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A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy.[1] The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent.[2]
Crown prince as a descriptive term has been used throughout history for the prince who is first-in-line to a throne and is expected to succeed (i.e. the heir apparent), barring any unforeseen future event preventing this. In certain monarchies, a more specific substantive title may be accorded and become associated with the position of heir apparent (e.g. Prince of Wales in the United Kingdom, Prince of Asturias in the Kingdom of Spain and formerly the Dauphin in France). In these monarchies, the term crown prince may be used less often than the substantive title (or never).
Until the late twentieth century, no modern monarchy adopted a system whereby females would be guaranteed to succeed to the throne (i.e. absolute primogeniture). A crown princess would therefore be more likely to refer to the spouse of a crown prince. She would be styled crown princess, not in her own right but by courtesy.[citation needed] Many European countries have now abolished male primogeniture; a notable exception is Spain.[3]
Today, in monarchies lower than royal rank the term "crown prince" is used in English (e.g. Crown Prince of Umm al-Quwain).
The term crown prince is not used in European monarchies if the hereditary sovereign holds a title below that of king/queen or emperor/empress (such as grand duke or prince), although it is sometimes used as a synonym for heir apparent.[citation needed]
In Europe, where primogeniture governed succession to all monarchies except those of the papacy and Andorra, the eldest son or (more recently) eldest child of the current monarch fills the role of crown prince or princess, depending upon whether females of the dynasty enjoy personal succession rights. Male precedence has been abolished in Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands, as well as in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms pursuant to the Succession to the Crown Act 2013. The eldest living child of a monarch is sometimes not the heir apparent or crown prince, because that position can be held by a descendant of a deceased older child who, by "right of representation", inherits the same place in the line of succession that would be held by the ancestor if he or she were still living (for example, Carl Gustaf, Duke of Jämtland was the crown prince of Sweden from 1950 to 1973, as the senior grandson by male primogeniture of King Gustaf VI Adolf, although the former Prince Sigvard, Duke of Uppland was Gustaf VI Adolf's eldest living son, and Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland his eldest living dynastic son during those years).
In some monarchies, those of the Middle East for example, in which primogeniture is not the decisive factor in dynastic succession, a person may not possess the title or status of crown prince by right of birth, but may obtain (and lose) it as a result of an official designation made on some other legal or traditional basis, such as former crown prince Hassan bin Talal of Jordan.
Compare heir apparent and heir presumptive. In Scandinavian kingdoms, the heir presumptive to the crown may hold a different title from an heir apparent: hereditary prince (German: Erbprinz, French: prince héréditaire). It is also the title borne by the heir apparent of Liechtenstein, as well as the heir apparent or presumptive of Monaco. In Luxembourg, the heir apparent bears the title of hereditary grand duke (German: Erbgroßherzog, Luxembourgish: ierfgroussherzog); along with hereditary prince, it was also the title borne by the heirs apparent to the thrones of the grand duchies, sovereign duchies and principalities, and of mediatized princely families in the German monarchies abolished in 1918.
Many monarchies use or did use substantive titles for their heirs apparent, often of historical origin:
Some monarchies have used (although not always de jure) a territorial title for heirs apparent which, though often perceived as a crown princely title, is not automatically hereditary. It generally requires a specific conferral by the sovereign, which may be withheld.
Current and past titles in this category include:
Currently, the following monarchies use the term "crown prince" (or "crown princess") for the heirs apparent to their thrones:
| Polity | Title in native language | Current holder |
|---|---|---|
| Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) | ولي العهد, Walī al-ʻAhd | Khaled bin Mohamed Al Nahyan |
| Afro-Bolivia (Bolivia) | El Príncipe heredero | Rolando Pinedo Larrea |
| Ajman (United Arab Emirates) | ولي العهد, Walī al-ʻAhd | Ammar bin Humaid Al Nuaimi |
| Bahrain | ولي العهد, Walī al-ʻAhd | Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa |
| Brunei | Pengiran Muda Mahkota | Al-Muhtadee Billah |
| Denmark | Kronprins | Christian |
| Dubai (United Arab Emirates) | ولي العهد, Walī al-ʻAhd | Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum |
| Fujairah (United Arab Emirates) | ولي العهد, Walī al-ʻAhd | Mohammed bin Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi |
| Japan | 皇太子, Kōdaishi | Fumihito, Crown Prince Akishino |
| Johor (Malaysia) | Tunku Mahkota | Tunku Ismail Idris |
| Jordan | ولي العهد, Walī al-ʻAhd | Hussein bin Abdullah |
| Kedah (Malaysia) | Raja Muda | Tengku Sarafudin Badlishah |
| Kelantan (Malaysia) | Tengku Mahkota | Tengku Muhammad Fakhry Petra |
| Kuwait | ولي العهد, Walī al-ʻAhd | Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah |
| Morocco | ولي العهد, Walī al-ʻAhd | Moulay Hassan |
| Norway | Kronprins | Haakon |
| Oman | ولي العهد, Walī al-ʻAhd | Theyazin bin Haitham |
| Pahang (Malaysia) | Tengku Mahkota | Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah |
| Perak (Malaysia) | Raja Muda | Raja Jaafar |
| Perlis (Malaysia) | Raja Muda | Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra Jamalullail |
| Ras Al Khaimah (United Arab Emirates) | ولي العهد, Walī al-ʻAhd | Mohammed bin Saud Al Qasimi |
| Saudi Arabia | ولي العهد, Walī al-ʻAhd | Mohammed bin Salman |
| Selangor (Malaysia) | Raja Muda | Tengku Amir Shah |
| Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) | ولي العهد, Walī al-ʻAhd | Sultan bin Muhammad bin Sultan Al-Qasimi |
| Sweden | Kronprins or Kronprinsessa | Victoria |
| Terengganu (Malaysia) | Yang di-Pertuan Muda | Tengku Muhammad Ismail |
| Thailand | สยามมกุฎราชกุมาร, Sayammakutratchakuman | Vacant |
| Tonga | Pilinisi Kalauni | Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala |
| Umm Al Quwain (United Arab Emirates) | ولي العهد, Walī al-ʻAhd | Rashid bin Saud Al Mualla |
| Yogyakarta (Indonesia) | Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Mangkubumi | Princess Mangkubumi |
In addition, the following heirs apparent to deposed monarchies continue to use their former titles by international courtesy:
In Islamic tradition, the title is the Arabic term Wali al-Ahd.
Hindu tradition (Indian subcontinent):
East Asian traditions:
| if the heir apparent is a: | son | grandson |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese | Huang Taizi | Huang Taisun |
| Japanese | Kōtaishi | Kōtaison |
| Korean | Hwangtaeja (황태자) | Hwangtaeson (황태손) |
| Vietnamese | Hoàng Thái Tử | Hoàng Thái Tôn |
Southeast Asian traditions:
Equivalents in other cultures:
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