Diana's correct title when she was married to
Prince Charles was HRH
Diana,
Princess of Wales. Although "
Princess Diana" became the common usage, it was always incorrect. It should have been "
Diana,
Princess of Wales." After she was divorced from
Prince Charles, she lost the "HRH". She was still
Diana,
Princess of Wales, but no longer HRH
Diana,
Princess of Wales.
William is not the
Prince of Wales. The
Prince of Wales is the title given to the heir apparant to the British throne. The heir apparant is first in line to a throne who cannot be displaced in the line by the birth of another person.
William is not first in line, he is second. So since he is not the
Prince of Wales, his wife can't be the
Princess of Wales. He will become
Prince of Wales when the
Queen dies and
Prince Charles becomes
King, or if and when
Prince Charles dies before the
Queen does and
William would then become first in line.
The marriage of a woman to any
Prince of the royal family other than the
Prince of Wales doesn't result in her obtaining the title
Princess. That's why most Princes other than the
Prince of Wales are given dukedoms upon marriage, so their wives can assume the title of Duchess. That's what happened when
Prince Andrew married
Sarah Ferguson and again when
Prince William married
Catherine Middleton.
It makes sense because it's also possible that
William dies before his father and/or the
Queen, in which case
Catherine would never become queen.
This message was edited 9/10/2014, 6:36 AM