Duke of Cambridge

Dukedom of Cambridge
Creation date	29 April 2011 (announced)[1] 26 May 2011 (Letters Patent)[2]
Creation	Fifth
Created by	Elizabeth II
Peerage	Peerage of the United Kingdom
First holder	Charles Stuart
Present holder	William, Prince of Wales
Heir apparent	Prince George
Remainder to	the 1st Duke's heirs male of the body lawfully begotten[2]
Subsidiary titles	Earl of Strathearn Baron Carrickfergus
Status	Extant

Duke of Cambridge is a hereditary title of nobility in the British royal family, one of several royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom. The title is named after the city^[3] of Cambridge in England. It is heritable by male descendants by primogeniture, and has been conferred upon various members of the British royal family several times throughout history.

The title of Duke of Cambridge, first created in 1660, superseded an earlier title of Earl of Cambridge. The title became extinct several times before being revived in 2011, when Queen Elizabeth II bestowed it on her grandson Prince William on 29 April 2011 upon his marriage to Catherine Middleton. Catherine became known as the Duchess of Cambridge.

History

The title was first granted in 1660 by Charles II of England (immediately following the Restoration of the monarchy) to his infant eldest nephew Charles Stuart (1660–1661), the first son of the Duke of York (later King James II), though he was never formally created Duke of Cambridge as he died at the age of six months. The first officially recognised creation of the dukedom was in the Peerage of England in 1664, when King Charles II granted the title to his next eldest surviving nephew James Stuart, the infant second son of the Duke of York, who died early in 1667 at the age of three, when the title again became extinct. The title was then granted later that year by King Charles II to his next eldest surviving nephew Edgar Stuart, the third son of the Duke of York, who also died in infancy, in 1671 at the age of three, when the title became extinct the third time. The Duke of York's fourth son Charles (his eldest son by his second wife) was also styled Duke of Cambridge in 1677, but died when about a month old, not having lived long enough to be formally created duke.

The title was recreated by Queen Anne in 1706 who granted it to George Augustus (later King George II), son of the Elector of Hanover (later King George I), her distant cousin (both being descended from King James I). When the title was created George Augustus was third in line to the throne, after his grandmother Sophia and his father. When he ascended to the throne as King George II in 1727, the dukedom merged with the Crown.^[1]

The title was again recreated in the peerage of the United Kingdom and was granted in 1801 by King George III to his seventh son Prince Adolphus (1774–1850), then aged 27.^[4] Following his death in 1850 the title was inherited by his only son Prince George, 2nd Duke of Cambridge, whose three sons were barred from inheriting the title as his marriage had been in violation of the Royal Marriages Act 1772. Thus on the death of the 2nd Duke in 1904 the title again became extinct.^[5]

During the period leading up to the 1999 wedding of Prince Edward, the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II, some people speculated that the Dukedom of Cambridge or Sussex were the most likely to be granted to him, and The Sunday Telegraph later reported that Prince Edward was at one point set to be titled Duke of Cambridge.^[6] Instead, Prince Edward was created Earl of Wessex, and it was announced that he would eventually be created the next Duke of Edinburgh after his father.^[7]

On 29 April 2011, the day of his wedding, it was announced that Queen Elizabeth II had created her grandson Prince William Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus,^[1] titles relating respectively to places in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, three of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom. The letters patent granting these titles received the great seal on 26 May 2011.^[2]

Dukes of Cambridge

Styled, 1660

First creation, 1664

Duke	Portrait	Birth	Marriage(s)	Death
James Stuart House of Stuart 1664–1667		12 July 1663 St James's Palace, London son of James, Duke of York (later King James II) and Anne Hyde	not married	20 June 1667 Richmond Palace, London aged 3

Second creation, 1667

Styled, 1677

Third creation, 1706

Duke	Portrait	Birth	Marriage(s)	Death
Prince George House of Hanover 1706–1727 Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay (1714)		30 October / 9 November 1683O.S./N.S. Herrenhausen, Hanover son of Prince George of Brunswick-Lüneburg (later King George I) and Sophia Dorothea of Celle	22 August 1705 Caroline of Ansbach 10 children	25 October 1760 Kensington Palace, London aged 76
Prince George succeeded as George II in 1727 upon his father's death, and his titles merged with the crown.

Fourth creation, 1801

Duke	Portrait	Birth	Marriage(s)	Death
Prince Adolphus House of Hanover 1801–1850		24 February 1774 Buckingham Palace, London son of King George III and Queen Charlotte	18 June 1818 Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel 3 children	8 July 1850 Cambridge House, London aged 76
Prince George House of Hanover 1850–1904		26 March 1819 Cambridge House, Hanover son of Prince Adolphus and Princess Augusta	8 January 1847 Sarah Fairbrother 3 children	17 March 1904 London aged 84
Prince George's marriage to Sarah Fairbrother produced three sons. However, due to the Royal Marriages Act 1772, the marriage was invalid and all his titles became extinct on his death.

Fifth creation, 2011

Duke	Portrait	Birth	Marriage(s)	Death
Prince William House of Windsor 2011–present Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay (2022)		21 June 1982 St Mary's Hospital, London eldest son of Charles III and Lady Diana Spencer	29 April 2011 Catherine Middleton 3 children	Living (age 41)

Line of succession

If William becomes king, his titles, including the dukedom, will merge with the crown. However, if he dies before becoming king, then his sons are eligible to inherit the dukedom:

Family tree

See also

• Duke of Cambridge's Personal Canadian Flag
• Marquess of Cambridge
• Earl of Cambridge

References