The royal title rule

It's the dream that most young girls aspire to, the journey to becoming a princess, unaware yet that there are only two ways to fulfil their goal: you're born to the daughter of a prince, or you marry one.

The second option we've seen in effect with Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and for some time there has been debate in the media on whether or not to call her a princess, irrespective of having fulfilled the second rule for becoming a princess.

Now as we look towards Princess Charlotte, Lucy Hume, who is the associate director of Debrett's, a trusted source when it comes to the pedigree of the British Monarchy explains "Royal titles are inherited through sons, so if Princess Charlotte has children they would not automatically inherit the titles 'HRH,' 'Prince,' or 'Princess.'"

Which explains why the daughters of Prince Andrew, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, have their titles whilst Zara Phillips does not. You can be bestowed a title as Hume continues to explain "for Peter and Zara Phillips, the Queen offered to give them a royal title when they were born, but Princess Anne and Captain Phillips opted to decline this offer."

Complex yet surprisingly simple.