Look at the photos of Nova -narrow type and you will better understand what I am getting at. This narrow type of Nova seedlings is identical to those of princeps in term of evenly and narrowly split leaves minus the white powder . ShockedIt makes sense to call this narrow type of Nova green princeps before we figure the mystery out as clearly as now.
Jim also got a nova which I think belongs to this form, but compacter bearing more resemblance to princeps in this respect.I noticed this variation on my Nova as well which has no leggy trunk or elongated petioles, just giving a confusing impression of princeps, I distinguish from princeps only by checking and confirming the white powder.

Based on our observation of hundreds of Nova seedlings grown in the field and pots from the seeds in the stone gate, we found out that there are actually two forms of Nova.
One is the wide type with wide,stiff and irregularly split leaves ,but narrower than those of T. fortunei, This is what many growers got and is the reason why some unsuspecting people say Nova is a kind of T.fortunei except they are growing fast with stretched trunk.
the second is narrow type with narrowly and regularly split leaves like princeps I showed in the photos.
What is interesting is that both forms are growing pretty fast with long and large parts than their counterparts other trachycarpus do not match.

See more photos of both forms.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/18211312@N04/

So,it may be found out that it is actually Fortunei with Princeps blood!
I think there is good evidence of their relation to each other!

Very interesting though that there is a stout version of the palm but this may just be hybrid range,for some
reason some are leggy looking and some are stout,very strange to see so much deviation that doesn't
actually make sense but maybe is just the mix of this cross!