Pretty much ended in 1066, to be honest. Before that the Earls ran the local tax system, courts, militia, the whole kit and caboodle. After that those powers mostly went to Sheriffs while the Bastard spread the influence of his chief tenants around the country to stop them establishing regional power bases. There was an exception to that for the Marcher Lords and initially for Northumbria, until Waltheof went and ruined it for everyone.
There are still a few Duchies which come with land and castles and so forth, primarily the Duchy of Lancaster, which is Brenda’s personal gig, and the Duchy of Cornwall, which is a sort of personal business run by the Duke of Cornwall, aka Prince of Wales, Prince of Scotland, Lord of the Isles, heir apparent, &c..
Nelson, Admiral Lord Nelson, Nelson of the Nile, &c., as well as being a Baron in the House of Lords was made a Duke by the King of the Two Sicilies. The First Duke of Marlborough was given a small principality of his own by the Holy Roman Emperor.
How do titles from non-British sources work? The British monarch also holds titles like “Defender of the Faith”, given by a pope, and “Duke of Normandy”, given by a French king. Is it possible for British subjects to hold foreign titles, or is only the monarch allowed to?
Nelson, Admiral Lord Nelson, Nelson of the Nile, &c., as well as being a Baron in the House of Lords was made a Duke by the King of the Two Sicilies. The First Duke of Marlborough was given a small principality of his own by the Holy Roman Emperor.
[/QUOTE]
Is it worth speculating what (if any) future titles may be bestowed upon the Duchess of Canterbury’s immediate family, especially if/when she becomes Queen?
Didn’t Diana’s brother get an Earldom?
Princess Pippa sounds absolutely pip pip old chap!
Being a republic, does Ireland forbid its citizens from accepting such a title, except honorarily (cf prominent Americans who have been knighted, but can’t use the title Sir).
I was surprised by the title Duke of Cambridge; it sounds rather generic. She could have at least thrown in a hyphen or something.
But just like William doesn’t have to be from Cambridge, couldn’t she give the title to someone from Northern Ireland or Great Britain? I mean, what are the Irish going to do, blow something uuuuh…never mind!
Hard to see how Irish citizens could receive a peerage, (unless they applied to become naturalised of course) seeing as they are outwith the Commonwealth. To do so would probably require primary legislation.
Honorary knighthoods, however, are perfectly possible, e.g. Bob Geldorf.
No, she was Lady Diana Spencer when she married Charles and became Diana, Princess of Wales (she was never Princess Diana, though she could have been called Princess Charles correctly). Her father became an Earl when his father passed away and the daughters all became Ladies. One thing she didn’t have in common w/ Charles is that she was an English blue-blood while he is more German than English.
There once was a Viscount Canterbury (or Lord Canterbury), which would be a good reason never to have a Duke of Canterbury. And there still is a Duke of Kent .. and since Canterbury is a city in Kent, that would be another reason not to have a Duke of Canterbury, since his hypothetical grace would be apparently subordinate to HRH Prince Edward, Duke of Kent.
Subirdinate? Is this the way it works? So far as I know the rekative status of peer has nothing to so with the actual geographical locations for which they’re named.
As far as the viscount, it’s my impression that titles are often recreated.
I dug around the Wiki and I see what you mean; if I understand it correctly, the current Earl Spencer (Diana’s brother), being a peer, is not a commoner; but Prince Harry and even Anne, Princess Royal are commoners as neither is a peer, though they were born royal. Prince William has never been a commoner b/c he has male primogeniture, like his dad. Ergo, his uncles Andrew and Edward were commoners until their Mum created them Duke and Earl on their wedding days, respectively.
I understand the peerage idea much better now, but it makes me wonder why HRM didn’t make Anne a marquess on her wedding day? Her husband was offered an Earldom which he refused.
Thank you, ascenray, for making me research and understand!
I still don’t buy that anyone called a Prince or Princess and thus entitled to the style “His [or Her] Royal Highness” is a commoner, and would welcome an authoritative cite to the contrary.
Does anyone know how the succession is defined for the new Dukedom of Cambridge? Is it restricted (as is traditonal) to Prince William’s heirs male? Or was it broadened to both male and female heirs?
I’m pretty sure it’s restricted to heirs male, but it doesn’t really matter much in the end. When William becomes king it’ll merge back into the crown. If he dies before becoming king and has a son it’ll go to the son, who’ll then go on to become king. If it’s restricted to heirs male and he only has daughters it’ll go extinct. If it’s not restricted to heirs male and William has only daughters the eldest one would inheirit it, but she’d also go on to become Queen and it’d still end up merging with the crown.
