Duke of Gloucester
| Dukedom of Gloucester | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Creation date | 31 March, 1928 |
| Monarch | King George V |
| Peerage | Peerage of the United Kingdom |
| First holder |
HRH The Prince Henry, 1st Duke of Gloucester |
| Present holder |
HRH Prince Richard, 2nd Duke of Gloucester |
| Heir apparent | Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster |
| Remainder to | the 1st Duke's heirs male of the body lawfully begotten |
| Subsidiary titles |
Earl of Ulster Baron Culloden |
Duke of Gloucester /ˈɡlɒstə/ is a British royal title (after Gloucester), often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; the current creation carries with it the subsidiary titles of Earl of Ulster and Baron Culloden.
The title was first conferred on Thomas of Woodstock, the thirteenth child of King Edward III. The title became extinct at his death, as it did upon the death of the duke of the second creation, Humphrey of Lancaster, fourth son of King Henry IV.
The title was next conferred on Richard Plantagenet, brother to King Edward IV. When Richard himself became king, the dukedom merged into the crown. After Richard's death, the title was considered ominous, since the first three such dukes had all died without issue to inherit their titles. The title was not awarded for over 150 years: the next to receive the dukedom was the son of King Charles I, Henry Stuart, upon whose death the title again became extinct.
Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, son of the future Anne, Queen of Great Britain (Queen Anne), was styled "Duke of Gloucester" for his whole life (1689–1700), but was never formally created duke. Frederick, Prince of Wales, was styled "Duke of Gloucester" from 1718–1726, but was then created Duke of Edinburgh rather than of Gloucester.
There was next a creation of a double dukedom (not two dukedoms) for the brother of King George III, Prince William Henry, his proper title becoming "Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh".
The fifth and final creation was for the Prince Henry, son of King George V. Upon Prince Henry's death, the dukedom was inherited by his son Prince Richard, who still holds the title. The heir to the title is Alexander Windsor, styled Earl of Ulster. The next in the line of succession is the Earl of Ulster's son Xan Windsor, known by his grandfather's third title of Lord Culloden. The royal dukedom will devolve into an ordinary one when it will be inherited by the Earl of Ulster; as a great-grandson of a sovereign he lacks any royal style.
Dukes
Dukes of Gloucester
First creation, 1385–1397
| Duke | Portrait | Birth | Marriages | Death |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas of Woodstock House of Plantagenet 1385–1397 also: Duke of Aumale (1385–1397), Earl of Essex (1376–1397), Earl of Buckingham (1377) | .jpg) | 7 January 1355 Woodstock Palace son of Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault | Eleanor de Bohun 1376 5 children | 8 September 1397 Calais aged 42 |
| Thomas of Woodstock's son died two years after his father, but never succeeded to his titles except that of Earl of Buckingham. At the time of Thomas's death, he was regarded as a traitor and thus, his titles were forfeit after his murder (except Earl of Buckingham). His son had no issue and his male line died out in 1399. | ||||
Second creation, 1414–1447
| Duke | Portrait | Birth | Marriages | Death |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humphrey of Lancaster House of Lancaster 1414–1447 also: Earl of Pembroke (1414) |  | 3 October 1390 Lancaster Castle son of Henry IV of England and Mary de Bohun | Jacqueline, Countess of Hainaut 1422–1428 (annulled) 1 child (stillborn) Eleanor de Cobham 1428–1441 (annulled) 2 children | 23 February 1447 Bury St Edmunds aged 56 |
| Before marrying Humphrey, Eleanor de Cobham was his mistress. At the time of Humphrey's 1447 death, he had two children, Arthur and Antigone. However, both children were born before his marriage to Eleanor and were thus illegitimate and could not succeed to his titles. | ||||
Third creation, 1461–1483
| Duke | Portrait | Birth | Marriages | Death |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Plantagenet House of York 1461–1483 |  | 2 October 1452 Fotheringhay Castle son of Richard, 3rd Duke of York and Cecily Neville | Anne Neville 1472–1485 (her death) 1 son | 22 August 1485 Bosworth Field aged 32 |
| In 1483, Richard Plantagenet ascended to the throne as Richard III and his titles were merged with the crown. His only son and child died young. | ||||
Fourth creation, 1659–1660
| Duke | Portrait | Birth | Marriages | Death |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prince Henry House of Stuart 1659–1660 also: Earl of Cambridge (1659) |  | 8 July 1640 Oatlands Palace son of Charles I of England and Henrietta Maria of France | Never married | 18 September 1660 Palace of Whitehall aged 20 |
| Prince Henry died of smallpox one year after his creation, unmarried and childless, at which point his titles became extinct. | ||||
only styled
| Duke | Portrait | Birth | Marriages | Death |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prince William House of Oldenburg 1689–1700 |  | 24 July 1689 Hampton Court Palace son of Prince George of Denmark and Anne Stuart (later Queen Anne) | Never married | 30 July 1700 Windsor Castle aged 11 |
| Prince William lived and died before his mother's accession as Queen. Although styled Duke of Gloucester from birth, he died before he could be formally created as such. | ||||
| Prince Frederick House of Hanover 1718–1726 |  | 1 February 1707 Electorate of Hanover son of Electoral Prince George of Hanover and Caroline of Ansbach | Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha 1736 9 children | 20 March 1751 Leicester House aged 44 |
| Prince Frederick was styled Duke of Gloucester between 1718 and 1726, after which he was created Duke of Edinburgh and Prince of Wales. | ||||
Dukes of Gloucester and Edinburgh, 1764–1834
Fifth creation, 1928–present
| Duke | Portrait | Birth | Marriages | Death |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prince Henry House of Windsor 1928–1974 also: Earl of Ulster, Baron Culloden (1928) |  | 31 March 1900 York Cottage son of George, Duke of York and Mary of Teck (later George V and Queen Mary) | Alice Montagu Douglas Scott 1935 2 sons | 10 June 1974 Barnwell Manor aged 74 |
| Prince Richard House of Windsor 1974–present also: Earl of Ulster, Baron Culloden (1928) |  | 26 August 1944 Hadley Common son of Prince Henry and Princess Alice | Birgitte van Deurs 1972 3 children | – now 70 years, 246 days old |
Line of succession
- Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster (b. 1974), Prince Richard's only son
- Xan Windsor, Lord Culloden (b. 2007), Lord Ulster's only son
Family Tree
See also
- Prince William, Duke of Gloucester
- List of dukedoms by reign
- Earl of Gloucester
External links
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