Crown prince
A
crown prince or
crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled
crown princess. The term is now borne as a title mainly in Asia, Scandinavia, and the Middle East; but it may also be used generically to refer to the person or position of the heir apparent in other kingdoms. However, heirs apparent to non-imperial and non-royal monarchies, crown prince is not used as a title, although it is sometimes used as a synonym for
heir apparent. In Europe, where primogeniture governs succession to all monarchies except those of the Papacy and Andorra, the eldest
son or 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. 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.