What Is Royal Dukedom

How does one become a non-royal Duke in the UK?

Ah! You want to be a “Your Grace”?Hmm… let's see…Okay, I have three ideas for you to become a non-royal Duke in the peerage of the United Kingdom:BE A VICTORIOUS MILITARY LEADERLead Her Majesty's armies to stunning victories. Crush her foes decisively and utterly. Make your battles the finest the world has ever seen. Make it so memorable that future cadets at Sandhurst, West Point and other national military academies are taught about your military tactics and strategies. Just take a look at Arthur Wellesley who became the Duke of Wellington, etc. after the conclusion of the Napoleonic War.BE A BRILLIANT STATESMANLead the whole kingdom into prosperity or successfully steer the kingdom during wartime. Do everything you can for the good of the United Kingdom. Sir Winston Churchill should have been the Duke of London but he declined the honour since that would effectively make him retired from the House of Commons.DISPLAY EXTRAORDINARY FEATS OR SERVICE TO HIS/HER MAJESTYImpress the sovereign with your valour or selfless acts. If his/her life is in danger, defend the sovereign and you might get rewarded with a dukedom.Unfortunately, HM the Queen is not inclined to bestow such honour to anyone except to bachelor princes of the blood on the day of their wedding. You might have a better chance of acquiring a dukedom from HM the King of Spain or a lesser title from HM the King of the Belgians.

Why has there never been a Duke of London?

Just by asking this question I’m sure you don’t understand the British Aristocracy and titles in the UK.Dukedoms are not awarded like being a Mayor. Not every place has a duke. Such dukedoms are named after cities such as the Duke of York or some named after areas such as the Duke of Cornwall.Some dukedoms are royal ones such as York, Cornwall, Kent, Cambridge, Albany or Edinburgh. Others are non-royal ones such as Somerset, Wellington, Westminster, Argyll, Fife or St Albans.If it is a royal dukedom then the title is held by a member of the royal family such as Prince William - Duke of Cambridge, Prince Charles - Duke of Cornwall, Prince Philip - Duke of Edinburgh or Prince Andrew - Duke of York.A non-royal dukedom probably originates from an illegitimate child of a monarch eg. The first duke of St Albans was the illegitimate son of Charles II.Other titles exist in the British Aristocracy such as Earl, Baron, Marquess, Baronet or Viscount.The reason that there has never been a Duke of London is because simply no-one was awarded that title.

Why is Prince Edward not already a Duke and has to wait for his parents to die instead?

The Queen had originally intended to give Prince Edward the title ”Duke of Cambridge” when he married Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999, but Edward requested the lesser title, “Earl of Wessex,” instead. The story goes that he saw a movie with a character who was an Earl of Wessex and liked it, and Her Majesty gave it to him.A dozen years later, Edward’s nephew, Prince William, was given the Cambridge dukedom on the day he married Catherine Middleton.When Edward’s father, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh dies, Prince Charles will inherit his father’s title. After The Queen has also died, it’s the intention that the Edinburgh dukedom will be recreated for Edward by his elder brother, King Charles III.Edward’s wife, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, will then become Duchess of Edinburgh. Queen Elizabeth II is the present holder of that title, and before she became Queen, her full title was “Her Royal Highness, the Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, Duchess of Edinburgh.” Only a child of the monarch is entitled to have the word “the” in front of their name.As things stand at the moment, his full title is, “His Royal Highness, the Prince Edward Antony Richard Louis, Earl of Wessex and Viscount Severn.”After he receives the Edinburgh dukedom, “Earl of Wessex” will remain one of Edward’s subsidiary titles, and he will probably pass it onto his son, James, who currently holds another of Edward’s lesser titles, “Viscount Severn.“

What royal title will Meghan Markle receive after her wedding to Prince Harry? Was it true that their children, if ever they will have some in the future, won't be His or Her Royal Highnesses but Lords and Ladies instead?

Meghan Markle herself will not be given any title on her wedding. She will, however, take on the female version of her new husbands title. As it stands, Prince Harry’s full title is:His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales.So, at the very least, Ms Markle’s new title will be:Her Royal Highness Princess Henry of Wales.Note the use of her husbands first name in her title and not her own - this is standard in the UK for formal named based titles.It is expected that the Queen will make Prince Harry a duke on his wedding day (the title thought most likely is currently Duke of Sussex - however its not certain yet). As such, on his wedding day he will become:His Royal Highness Prince Henry The Duke of SomeplaceHis wife would them formally become:Her Royal Highness Princess Henry The Duchess of SomeplaceLess formally, she would be referred to as simply the Duchess of Someplace. Of course, as we see with many other royal wives, the Press will continue to refer to her as Meghan Markle.With regards to their children… Under the Letters Patent currently in force, only the grandchildren of a monarch in the male line, and the children of the heir to the Prince of Wales (ie Prince William’s children) are currently granted the title and style of Prince/Princess with HRH. As such, Prince Harry’s children will styled as the children of dukes - so the eldest son would take a courtesy title based on one of Harry’s junior peerages* - eg XYZ, Earl of Anotherplace, whilst the other children would be Lord ABC Mountbatten-Windsor and Lady DEF Mountbatten-Windsor. On the death of the Queen, Prince Harry’s children would become grandchildren of the monarch, so their titles would change to be Prince/ess ABC of Someplace*This only applies if Harry is actually granted a peerage, of course - if he isn’t, the eldest son would be style Lord XYZ Mountbatten-Windsor too.

Since the style of Royal Highness can only extend until the grandchildren of a reigning monarch, what about the Duke's title? Can it be inherited without limit in time?

Royal Dukedoms are traditionally handed down from father to eldest son. They are not automatically inherited but are bestowed by the current Soverign, which means that a Royal Dukedom could be withheld, should the Soverign deem it appropriate to do so.Daughters are not so lucky. They cannot be bestowed a Dukedom, even if one were held by her family for generations. In cases where a duke has no male heir, his Dukedom may pass to his closest male relative, a cousin or nephew, or rendered extinct, as is the case with the Dukedom of Windsor and The Dukedom of Clarence and Avondale. Both titles were held only once by men who died childless. Their Dukedoms were not passed to living relatives and were ‘retired’. Only the current Monarch has the right to bestow a Dukedom, whether that is one that has been used for generations, such as Kent and Gloucester, or if it is an extinct title.The use of HRH, until recently, extended also (but only) to Prince George, who qualified by way of being ‘the eldest son of the eldest son of The Prince of Wales’ as per Letters Patent issued by His Majesty King George V in 1917. His younger siblings would not have been given either HRH status, nor the style of Prince and Princess.However, when Catherine announced her second pregnancy, the Queen issued Letters Patent to afford ALL of William’s children the same status as Prince George (apart from Heir Apparent, obviously).