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Members of the Royal Family, during the lifetime of the late Queen Mother, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the Trooping the Colour ceremony.
Members of the Royal Family, during the lifetime of the late Queen Mother, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the Trooping the Colour ceremony. Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the British monarch. Trooping the Colour is a military ceremony performed by Regiments of the Commonwealth and the British Army.
The British Royal Family is shared between the Commonwealth realms; this article focuses on the perspective of United Kingdom. A Commonwealth realm is any one of 16 sovereign states within the Commonwealth of Nations that each have Elizabeth II as their respective Monarch The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located For information on the Royal Family in the other realms, see In other Commonwealth realms.

The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. A monarchy is a Form of government in which supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in an individual who is the Head of state, often for life or The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in his or her role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with official national terms for the family. A Commonwealth realm is any one of 16 sovereign states within the Commonwealth of Nations that each have Elizabeth II as their respective Monarch [1] Members of the royal family belong to, or are married into, the House of Windsor, since 1917, when George V changed the name of the royal house from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The House of Windsor is the current Royal House of the United Kingdom and each of the other Commonwealth realms The older part is a branch of the Saxe-Coburg Saxe-Coburg and Gotha or Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha served as the name of the two German duchies of Saxe-Coburg and Saxe-Gotha in

Although in the United Kingdom there is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member of the Royal Family,[2] and different lists will include different people, those carrying the style His or Her Majesty (HM), or His or Her Royal Highness (HRH) are generally considered members, which usually results in the application of the term to the monarch, the consort of the monarch, the widowed consorts of previous monarchs, the children of the monarch, the male-line grandchildren of the monarch, and the spouses and the widowed spouses of a monarch's son and male-line grandsons. A style of office, or honorific, is a term which by Tradition or Law precedes a reference to a person who holds a post or Title, or to the Majesty is an English word derived ultimately from the Latin Maiestas, meaning Greatness. See also List of British monarchs. For the royal consorts of the predecessor realms of Scotland and England, see List of Scottish

Members and relatives of the British Royal Family historically represented the monarch in various places throughout the British Empire, sometimes for extended periods as viceroys, or for specific ceremonies or events. The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power. A viceroy is a royal official who governs a country or province in the name of and as representative of the Monarch. Today, they often perform ceremonial and social duties throughout the United Kingdom and abroad on behalf of the UK, but, aside from the monarch, have no constitutional role in the affairs of government. This is the same for the other realms of the Commonwealth, in personal union with the United Kingdom, though the family there acts on behalf of, is funded by, and represents the sovereign of that particular state, and not Britain. A Commonwealth realm is any one of 16 sovereign states within the Commonwealth of Nations that each have Elizabeth II as their respective Monarch A personal union is the combination by which two different States are governed by the same Monarch, while their boundaries their laws and their interests remain distinct

Contents

List of members

Members of the Royal Family gathered for a dinner celebrating the 60th wedding anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh.
Members of the Royal Family gathered for a dinner celebrating the 60th wedding anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh.

This is a list of current members of the Royal Family:

Family tree of members

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 HM George V
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
HM George VI
 
 
 
 
 
 HRH Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 HRH Prince George, Duke of Kent
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
HM The Queen
 
 HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
 
 HRH The Duke of Gloucester
 
 HRH The Duchess of Gloucester
 
 HRH The Duke of Kent
 
 HRH The Duchess of Kent
 
 HRH Prince Michael of Kent
 
 HRH Princess Michael of Kent
 
 HRH Princess Alexandra
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 HRH The Prince of Wales
 
 HRH The Duchess of Cornwall
 
 HRH The Duke of York
 
 
 
 HRH The Earl of Wessex
 
 HRH The Countess of Wessex
 
 HRH The Princess Royal
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
HRH Prince William of Wales
 
 HRH Prince Henry of Wales
 
 HRH Princess Beatrice of York
 
 HRH Princess Eugenie of York
 
 Viscount Severn
 
 Lady Louise Windsor

Relations or spouses or former spouses of members

Collaterals

The following persons are descendants (or widows) of the younger children of Queen Victoria, King Edward VII, and King George V:

The Earl of Harewood is a female-line first cousin of the Queen. The Duke of Fife, the Marquess of Milford Haven, the Countess Mountbatten of Burma, and the Lady Saltoun, and their respective families, as well as Lord Harewood's descendants, are so distant from the reigning sovereign that they are relatives of, rather than members of, the Royal Family.

