Is a Grand Duchess the same as a Princess?

Question

I'm really confused.

Answer 1

There are some Grand Duchesses who = a Princess.  Some who are < a Princess. and Some who > a Princess. It depends on history. The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was for a long time headed by a Grand Duchess and she was very much a monarch, the equal of Queen Elizabeth, or of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, or of Queen Margrethe of Denmark. She ranked higher than most Princesses. But, however, there are Princesses who are monarchs, if the realm of which they are sovereign is a Principality  (Liechtenstein or Monaco, for instance) When the Grand Duches of Luxembourg met the Princess of Monaco, it must have been a nightmare for their keepers.  

In the scheme of things, the pecking order might have been Empire, then Kingdom, then Principality, then Grand Duchy, but these titles and realms were shuffled around like so many chesspieces.

Emperor Franz-Joseph who headed Austria-Hungary, was also King of Hungary, and he may not even have been Emperor of Austria-Hungary, but , instead, of the Holy Roman Empire, which had been broken up 100 years earlier by Napoleon I . His title might have been a personal one, like that of Monsignor in the Roman Catholic Church. Austria-Hungary was a country, but there was also a question, just what kind of country? (His title in German was Koenig und Kaiser,  ("K-und-K")but just exactly of what was always a question. It was easiest to call him Emperor Franz Josef of Austria-Hungary, but strictly speaking he may not have been Franz-Joseph, Emperor of Austria-Hungary. (Monarchists still spend a lot of time debating questions like these.) T

About Russia -- Grand Dukes and Grand Duchesses, like Austria-Hungary,  were members of the imperial family and equivalent to Princes and Princesses in other countries. But in the dim mists of history, the Czardom of Russia had once been the Grand Duchy of Muscovy, which in an earlier time had been the Principality of Muscovy!.

Answer 2

Both are usually the daughters of monarchs.  Generally, the daughter of a king or queen is a princess, and the daughter of an emperor is a grand duchess.  However, the only two empires in Europe, the Russian and Austro-Hungarian ones, no longer exist, so there are unlikely to be any grand duchesses still living

Answer 3

Grand Duchess is to Emperor as Princess is to King.  

Some nations are led by Princes (Monaco and Liechtenstein).  One nation is led by a Grand Duke (Luxembourg).  These are roughly equivalent ranks, below the status of King or Emperor.

Answer 4

a Grand Duchess is not the same as a Princess. a princess is the daughter of a king or queen well a grand duchesss could be the wife of a ruling grand duke like of Tuscany or Baden or the Daughter of a ruling grand duke. the Daughters of russian craz where grand duchess and that tile was the same as a royal princess. Austria used the title of Archduke or Archduchess for children of the Emperor

Answer 5

No. A Grand Duchess or Grand Princess is of senior rank to a Princess. Generally a Grand Duchess is the daughter of a Russian Emperor or Empress and holds the style of 'Her Imperial Highness'. A Grand Duchesses style (the title of GD) and prefix (rank of HIH) is higher than the style of all other European Princesses which varies from Her Royal Highness, Her Grand Ducal Highness, Her Highness and Her Serene Highness to name a few. All of these are below that of Imperial Highness resulting in Grand Duchesses being higher in order of precedence.

Perfect example - Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Anastasiya Nikolaievna Romanova of Russia and Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie Victoria Helena of York. If these girls lived in the same time, HRH Princess Eugenie of York would curtsy to HIH Grand Duchess Anastasiya who holds the higher rank.  

In Russia Princess was not always a royal title. Only Princesses that held the prefix of HIH was a member of the Imperial Family and House of Romanov. Princesses of the Russian aristocracy were born as Her Highness Princess (firstname) (patroynic name) (last name).

Exception - the only higher rank than a Russian Grand Duchess (except for monarchs) was an Archduchess, daughters of the Austrian-Hungarian Emperors and Empresses. As daughters of the Emperor of Austria and the King of Hungary were styled Her Imperial and Royal Highness. This is the highest rank of royalty given to those not siting on a throne.