Alexander Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 16th Duke of Hamilton, 13th Duke of Brandon (born 31 March 1978) is a Scottish

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteris ...

and the premier peer of Scotland.

Early life

He is the son of Angus Douglas-Hamilton, 15th Duke of Hamilton, and his first wife, Sarah Scott, and was educated at Keil School,

Dumbarton Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990. Dumbarton was the ca ...

, and

Gordonstoun Gordonstoun School is a co-educational independent school for boarding and day pupils in Moray, Scotland. It is named after the estate owned by Sir Robert Gordon in the 17th century; the school now uses this estate as its campus. It is locate ...

in Scotland."Hamilton, 16th Duke of, cr 1643 (Scot.), AND BRANDON, 13th Duke of, cr 1711 (GB) (Alexander Douglas-Hamilton)"
in Who's Who, online edition, accessed 12 August 2022

Inheritance

Upon the death of his father on 5 June 2010, he became the 16th Duke of Hamilton in the Peerage of Scotland and 13th Duke of Brandon in the Peerage of Great Britain. He also inherited other Scottish peerages and titles,

Marquess of Douglas A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman w ...

, Marquess of Clydesdale,

Earl of Angus The Mormaer or Earl of Angus was the ruler of the medieval Scottish province of Angus. The title, in the Peerage of Scotland, is held by the Duke of Hamilton, and is used as a courtesy title for the eldest son of the Duke's eldest son. Histor ...

Earl of Lanark Lanark ( ; gd, Lannraig ; sco, Lanrik) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, located 20 kilometres to the south-east of Hamilton. The town lies on the River Clyde, at its confluence with Mouse Water. In 2016, the town had a population of 9 ...

, Earl of Arran and Cambridge,

Lord Abernethy and Jedburgh Forest The Mormaer or Earl of Angus was the ruler of the medieval Scottish province of Angus. The title, in the Peerage of Scotland, is held by the Duke of Hamilton, and is used as a courtesy title for the eldest son of the Duke's eldest son. Histor ...

, Lord Machanshyre and Polmont and Lord Aven and Innerdale, and the Barony of Dutton in the peerage of Great Britain. The Duke is the Hereditary Keeper of the Palace of

Holyroodhouse The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace or Holyroodhouse, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh ...

and the hereditary bearer of the

Crown of Scotland The Crown of Scotland ( gd, Crùn na h-Alba) is the crown that was used at the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland. It is the oldest surviving crown in the British Isles and dates from at least 1503, although it has been claimed that the c ...

. In this role, he walks immediately before the monarch in the ancient ceremonial procession known as the Riding of Parliament. The seat of the Dukes of Hamilton is

Lennoxlove House Lennoxlove House is a historic house set in woodlands half a mile south of Haddington in East Lothian, Scotland. The house comprises a 15th-century tower, originally known as Lethington Castle, and has been extended several times, principally in ...

, replacing the now-demolished

Hamilton Palace Hamilton Palace was a country house in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The former seat of the Dukes of Hamilton, it dated from the 14th century and was subsequently much enlarged in the 17th and 19th centuries.Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

. She is an interior designer and the daughter of Hubert A. J. Rutherford (born 1940), of Roxburghshire, and Isabel W. Taylor (born 1943), of Edinburgh.Alexander Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 16th Duke of Hamilton
The Douglas Archives, 26 March 2013, accessed 13 July 2013 The couple have three children.

Death of Queen Elizabeth II

On 12 September 2022, during a service of remembrance in

St Giles' Cathedral St Giles' Cathedral ( gd, Cathair-eaglais Naomh Giles), or the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in the Old Town of Edinburgh. The current building was begun in the 14th century and extended until the early 1 ...

, the Duke placed the

upon the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II.BBC NEWS LIVE
BBC NEWS, 12 September 2022, accessed 12 September 2022,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, 16th Duke Of 1978 births Living people 116 13 13 Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, 16th Duke of Hamilton People educated at Gordonstoun People educated at Keil School