What happens if a Prince or Princess marries a commoner?

Question

What happens if a Prince or a Princess marries a commoner and that Prince or Princess is next in line for the throne?

Answer 1

Then the Prince/Princess runs away with the commoner. Prince/Princess refuses to take the throne if he/she isn't allowed to marry the commoner. Royal parents are going crazy, but they finally agree, for the sake of love. They all live happily ever after. <3

Answer 2

I guess I can use Princess Caroline's marriage to her late husband Stefano Casiraghi as an example.

Princess Caroline is 2nd in line to the Monegasque throne (Monaco) and her second marriage was two a commoner (like her first, but anyway). Stefano didn't have a title and she did not give her three children, from Casiraghi, titles but the fact is that *they could have had titles*.

In a different universe where Prince Albert passes without an heir, Princess Caroline assumes the throne, and Casiraghi was still alive, he would still not have a title.

The same can be seen with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. She married him, yet he can not be upgraded in status to from a prince to a king. He keeps his present title.

This can also be reversed where the commoner does in fact earn a title like Prince Maximillian of Liechtenstein and his wife Angela Brown who became Princess Angela of Liechtenstein upon their marriage. Prince William's future will be Princess, then Queen when he becomes King.

So, as you can, results vary.

Answer 3

It depends on the country. In Spain Crown Prince Felipe marries with a  commoner, Letizia, and he remains the Crown Prince.

Answer 4

The commoner become prince/princess.

Answer 5

technically its not allowed, royals can only marry nobility.

Answer 6

If the romance is detected early, the commoner might be beheaded. Otherwise, the commoner will become a "consort" to the spouse of royal blood. Consorts can't hold the throne or reign. They just get perks & privileges that go with having consort status.

Answer 7

They become man and wife. A commoner is anyone who is not royal

Answer 8

Nowadays they dont follow the tradition. They just marry anyone they like.

Answer 9

In contemporary times, it depends on the commoner; for instance,

---Prince Albert, the Duke of York (later George VI), who was second in line for the English throne after his older brother, married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyons, the youngest daughter of the Earl and Countess of Strathmore, and technically a commoner. The match proved an excellent fit.  The Royal In-laws, Queen Mary of Teck and George V, very much approved of it.

---Heir to the throne, Prince Charles, married Lady Diana Spencer, the youngest daughter of the Earl of Spencer (and again, also a "commoner"), in what at the time was billed as a love match, but in retrospect was an arranged marriage.

---Edward VIII, later the Duke of Windsor, gave up his throne to marry the woman he loved, Mrs. Wallis Warfield Simpson, a twice-divorced American who sympathized with the n***s.

---Camilla Rosemary Shand (later Camilla Parker Bowles,

a. k. a. the Duchess of Cornwall) was deemed unsuitable marriage material for the heir to the throne at the time she first met Prince Charles, not because she was a commoner, but because she already had a sexual past that could possibly embarrass the Royals. However, if her age and interests had only been considered (as they would have been if the Prince of Wales had been Charles Wilson or Williams), she was clearly the more logical choice for a marriage partner than Diana, 12 years her prospective partner's junior with no shared interests.

In other words, if Prince William marries Kate Middleton, it won't affect the order of succession in the slightest.  As in the case of George VI, Kate will become his Queen Consort when he reaches the throne.

Answer 10

They live happily ever after.

Answer 11

The late Queen's Mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was actually legally a "commoner" though the daughter of a peer when she married George VI and broke the tradition of marrying other royal members.

Although born into a family of Scottish nobility, Elizabeth was not "royal" nor did she bare any princess titles, like her mother-in-law Mary of Teck (German Princess) or any other royal princesses that married into the British royal family.

Nowdays, the royal family members are more free to choose whom they wish to marry provided that their significant other isn't a Catholic. The younger royal generation prefers to find their match while studying at a chosen university, through friends at social gatherings etc. Prince William is currently dating Kate Middleton (a commoner), and it is speculated that they will be announcing their engagement in the near future.

However, one rule remains whether commoner or royalty, a woman marrying an heir or king of that nation will receive a courtesy title of "Princess or Queen" as a consort, she does not have any right to claim the throne. The crown will always go to any of their surviving offspring, if not then to a younger sibling of the King.

Many other royal princes and princesses married commoners as well, here are a few royal-commoner couples:

Mary Crown Princess of Denmark (Australian-born) who married Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, heir to the Danish throne.

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (English-born) who married The Prince Charles of Wales, heir to the British throne.

Letizia, Princess of Asturias (Spanish-born) who married Felipe, Prince of Asturias, heir to the Spanish throne.

Princess Máxima of the Netherlands (Argentine-born) who married Willem-Alexander, Prince of the Netherlands, heir to the Dutch throne.

Answer 12

It depends on if the royal has permission to marry from both the monarch and Privy Council.A commoner may receive a title;a woman becomes a princess but a man must be granted a title. Nothing happens to the royal's place in line of succession upon marriage unless they had to step down to marry,like Prince Michael of Kent did,because he married a Catholic. Each monarchy has its own rules ,in the UK's case,because the monarchy is titular head of the Church of England, Cathlics are barred from marrying into the Royal Family.The Prince of Wales married a commoner and retained his place in line of succession and his wives received royal titles;the same thing occurred for Princes Andrew and Edward.The men retained their places in line of succession while their wives gained titles.

The spouses do not join line of succession,but their children may.

Pronce Philip wasn't really a true commoner,being from the Royal House of Schlesweig-Holstein-

Sonderburg-Glucksburg,

but other examples of royals marrying commoners are Anne to her two untitled husbands,George VI to Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon,later Queen Consort and Queen Mother,Margaret to Anthony Armstrong-Jones(he was granted the title of Earl Snowdown). All these royals retained their places in the line of succession and their children joined them,but spouses did not.

Answer 13

I don't think a prince/princess would ever marry a commoner in the first place...there aren't many commoners at polo matches! Also a commoner and a prince are so unlike each other, they'd have nothing to talk about!

Answer 14

The same thing happens as with the marriage of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.  She holds the throne, but he has no rights to the throne as King.  

If the prince/princess is next in line for the throne, he/she will become King/Queen, while their spouse would have a lesser title (prince/princess..usually).

Answer 15

n d old tyms, the prince/princess is cast out and becomes a commoner.

today, it no longer matters. so long as d commoner is rich.

Answer 16

Then  in that case the commoner becomes queen or king of that castel atleast i know it happens when a prince merrys a common lady then she becomes queen but if a princes marrys a commoner i think he becomes a prince