| Contrasting with heir presumptive, an heir apparent is
one who cannot be prevented from inheriting by the birth of any other person. According to the order of succession of many monarchies, the heir apparent is a descendant of a monarch who is the heir to their throne, whose status as heir
cannot be defeated by the birth of someone else who would then become the heir.
Explanation
An heir apparent differs from an heir presumptive in that,
although an heir presumptive inherits the throne upon the death of the monarch, the right of the heir presumptive could be
defeated by the birth of another person who would then be the heir apparent. For example, in Britain, if the monarch has a daughter and no sons, the daughter is the heiress presumptive, who
becomes Queen if the monarch dies. But if the monarch later has a son, the son is then the heir apparent.
In most monarchies, the monarch's oldest son, even if not the oldest child, becomes heir apparent. A growing number of
monarchies, however, now allow the monarch's oldest child, irrespective of sex, to become heir apparent. Where that heir has died
leaving children, their oldest child (or oldest son) becomes heir apparent. It is an error to call the heir apparent simply the
"heir". The heir is the person who currently owns the estate through inheriting it, which in this case is the currently reigning
monarch. The error is perhaps compounded by fantasy authors, almost all of whom use the term "heir" incorrectly.
Usage
Heir apparent is a technical term that is not used as an actual title. The most common title used for heirs apparent in
kingdoms is Crown Prince. In the case of full cognatic
primogeniture, such as in the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden and Norway, a
woman can be heir apparent, and thus Crown Princess. In monarchies that are not kingdoms, other titles like Hereditary
Grand Duke or Hereditary Prince are used instead.
However, many countries have specially designed titles for the heir apparent. Such titles may be automatically
assigned, like Prince of Orange in the Netherlands, or traditionally granted by the monarch, like Prince of Wales in the United Kingdom. A more
extensive list of these titles is available in the Crown Prince
article.
Examples
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