However, in Baden and Luxembourg, the cadet members have been PRINCES and PRINCESES, with the qualifying rank of Grand Ducal Highness -- excepting the heirs. Of course, in the latter, they got elevated to Royal Highness with the marriage in 1919 of Grand Duchess Charlotte and Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma.
Cadet members of the duchy of Parma have been PRINCES and PRINCESSES and Royal Highnesses as male-line descendants of King Louis XIV of France.
Is all this true? What about duchies? I've been wondering about the Saxon duchies in particular -- e.g. Saxe-Altenburg, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. As I understand, the mother of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden was born Princess Sybilla of Albany, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha -- with the qualifying rank of Highness. She lost her British title in 1917, and got elevated to a Royal Highness at her marriage in 1932 to the hereditary prince of Sweden.
It's puzzling, since it seems that Parma is not the only duchy whose cadet members are princes and princesses ... The history books often seems to loosely interchange these titles with dukes and duchesses. I believe that Queen Charlotte of Great Britain was born Duchess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. But her niece and daughter-in-law, Friederike, was said to have been born a PRINCESS of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Inconsistent and confusing. Or perhaps I'm mistaken?
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