story, so there is an inbuilt drive in the media to focus on one end or the other. So if you care what they say about you, you end up having to play that game yourself.

@thecapitalsunited true you see it on here where some want to see her as a saint or sinner. In reality she was human like all of us, so neither of those things.
I think some of those things would have seen people turning against her and others thinking she was wonderful for her campaigning work. So a real split in opinion. The press would have relished that as it sells.

I also wonder how keen she would have been to relinquish her style as “Diana, Princess of Wales”? I can’t imagine her giving that up without pause, so a second marriage would have been a big decision. I also in turn wonder whether Camilla would have ended up as the new Princess of Wales if Diana was alive and well and living as Mrs Secondhusband Surname (I’m not saying that’s how she should be referred to, just that’s how it officially goes!).

I have a feeling that Princess of Wales is one of Camillas titles but they opt not to use it because of the Diana connection.

I think it was Hasnat (could have been another suitor) who said he wouldnt be able to keep Diana in shoes! She liked all the trappings of wealth ,lovely clothes and jewellery so would have needed a wealthy type .Conversely she was of course a woman of the people and liked to help wherever she could .

Google confirmes that Princesses of Wales is one of her many titles. But they chose to go by Duke / Duchess.

It is, she and Charles deliberately chose not to use the title Princess of Wales, despite the fact Camilla is entitled to it by virtue of being his wife, because it is so clearly associated with (tragically dead, “People’s Princess”) Diana. If Diana were alive still and happily married, I wonder whether it would have been seen as too controversial to risk?

What happens with the titles when a royal moves up the hierarchy?
The Queen mother was Queen when the Queen's father King George was alive, but when The Queen succeeded she needed a new title as they couldn't have two Queens, hence Queen Mother.
So in the event Diana Princess of Wales was still alive and unmarried when Prince Charles became King what would have happened to her title then? Would she have stayed PoW forever? And when Prince William became King? Rather a fascinating thought, and no doubt would have cause many behind the scenes headaches!

will there be another prince of wales. (it wasn't popular I seem to remember with the welsh)

I believe George III's mother remained Princess of Wales for the rest of her life (her husband died before his father, so George III inherited from his grandfather).

Isn't dowager ususally added to the title though I think Queen Mother goes back a long way as a term as well .

It's usually dowager deceased husband title. Obviously if the title is actually theirs that doesn't apply.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Augusta_of_Saxe-Gotha

Wikipedia has her as Augusta the Dowager Princess of Wales, or Princess Dowager.

Normally, in the UK, once a Queen, always a Queen (so, Queen Mary was addressed as HRH Queen Mary even once her husband and then second son died and there were other Queens crowned. Unless you gave your daughter the same name as yourself, as Elizabeth of York did. She decided to take the title “Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother” to avoid any confusion from having two Queen Elizabeths hanging around.

Other titles depend on what happens to the male holder of them. If they get promoted up the ranks (so, Prince of Wales to King/Duke of Cambridge to Prince of Wales) their current wives’ titles change with them. If the titleholder dies before their wife (as Frederick Prince of Wales did in 1751) , the wife is styled as “The Dowager Princess of Wales” for the rest of her life, while the wife of the new heir is “The Princess of Wales”.

If she never remarried, “Diana, Princess of Wales” would have held that title for the rest of her life, as it signifies she was a former Princess of Wales, now divorced. There could of course also be “The Princess of Wales concurrently.

So in the event Diana Princess of Wales was still alive and unmarried when Prince Charles became King what would have happened to her title then? Would she have stayed PoW forever?

Not sure what happen's when they divorce - I think Caroline of Brunswick found people reverted to her born titles once George IV became king - Anne of Cleves Henery VIII divorced wife got new title the King's Beloved Sister.

If she never remarried, “Diana, Princess of Wales” would have held that title for the rest of her life, as it signifies she was a former Princess of Wales, now divorced. There could of course also be “The Princess of Wales concurrently.

That's interesting - clears up what divorce does to titles.

Recollections may vary but did the Palace not strip Diana of her titles completely before a newspaper campaign 'People's Princess' and her anti mine work got her it back, albeit switched around to Diana PoW?

@Lockdownbear, it was her “HRH” style that Diana lost on divorce. Her title changed to become “Diana, Princess of Wales”. It was the same for Sarah Ferguson. While married to Prince Andrew she was “Her Royal Highness the Duchess of York”. After the divorce she was, and still is, “Sarah, Duchess of York.t

@Lockdownbear

Recollections may vary but did the Palace not strip Diana of her titles completely before a newspaper campaign 'People's Princess' and her anti mine work got her it back, albeit switched around to Diana PoW?

No, they didn't.

The announcement that she would henceforth be Diana, Princess of Wales was made at the time the impending divorce was announced.

Her statement at the end of February 1996

"The Princess of Wales has agreed to Prince Charles's request for a divorce.
"The princess will continue to be involved in all decisions relating to the children and will remain at Kensington Palace with offices in St James's Palace.
"The Princess of Wales will retain the title and be known as Diana, Princess of Wales."

Camilla is Princess of Wales, just as Diana was Duchess of Cornwall.

Prince Charles hold lots of titles - Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Lord of the Isles, Baron of Renfrew and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland. He styles himself 'Prince of Wales' as a matter of custom/choice.

Camilla chooses not to style herself 'Princess of Wales' out of respect for Diana's memory. She could, if she chose, style herself as the female of any of his titles - e.g. when in Scotland, she styles herself the Duchess of Rothesay.

so, Queen Mary was addressed as HRH Queen Mary

Not quite. If you are King or Queen (including queens consort) you are HM - for example Her Majesty the Queen Mother

The announcement that she would henceforth be Diana, Princess of Wales was made at the time the impending divorce was announced.

Yes - exactly the same as Sarah Ferguson having retained the style 'Duchess of York' but lost her HRH.

Obviously the further you go back in history, the more you find the monarch did what they liked. Katherine of Aragon was styled as the “Dowager Princess of Wales” by Henry VIII after he divorced her, which he said she was entitled to as the widow of his older brother Arthur, who had been the Prince of Wales when he died. Obviously he was sticking to the line that they were never married in the eyes of god, so she wasn’t entitled to any title from him!

Anne of Cleves’ marriage was also annulled by Henry, so she didn’t get the Queen title afterwards either. Catherine Parr did, but she remarried just a few months after Henry died anyway, so officially became Mrs Thomas Seymour (though he was later made a Baron).

HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother famously detested the term "Dowager Queen".

For a few months of the last century (1952) there were three queens:

• HM The Queen
• HM Queen Elizabeth
• HM Queen Mary.

I read somewhere that Queen Mary was technically/formally Queen Grandmother, but preferred HM Queen Mary. However, I am unable to find a source to back this up.

Obviously the further you go back in history, the more you find the monarch did what they liked.

I was trying to think who actually divorced in the British royal line it's not been that common an occurance though supposed they'd have precedent with UK aristocratic titles.

@FelicityPike

Would she still have been a member of the royal family if she re-married and would she still be seen as royal?

No.

She was titled before her marriage so yes.