None of these persons receive any monies from the State or undertake official engagements on behalf of the Queen. However, the Queen does invite them to private family functions and to participate in official royal occasions, such as the Trooping the Colour, the Golden Jubilee celebrations, and ceremonial or state funerals. Trooping the Colour is a military ceremony performed by Regiments of the Commonwealth and the British Army. A Golden Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 50th anniversary of a monarch's reign

There are three living former spouses of members of the British Royal Family:

Recently deceased members of the Royal Family include:

In the United Kingdom

Public role and image

Members of the Royal Family engage in hundreds of public engagements yearly, throughout the United Kingdom, as formally recorded in the Court Circular, to honour, encourage and learn about the achievements or endeavors of individuals, institutions and enterprises in a variety of areas of life. Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (Elizabeth Angela Marguerite 4 August 1900 &ndash 30 March 2002 was the Queen Consort of King George Princess Alice Duchess of Gloucester (born The Lady Alice Christabel Montagu-Douglas-Scott; 25 December 1901 &ndash 29 October 2004 was the wife of Prince Henry Duke The Prince Henry Duke of Gloucester (Henry William Frederick Albert 31 March 1900 – 10 June 1974 was a member of the British Royal Family, the third son of George V The Court Circular is the official record that lists the engagements carried out by the Monarch of the United Kingdom and of the other Commonwealth Realms As representatives of the Queen, they often also join the nation in commemorating historical events, holidays, celebratory and tragic occurrences, and may also sponsor or participate in numerous charitable, cultural and social activities. Their travels abroad on behalf of the UK (called State Visits when the sovereign officially meets with other heads of state) draw public attention to amicable relations within and between the Commonwealth and other nations, to British goods and trade, and to Britain as a historical, vacation, and tourist destination. "Official visit" redirects here For the Yes Minister episode see " The Official Visit " Their presence, activities and traditional roles constitute the apex of a modern "royal court," and provide a distinctly British and historical pageantry to ceremonies (e. g. Trooping the Colour) and flavour to public events (e. Trooping the Colour is a military ceremony performed by Regiments of the Commonwealth and the British Army. g. Garden Parties, Ascot). Buckingham Palace Garden or to give it its full title "The Garden at Buckingham Palace" is the garden situated at the rear of Buckingham Palace. Ascot Racecourse is an English racecourse located in the village of Ascot, Berkshire used for Thoroughbred horse racing. Throughout their lives they draw enormous media coverage in the form of photographic, written and televised commentary on their activities, family relationships, rites of passage, personalities, attire, behaviour, and public roles. A rite of passage is a Ritual that marks a change in a person's social or sexual status

In a lengthy interview conducted by PBS prior to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in August 1997, Max Hastings, editor of the Daily Telegraph between 1986 and 1995, discussed the impact of Andrew Morton's and Jonathan Dimbleby's biographies of, respectively, the Princess and Charles, Prince of Wales on subsequent news coverage of the Royal Family in the UK:

