Kate Middleton, Princess Diana, Catherine of Aragon: Most memorable Princesses of Wales over the years

The Princess of Wales — or Tywysoges Cymru in the title’s native language — has been a celebrated honour among royal women for years.

While Lady Diana Spencer’s image may haunt the designation eternally, as its current holder, Kate Middleton’s personality also seems imbued to the historical recognition which inevitably accompanies the Princess of Wales moniker.

However, despite Diana and Kate’s shared influence, the title has made countless other names famous over the years. Here are some of the most memorable ones:

Catherine of Aragon

The famous first wife out of the six which King Henry VIII went on to marry, Catherine of Aragon was initially married to Arthur Tudor, Henry’s elder brother and Prince of Wales, before his death at just 15 years of age in 1502. While the Spanish-born Catherine had been a Princess of Wales for merely a year, the devotedly Catholic queen’s storied marriage to Henry, and its subsequent annulment, made her one of the most renowned women to carry the title.

Alexandra of Denmark

As wife of Albert Edward, Queen Victoria’s heir apparent and later King Edward VII, the Danish-born Alexandra became the Princess of Wales while her husband was crowned the Prince of Wales before his ascension to the throne. Known for her influence on her era’s fashion trends and for her philanthropy, Queen Alexandra is the Princess of Wales to have held the title for the longest period of time so far — between 1863 and 1901.

Mary of Teck

Alexandra’s daughter-in-law and Queen Elizabeth’s grandmother, Mary of Teck used to be the Princess of Wales before her husband became King George V in 1910. According to Town & Country magazine, “She became the second Princess of Wales to get the title at the same time as her husband.”

Princess Diana

Following her marriage to King Charles, who was officially crowned as the Prince of Wales in 1969, Diana Spencer became Diana, Princess of Wales in 1981. The late royal was famously granted the right to retain her title even after her divorce from Charles. Following her tragic death in 1997 and the King’s remarriage to Queen Camilla, the former Prince of Wales’ second bride was to be the official Princess of Wales. However, Camilla chose to be known as the Duchess of Cornwall to avoid any controversy and out of respect for Diana’s legacy.

Kate Middleton

Stylised as Catherine, Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton is the current bearer of the famous royal title. In a significant show of the prudence afforded to it, BBC was recently forced to issue a public apology after the Princess was not referred to by her title in its national broadcast on this year’s Armistice Day.