Sunday 31 October 2004
Britain's Royal Dukes
The sons of British sovereigns are usually given peerages at some point in
their lives, and since the 14th century their senior title has been in the degree of duke
- the highest rank in the British peerage. The only exception to that rule has been the
present Queens youngest son, Prince Edward, whose highest title is Earl of Wessex,
but has been promised a dukedom in due course.
Although the title existed in Europe (English kings held French dukedoms) it didn't exist
as an English title until Edward III decided that his sons should have a noble rank higher
than that of his earls. In 1337, he began by conferring the dukedom of Cornwall on his
eldest son, Edward Prince of Wales (the Black Prince). This dukedom was
different from all subsequent ones in that succession to the title was limited to the
sovereign's eldest son and heir, and the title did not cease to exist when the holder
inherited the crown - it went immediately to his eldest son or became dormant if there was
no son. The title was also endowed with large estates - the Duchy of Cornwall - which
provided the duke with an income. Although a significant portion of the duchy's lands was
in the county of Cornwall, the two are not geographically the same. Today, the largest
part of the duchy is in the neighbouring county of Devon, and it has valuable holdings in
other parts of England, too, including London.
An exception to the condition limiting the duchy to the sovereign's eldest son was made
very early in its existence, when the Black Prince died and Edward III issued a charter
conferring the dukedom on the Black Prince's son, the future Richard II. Despite the
existence of the 1337 charter which conferred the dukedom on the king's eldest son
forever, it was felt necessary to re-create the dukedom for Henry IV's son (the future
Henry V) in 1399, and for Edward IV's son (the future Edward V), in 1471.
The title has passed in accordance with the 1337 charter ever since. The duke is usually
known by the more senior title of Prince of Wales, but whereas this title had to be
created each time, succession to the dukedom is automatic, and so there were times when
the heir was known as Duke of Cornwall, in the intervening period between becoming son and
heir of the sovereign and being created Prince of Wales. This was the case with Prince
Charles between 1952 and 1958.
The next two royal dukedoms were created on the same day in 1362. Edward III's second
surviving son, Lionel of Antwerp, was created Duke of Clarence, and his third son, John of
Gaunt, became Duke of Lancaster. The first generation of royal dukes was completed with
the creation of the dukedoms of York (for Edmund of Langley) and of Gloucester (for Thomas
of Woodstock), both on the same day in 1385.
Like Cornwall, Lancaster came with a duchy which survives today. The title itself merged
with the crown when John of Gaunt's son and successor seized the throne as King Henry IV
in 1399. The dukedom was re-created for his son but re-merged with the crown when he
succeeded as King Henry V in 1413. Henry was the only person ever to have been Duke of
both Cornwall and Lancaster. Since his accession, the dukedom has never been re-created
and the duchy has been held by the Crown.
The first dukedom of Clarence ended after only six years with the death of Lionel of
Antwerp in 1368, without a son and heir. The title was conferred on Thomas, second son of
Henry IV, in 1412, and then on George, brother of Edward IV, in 1461. George was attainted
(his title was suspended) in 1477 and murdered in the Tower of London the following year.
He had a son, the Earl of Warwick, who didn't inherit the dukedom because of the
attainder, and was himself later found guilty of treason and executed under Henry VII. The
title wasn't used again until it was conferred on William, third son of George III in
1789. He succeeded to the throne as William IV in 1830. The last creation of the Clarence
dukedom was for the heir of the future Edward VII, Albert Victor, in 1890. He died two
years later. Despite being created five times, the dukedom of Clarence was never inherited
by a second duke.
The most frequently created royal dukedom is York, which has been created eleven times,
but never inherited by a second or subsequent duke except in its first manifestation. In
1460, during the Wars of the Roses, the grandson of the first duke laid claim to the
Crown, and in the following year his son succeeded in deposing Henry VI and became Edward
IV. Their claim was not based on their York descent, though, but on descent from the
daughter of Lionel Duke of Clarence (Philippa, Countess of Ulster).
All subsequent dukes of York have been either the second son or next brother of a
sovereign, and all have either inherited the throne (Henry VIII, Charles I, James II,
George V, George VI) or died without a son to succeed them. The present duke, Prince
Andrew, appears set to continue the tradition!
The fourth of the original dukedoms, Gloucester, passed from its first holder, Thomas of
Woodstock, to his son, Humphrey, who died childless in 1399. The title was subsequently
created for another Humphrey, brother of Henry V, who died heirless, and then for Richard,
brother of Edward IV, who became King Richard III in 1483. The title was revived for one
of Charles IIs brothers in 1659, who died childless, and then for Henry, brother of
George III in 1764. That creation became extinct with the death of Henry's son in 1834.
Its current creation, for the Queen's uncle, Prince Henry, occurred in 1928, and his son
Richard is now the second duke of the current creation.