“ I suppose the Morton book was a watershed because finally one was asked to come to terms with the fact that a very prominent member of the Royal Family had done something incredibly foolish, incredibly indiscreet and attempted to manipulate the media for her own ends. The Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) is a Non-profit Public broadcasting Television service with 354 member TV stations in the Sir Max Hastings, FRSL (born December 28, 1945) is a British Journalist, editor, Historian and Author For "The Daily Telegraph" in Australia see The Daily Telegraph (Australia. Andrew David Morton (born 1953 in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire) is a former British Fleet Street Tabloid Journalist, and a Jonathan Dimbleby, (born 31 July 1944, Aylesbury) is a British presenter of current affairs and Political Radio and Now when this was compounded by the Prince of Wales doing exactly the same with Jonathan Dimbleby and also engaging the Murdoch press in this operation, that at that moment in fact--I did write to the Prince of Wales's office and I said 'Hitherto I've always tried very hard to run the newspaper for which I am responsible in a way that will be helpful to the institution of the Monarchy and the Royal Family. is gay Bold text' Keith Rupert Murdoch', AC, KCSG (born Melbourne, March 11 1931 usually known as Rupert Murdoch, is an Australian-American But from hereon all bets are off. ' Not that one would ever wantonly do the Monarchy or the Royal, the Royal Family any disservice but any notion that one would act against the interest of the paper or keep something out of the paper in order to help the Royal Family has to be off when you've half the Royal Family exploiting the media for their own ends and in this particular case actually being willing to flog anything they've got to flog to the Murdoch press, who in this case were our competition. So, if they're not prepared to help themselves, why on earth should any of the rest of us stick our necks out to help them? ”

Funding

Monies to support the Queen in the exercise of her duties as head of state of the United Kingdom (the Head of State Expenditure) come from the Civil List. A civil list is a list of individuals to whom Money is paid by the Government. This is a return of a small portion of the revenue from the Crown Lands that are surrendered by the monarch to parliament at the beginning of each reign; all Crown Land being administered by The Crown Estates, an institution that is answerable to parliament. In the 2003-04 fiscal year, the amount surrendered was £176. 9 million, where the Head of State Expenditure was £36 million. The Head of State Expenditure does not include the cost of security.

Only the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh receive funding from the Civil List. The Duke receives £359,000 per year.

Only some members of the Royal Family carry out public duties; these individuals receive an annual payment known as a Parliamentary Annuity, the funds being supplied to cover office costs.

These amounts are repaid by The Queen from her private funds.

Though always voluntarily subject to the Value Added Tax and other indirect taxes, the Queen agreed to pay taxes on income and capital gains from 1992, although the details of this arrangement are both voluntary and secret. At the same time it was announced that only the Queen and Prince Philip would receive civil list payments. A civil list is a list of individuals to whom Money is paid by the Government. Since 1993 the Queen's personal income has been taxed as any other Briton. The Queen's private estate (eg shareholdings, personal jewellery, Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle) will be subject to Inheritance Tax, however bequests from Sovereign to Sovereign are exempt. Sandringham House is a Country house on of land near the village of Sandringham in Norfolk, England, which is privately owned by the British Balmoral Castle is a large Estate house situated in the area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland known as Royal Deeside. [3]

Royal styles and titles

Members of the Royal Family in the Royal box at Westminster Abbey during the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
Members of the Royal Family in the Royal box at Westminster Abbey during the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which is almost always referred to by its original name of Westminster Abbey, is a large mainly Gothic church For the ship see RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Context States headed by Elizabeth II

The style His Majesty or Her Majesty (HM) is enjoyed by a King, a Queen (regnant), a Queen consort, and a former Queen consort (a Queen Dowager or a Queen Mother). Majesty is an English word derived ultimately from the Latin Maiestas, meaning Greatness. A queen consort is the title given to the wife of a reigning king. Princess Mother redirects here for Princess Mother Srinagraidra of Thailand see Srinagarindra A Queen Dowager or Dowager Queen (compare Queen mother is a title or position reserved for a widowed Queen consort (a Queen dowager) whose son or daughter from that marriage is the reigning monarch

Use of the style His Royal Highness or Her Royal Highness (HRH) and the titular dignity of Prince or Princess are governed by Letters Patent issued by George V on 30 November 1917 and published in the London Gazette on 11 December 1917. Prince, from the Latin root Princeps, is a general term for a Monarch, for a member of a monarch's or former monarch's family and is a Events 1700 - Battle of Narva — A Swedish army of 8500 men under Charles XII defeats Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the UK in which certain Events 359 - Honoratus, the first known Prefect of the City of Constantinople, takes office Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year These Letters Patent state that henceforth only the children of the Sovereign, the children of the sons of the Sovereign, and the eldest son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales would "have and at all times hold and enjoy the style, title or attribute of Royal Highness with their titular dignity of Prince or Princess prefixed to their respective Christian names or with their other titles of honour. Prince of Wales (Tywysog Cymru is a title traditionally granted to the Heir Apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom (and formerly the Kingdom " They further state, "the grandchildren of the sons of any such Sovereign in the direct male line (save only the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales) shall have the style and title enjoyed by the children of Dukes. "

