Prince Rupert's drops
Preserved but no longer current.
See RUPERT. Princess Royal, the title of an eldest daughter of a British sovereign. On the death of a Prin- cess Royal the eldest daughter of the then reigning monarch automatically receives the title and retains ft fc r life, no matter how many sovereigns with daughters may occupy the throne during her lifetime.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Prince Rupert's drops” mean?
See RUPERT. Princess Royal, the title of an eldest daughter of a British sovereign. On the death of a Prin- cess Royal the eldest daughter of the then reigning monarch automatically receives the title and retains ft fc r life, no matter how many sovereigns with daughters may occupy the throne during her lifetime.
Is “Prince Rupert's drops” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.