A prince regent or princess regent is a prince or princess who, due to their position in the line of succession, rules a monarchy as regent in the stead of a monarch, e.g., as a result of the sovereign's incapacity or absence.
George IV of the United Kingdom, as prince regent, while his father was mentally incapable between 1811 and 1820. By Henry Bone
The Prince Regent Kyril, Prince of Preslav
In a monarchy, a regent is a person appointed to govern a state pro tempore because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been determined. One variation is in the Monarchy of Liechtenstein, where the competent Prince may choose to assign regency to their of-age heir, handing over the majority of their responsibilities to prepare the heir for succession. The rule of a regent or regents is called a regency. A regent or regency council may be formed ad hoc or in accordance with a constitutional rule. Regent is sometimes a formal title granted to a monarch's most trusted advisor or personal assistant. If the regent is holding the position due to their being in the line of succession, the compound term prince regent is often used; if the regent of a minor is their mother, and she is wife or widow of the king, she would be referred to as queen regent.
Regentesses of the Old Men's Almshouse in Haarlem, Frans Hals, 1664
The oath of the provisional triumviral regents of the Empire of Brazil in the country's Imperial Chapel in 1831, at the beginning of the Regency period.