Under these conventions, The Queen's children and the children of The Prince of Wales, The Duke of York and The Earl of Wessex are titled Princes or Princesses and styled Royal Highness. However, upon Prince Edward's marriage in 1999, it was announced that his children would be styled as earl's children, but no Letters Patent were issued to this affect. The Duke of Gloucester, The Duke of Kent, Princess Alexandra, the Hon. Lady Ogilvy and Prince Michael of Kent enjoy the titular dignity of Prince or Princess and the style Royal Highness as male-line grandchildren of George V. Prince Richard Duke of Gloucester (Richard Alexander Walter George born 26 August 1944 is a member of the British Royal Family, the youngest grandchild of King George Prince Edward Duke of Kent (Edward George Nicholas Patrick Paul born 9 October 1935 is a member of the British Royal Family, a grandchild of George V. "Prince Michael" redirects here For other people named Prince Michael see Prince Michael (disambiguation. However, none of their children has a royal title. For example, the children of Prince Michael of Kent are known as Lord Frederick Windsor and Lady Gabriella Windsor, the courtesy titles as children of dukes. They are not entitled to any royal title. The children of The Princess Royal, Princess Alexandra and the late Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, are not entitled to any royal title since princesses do not transmit their titles to their children. An exception to this rule was when George VI issued Letters Patent such that his heiress presumptive, Princess Elizabeth, could transmit her title to her children. Princess Margaret's son enjoys the courtesy title Viscount Linley as the son and heir of the Earl of Snowdon, while her daughter enjoys the courtesy title Lady. The children of the Princess Royal and Princess Alexandra have no titles, because Mark Phillips and Sir Angus Ogilvy did not accept hereditary peerages upon marriage. Mark Anthony Peter Phillips, CVO, ADC(P (born 22 September 1948) is a former Olympic gold-medal-winning horseman and first husband Sir Angus James Bruce Ogilvy, KCVO ( 14 September 1928 &ndash 26 December 2004) was a British businessman best known as the husband The Peerage is a system of Titles of Nobility in the United Kingdom, part of the British honours system.

Women marrying sons and male-line grandsons of a Sovereign are normally styled Her Royal Highness followed by the feminised version of her husband's highest title. The wives of royal peers are known as "HRH The Duchess of . . . " or " HRH The Countess of . . . " Thus, the wives of the Duke of Kent, the Duke of Gloucester, and the Earl of Wessex are "HRH The Duchess of Kent," "HRH The Duchess of Gloucester," and "HRH The Countess of Wessex," respectively. Before her divorce, the late Diana, Princess of Wales enjoyed the title and style of "HRH The Princess of Wales. " However, when a woman marries a prince who does not hold a peerage, she is known as HRH Princess [Her husband's Christian name], followed by whatever territorial or titular designation. For example, the former Baroness Marie-Christine von Reibnitz enjoys the title and style of "HRH Princess Michael of Kent," and not "HRH Princess Marie-Christine of Kent. " Similarly, the former Birgitte Eva van Deurs was titled "HRH Princess Richard of Gloucester" from her wedding until her husband succeeded to his father's dukedom in 1974. A wedding is the Ceremony in which two people are united in Marriage. The widows of princes remain HRH. However, under Queen Elizabeth II's 21 August 1996 Letters Patent, a divorced wife of a Prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland "shall not be entitled to hold and enjoy the style, title or attribute of Royal Highness. Events 1192 - Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shōgun and the De facto ruler of Japan. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) "