The fifth royal dukedom, Bedford, was created for a brother of Henry V in 1414 and the
title died with him in 1472. It hasnt been a royal dukedom since. No further new
ducal titles were created for an English prince until 1664, or for the son of a monarch
until 1726. No royal dukedoms at all were created during the sixteenth century (although
the dukedom of Cornwall was inherited twice, by the future Henry VIII and future Edward
VI), which reflects the lack of sons in the Tudor dynasty.
The next new title to be created was Duke of Cambridge, for a son of James Duke of York
(James II and VII) in the 1660s. He died at only six months old, before his father became
king, and it was re-created for another son who also died young. The next creation was in
1706, for the son of the Elector of Hanover (later George I), who eventually became George
II. The Cambridge dukedom's last creation was for Adolphus, son of George III. His son,
the second duke, married in contravention of the Royal Marriages Act, and so the title
couldn't pass to his children, who were illegitimate. However, Cambridge was revived as a
marquessate for the second duke's nephew, the Duke of Teck (brother of Queen Mary), when
he renounced his German titles in 1917. That title became extinct in 1981
The dukedom of Cumberland was first created for Charles I's German cousin, Prince Rupert
of the Rhine, in 1644, then again for Queen Anne's Danish husband, George, in 1689. It was
revived in 1726 for Prince William Augustus, son of George II, the infamous Butcher
Cumberland, who died without issue, and again for Henry, son of Frederick Prince of
Wales, before its currently suspended creation in 1799, of which more below.
Scotland had only 3 royal ducal titles prior to the union of 1707. The first was Rothesay,
created in 1398, which, like Cornwall, was reserved for the eldest son and heir of the
sovereign, and is now held by Prince Charles. Created on the same day as Rothesay was the
first dukedom of Albany, for Robert, a son of Robert II. This dukedom became extinct on
the death of his son, and was re-created for a son of James II in 1458, again becoming
extinct on the death of the second holder. Both the future Charles I and James II were
created dukes of Albany in Scotland, as well as being dukes of York in England. The
Hanoverians used the joint title Duke of York and Albany three times, before Albany was
used on its own again for Leopold, son of Queen Victoria (see below).
The third Scottish royal dukedom was Ross, which was first created for James, son of James
III, in 1504. The second creation, in 1515, was for Alexander, son of James IV, who died
in infancy. The title hasnt been used since.
After the union of 1707, the first new title was Duke of Edinburgh (a Scottish title, but
in the peerage of Great Britain) was first created for Frederick, eldest son of George II,
in 1726, before he became Duke of Cornwall and Prince of Wales, and was inherited on his
death by the future George III. The next duke, Alfred, son of Queen Victoria, had no
surviving heirs. It was created for a third time for Prince Philip. Its present heir is
the Prince of Wales, but a new creation of the dukedom has been promised for Prince Edward
after Charles becomes king.
Only three further new titles were created, although others existed as the second part of
ducal titles. The dukedom of Kent was created for Queen Victorias father in 1799,
Sussex was created for his brother Augustus in 1801, and Connaught for Arthur, son of
Queen Victoria, in 1874.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, some of these dukedoms had double titles,
including place-names from two of the three constituent kingdoms of the UK. These included
York and Albany, Cumberland and Strathearn, Cumberland and Teviotdale, Gloucester and
Edinburgh, Clarence and St.Andrews, Kent and Strathearn and Connaught and Strathearn. The
last such title was Clarence and Avondale (George Vs older brother).
Two royally-created dukedoms still exist but have been suspended since 1917, because their
holders fought for Germany in the First World War. The first was Cumberland, conferred on
Ernest Augustus, a son of George III, in 1799. The Dukes of Cumberland succeeded to the
throne of Hanover in 1837 (because Victoria, as a woman, was barred). They lost the
kingdom to Prussia in 1866 but remained German princes. The second suspended dukedom is
Albany, conferred on Queen Victoria's son Leopold in 1881 His son, Charles Edward, also
inherited the German duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1900, and so was first and foremost
a German prince during World War I. Both princes have living heirs in Germany who are
entitled to petition for the restoration of their British titles, but none has done so.
We now have five royal dukes - Cornwall & Rothesay, Gloucester, Kent, Edinburgh and
York, and one potential royal duke, Prince Harry. Although the second son of a monarch is
often given York, this is likely still to be held by Prince Andrew by the time Harry comes
up for consideration (usually at time of marriage), and so we can speculate about which
title will be revived for Harry. Clarence, Cambridge and Sussex are amongst those
available, or, perhaps like Prince Edward's earldom of Wessex, something totally
unexpected will be chosen. Alternatively, in this increasingly egalitarian age, it might
be decided to dispense with the tradition of royal peerages altogether.
- Paul James
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