Who is a Princess?

A princess is a female member of the royal family. She can also be the wife of a prince, or the daughter of a monarch or queen (the term is often used to refer to the female relative of the heir to the throne). In this sense, princess is the rank between duchess and lady.

The term can be used as a slang compliment or derogatory insult to mean someone who is pampered, overindulged and has an attitude problem. It can also be a positive compliment when it is used to refer to someone who has beauty and grace.

During her lifetime, Diana, Princess of Wales was an active and public figure, serving as president or patron of more than 100 charities and promoting work for children, AIDS-related causes, and landmine victims. She was a devoted mother to her sons, William and Harry, and an advocate for the sick and the poor.

Princess Diana was a member of the British royal family for over thirty-four years, married to Prince Charles, the prince of Wales. She was a popular figure who appeared with the rest of the Royal Family on many major occasions, including the VE and VJ Day commemorations in 1945.

Her Royal Highness was a keen photographer and was particularly fond of recording family life and events. She was especially honoured to create Hold Still, a photographic project during the COVID-19 pandemic in which she invited members of the public to share photographs that documented their individual experiences of lockdown.