There has been one exception to the convention that wives of princes take their husband's rank. In Letters Patent dated 28 May 1937, King George VI specifically denied the style HRH to the wife of the Duke of Windsor, the former King Edward VIII. Events 585 BC - A Solar eclipse occurs as predicted by Greek philosopher and scientist Thales, while Alyattes is battling Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Therefore, the former Wallis Warfield Simpson was known as "Her Grace The Duchess of Windsor," not "Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Windsor. Wallis Duchess of Windsor (born Bessie Wallis Warfield, later Spencer, then Simpson; 19 June 1895 or 1896 &ndash 24 April 1986 was an American "

It should also be noted due a reluctance by the public to universally support the second wife of The Prince of Wales, it has been announced by Clarence House that should The Prince of Wales become King, that his wife HRH The Duchess of Cornwall will not be known as HM The Queen but will take the lesser title of HRH The Princess Consort. Clarence House is a royal home in London, situated on The Mall. Out of respect for the late Diana, Princess of Wales, it was also announced that HRH The Duchess of Cornwall would not be known as HRH The Princess of Wales.

The daughters and male-line granddaughters of the Sovereign do not lose their royal titles upon marriage. Men who marry the daughters and the male-line granddaughters of the Sovereign, however, do not acquire their wives' royal rank and the style HRH. The only exception to this convention is Prince Philip. Born a Prince of Greece and Denmark, it was only after his wartime service that he renounced the use of his title and became a naturalised British subject, as Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten RN (although he was already a British citizen as a descendant of the Electress Sophia). Mountbatten is the family name adopted by two branches of the Battenberg family due to rising Anti-German sentiment among the British public during World War The day before his marriage he was created Duke of Edinburgh with the style HRH by King George VI's Letters Patent of 19 November 1947. The Duke of Edinburgh is a Dukedom associated with Edinburgh, Scotland. Events 1095 - The Council of Clermont, called by Pope Urban II to discuss sending the First Crusade to the Holy Land Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Duke of Edinburgh was not created a Prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland until 22 February 1957. Events 1495 - King Charles VIII of France enters Naples to claim the city's throne Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) Since that date, his full title has been "HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. "

As grandchildren of the Sovereign through the female line, the children of the then Princess Elizabeth and The Duke of Edinburgh would not have been entitled to use HRH or Prince or Princess of the United Kingdom until their mother became Queen, had those titles and styles not been granted in Letters Patent of 22 October 1948. Events 202 BC - Hannibal Barca, leader of the Carthaginians, is defeated by the Roman legions under Scipio Africanus Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. They could neither be styled HRH Prince or Princess of Greece and Denmark through their father, as the Duke of Edinburgh had renounced these use of these royal titles and styles.

Peerages

The British Royal Family in 1880.
The British Royal Family in 1880.

Female consorts of the Sovereign have generally not been created peers or peeresses. A notable exception occurred in 1532, when Henry VIII created Anne Boleyn Marchioness of Pembroke before marrying her. Henry VIII (28 June 1491 &ndash 28 January 1547 was King of England and Lord of Ireland, later King of Ireland and claimant to the Kingdom of Anne Boleyn (1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536 was the Queen of England as the second wife of Henry VIII of England. Male consorts, however, have sometimes been granted dukedoms. The husband of Mary I was already King of Spain, and that of Mary II was jointly Sovereign in England, so neither of them received peerage dignities. Mary I (18 February 1516 &ndash 17 November 1558 was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 19 July 1553 until her death Mary II (30 April 1662 &ndash 28 December 1694 reigned as Queen of England, Ireland and Scotland from 1689 until her death Prince George of Denmark, the husband of Anne (later Queen Anne), was created Duke of Cumberland in 1683 . Prince George of Denmark and Norway Duke of Cumberland ( Danish: Prins Jørgen hertug af Cumberland 2 April 1653 &ndash 28 October 1708 was the Prince consort Anne (6 February 1665 – 1 August 1714 became Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702 succeeding William III of England and II of Victoria's husband, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, was given the style Royal Highness before his marriage. Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901 was from 20 June 1837 the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland In 1857, Queen Victoria granted him title of Prince Consort; however, Prince Albert was not made a British peer. A prince consort, generally speaking is a common term for the husband of a Queen regnant, unless he himself also is a king in his own right Prince Philip, husband of the present Queen, was created Duke of Edinburgh and granted the style Royal Highness the day before his wedding (which occurred prior to her accession).

