Wednesday 17 November 2010

New Royal Dukedom?

Speculation continues about the possibility of The Queen bestowing a royal dukedom on her grandson, Prince William.

I have already written about royal dukedoms and other possibilities include the dukedoms of Sussex or Clarence:-

"Other royal dukedoms include the Dukedom of Clarence, derived from the Honour of Clare in Suffolk; the Dukedoms of Cumberland and Albany; the Dukedom of Kendal; the Dukedom of Sussex; the Dukedom of Connaught; and the Dukedom of Cambridge.

Since the Dukedoms of Albany and Connaught no longer pertain to the Realm, they may be considered virtually extinct. The Dukedom of Windsor was created especially for HM King Edward VIII following his abdication; so, though technically vacant, it is unlikely that this title shall be revived.

The Dukedom of Cambridge was re-conferred as a marquessate in the 20th century which has since become extinct; so it is possible that this royal dukedom could be revived one day.

Whilst it cannot be discounted that a new royal dukedom could be created, the most likely dukedoms to be re-conferred in future are those of Sussex, Clarence or Cambridge. There has, indeed, been some speculation that, on the day of Prince William's marriage, such a title may be conferred".

4 comments :

Mr and Mrs Y said...

I'm confused: why does his Lordship state that Albany no longer pertains to this Realm?

Timothy Belmont said...

Ha! Albany, it's a derivation of Alba, ancient name of Scotland. Yes?

I alluded to the title though:-

Under the 1917 Titles Deprivation Act, the lineal male heirs of the 2nd Duke of Albany have the right to petition the British Crown for the restoration of his peerages. To date, none has done so. The current heir is the 2nd Duke's great-grandson, Hubertus Prinz von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha (b. 1961). (Although Hubertus' grandfather, Johann Leopold, lost his status as heir of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha by making a morganatic marriage, this would only affect German princely titles and not British peerages.)

Mr and Mrs Y said...

Once again, My Lord, I stand corrected.

Andrew said...

@Timothy Belmont: All of the heirs to the Dukedom of Albany married without Royal approval and their children are therefore considered illegitimate under the Royal Marriages Act 1772. As such, their children are not entitled to inherit the title and it can now be considered extinct for British purposes.