Battlecruiser speed, guns, and armor coverage

Is it a misconception that British Empire battlecruisers prioritized speed and range while guns and armor were secondary?

That description fits several early designs, Renown, and Repulse, but later designs put greater weight on guns and armor coverage. Maximum thickness alone cannot establish battleship-style protection.

Armor thickness alone gives an incomplete picture of protection. Speed and range dominated the origins of the Invincible and Indefatigable designs, and the same description fits Renown and Repulse. The original Admiral design fits to an extent, although revisions after Jutland altered it. The progression through Lion and Tiger, followed by G3 and F3 proposals, gives increasing weight to guns and armor coverage. A battlecruiser could quote the same maximum thickness as a battleship while protecting a much smaller part of its hull. The size and distribution of the protected area therefore matter when comparing a battlecruiser with a fast battleship.