Generally, the sons of the Sovereign are awarded peerage dignities to mark either adulthood or marriage. Originally, younger sons of the Sovereign were not styled Princes (except the Prince of Wales); thus, in order to indicate their exalted rank, peerage dignities were conferred upon them. From the time of Edward III, nearly every son of a Sovereign surviving into adulthood became a Duke. Edward III (13 November 1312 &ndash 21 June 1377 was one of the most successful English monarchs of the Middle Ages. Certain dukedoms were granted more often than others, including the Dukedoms of York, Albany and Clarence. For the nursery rhyme see The Grand Old Duke of York. The title Duke of York is a title of Nobility in the British Peerage Duke of Albany is a Peerage title that has occasionally been bestowed on the younger sons in the Scottish, and later the British Royal family, particularly Duke of Clarence is a title which has been traditionally awarded to junior members of the English and British Royal families. Normally, a peerage once awarded to a member of the Royal Family is not thereafter granted to any person outside the Royal Family (though some exceptions do exist).

The Dukedom of York is generally created for the second son of the Sovereign. The first creation was in 1384; the dukedom merged in the Crown in 1483 . Every Duke thereafter has either died without heirs or succeeded to the Crown, and so has not been able to leave the Royal Family. The pattern of awarding the dukedom to the second-eldest son of the Sovereign was upset by George I, who gave the Dukedom of York and Albany to his younger brother. George I (George Louis German Georg Ludwig; 28 May 1660 &ndash 11 June 1727 For the first year of his life George was the only heir to his father's and three childless The Dukedom of York and Albany was next granted by George II to the second son of his son, who had predeceased him. George II (George Augustus 10 November 1683 &ndash 25 October 1760 was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg ( York and Albany featured one last time as a dukedom in 1784, when George III granted it to his second son. George III (George William Frederick 4 June 1738 George III's long reign was marked by a series of military conflicts involving his kingdom much of the rest of Europe and places Thereafter, the dukedom has always borne the designation York, rather than York and Albany. The current duke is The Prince Andrew, second son of Queen Elizabeth II.

The Dukedom of Albany served a function similar to the Dukedom of York in Scotland. The dukedom was created in 1398 for Robert Stewart, brother of King Robert III. Robert Stewart Duke of Albany (c 1340 &ndash 3 September 1420) a member of the Scottish royal house served as Regent (at least partially Robert III redirects here Robert Curthose of Normandy is also sometimes known as Robert III or Robert II It was at the time the only dukedom other than the Dukedom of Rothesay. It was created thrice more in Scotland: twice for the second son of a Sovereign, and once for a brother of a Sovereign. It was last created in 1881 for the fourth son of Victoria; the dukedom was then suspended under the Titles Deprivation Act after its holder fought on the side of Germany during World War I. Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901 was from 20 June 1837 the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All

There are several other dukedoms that have been used for members of the Royal Family. Clarence was first used as a dukedom in 1362, most of the time being granted to the third son of the Sovereign. Among the dukedoms granted to still younger sons of the Sovereign are Aumale, Cambridge, Connaught, Cumberland, Edinburgh, Gloucester, Kent and Sussex. Some of those dukedoms were used for younger brothers, nephews and other kinsmen of Sovereigns. The dukedom of Windsor was also a Royal dukedom, being granted to Edward VIII after he abdicated so that he could marry against the tenets of the Church of England. The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican

Often, sons of the Sovereign were granted titles associated with England and Scotland, later with Ireland, and most recently with Wales. Thus, the Dukedom of Strathearn (named after a place in Scotland) has been held with the Dukedoms of Connaught (named after an Irish province), Kent and Cumberland (both named after English places). This pattern continues in the present Royal Family. The current Duke of York, for example, is also Earl of Inverness and Baron Killyleagh; the subsidiary titles are associated with Scotland and Northern Ireland, respectively. Inverness (Inbhir Nis iɲɪɾʲˈniʃ is a city in northern Scotland. Killyleagh (kɪliˈleɪ ( Cill Uí Laoigh in Irish, meaning "Church of the descendants of the hero" is a large Village

The convention of granting dukedoms to senior members of the Royal Family was broken most recently in 1999, when The Prince Edward was created Earl of Wessex. The Earldom of Wessex had not been created earlier by an English or British Sovereign since 1066. It has been suggested that the Dukedom of Edinburgh will eventually be granted to the Earl of Wessex. The current dukedom will descend to Charles, Prince of Wales, however, and not to the Earl of Wessex. When The Prince of Wales becomes Sovereign, or if he is already Sovereign when the dukedom passes to him, the dukedom will merge in the Crown and then only become available for a regrant.

The highest peerage dignity belonging to a Prince may be used as a part of the title of that Prince's children. Thus, the sons of The Prince of Wales are Prince William of Wales and Prince Harry of Wales; the daughters of the Duke of York are Princess Beatrice of York and Princess Eugenie of York; the daughter of the Earl of Wessex is Princess Louise of Wessex. For actual Princes of Wales called Henry see Henry Prince of Wales. Princess Beatrice of York (Beatrice Elizabeth Mary born 8 August 1988 is a member of the British Royal Family. Princess Eugenie of York ( Eugenie Victoria Helena;; born 23 March 1990 is a member of the British Royal Family and a granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II The Lady Louise Windsor (Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary born 8 November 2003 is a member of the British Royal Family. (In the last case, the Princess is normally referred to as Lady Louise Windsor at the wishes of her parents, but officially remains a Princess. )

Sovereigns, especially Charles II, have sometimes granted peerage dignities to illegitimate children. James Scott became Duke of Monmouth in 1663 . James Crofts, later James Scott 1st Duke of Monmouth and 1st Duke of Buccleuch ( April 9 1649 &ndash July 15 1685) was an English Many more creations, mostly earldoms, followed in the 1670s: Charles FitzCharles became Earl of Plymouth, Charles FitzRoy Duke of Southampton, Henry FitzRoy Earl of Euston, George FitzRoy Earl of Northumberland, Charles Beauclerk Earl of Burford and Charles Lennox Duke of Richmond and Lennox. Charles FitzCharles 1st Earl of Plymouth (1657 – 17 October 1680) was the illegitimate son of King Charles II of England, by Catherine Pegge Charles Palmer, later FitzRoy 2nd Duke of Cleveland and 1st Duke of Southampton ( 18 June 1662 &ndash 9 September 1730) styled Henry FitzRoy 1st Duke of Grafton KG ( 28 September 1663 &ndash 9 October 1690) was the illegitimate son of King Charles II Lieutenant-General George FitzRoy 1st Duke of Northumberland, KG, PC ( Oxford, December 28 1665 &ndash June 28 1716 Charles Beauclerk 1st Duke of St Albans, KG ( 8 May 1670 &ndash 10 May 1726) was an Illegitimate son of King Charles Charles Lennox 1st Duke of Richmond and 1st Duke of Lennox 1er Duc d' Aubigny ( 29 July 1672 &ndash 27 May 1723 was the illegitimate son of Charles II of Many of the earls who were sons of Charles later became Dukes. Of the current Dukes, four are male-line descendants of Charles in the illegitimate line: the Duke of Richmond, Lennox and Gordon, the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry, the Duke of Grafton and the Duke of St Albans.

In other Commonwealth realms

As the Royal Family is shared by other Commonwealth realms, its members will often also conduct official and non-official duties outside the United Kingdom, on behalf of the relevant state. A Commonwealth realm is any one of 16 sovereign states within the Commonwealth of Nations that each have Elizabeth II as their respective Monarch

Further information: Royal Family's role in the realms

Footnotes

  1. ^ For example, for Canada the family is known as the Canadian Royal Family
  2. ^ alt.talk.royalty FAQ: British royalty and nobility
  3. ^ Royal website Fact Files

Additional reading

Royal Family (1969 documentary)

Trivia

The British Royal Family were voted second on the television show "50 Greatest Families" losing only to The Simpsons.

See also

Other realms

Other related articles

External links

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