Duke of Gloucester ( ) is a British royal

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify their generation, official position, military rank, professional or academic qualification, or nobility. In some languages, titles may be ins ...

(after

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

), often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the

Peerage of England The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. From that year, the Peerages of England and Scotland were closed to new creations, and new peers were created in a single Peerag ...

and the last in the

Peerage of the United Kingdom The Peerage of the United Kingdom is one of the five peerages in the United Kingdom. It comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great B ...

; 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 Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

. 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 Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...

, 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 William, Prince of Wales (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982), is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales. William was born during the reign of his p ...

, son of the future Queen Anne, was styled "Duke of Gloucester" for his whole life (1689–1700), but was never formally created duke.

Frederick, Prince of Wales Frederick, Prince of Wales (Frederick Louis, German: ''Friedrich Ludwig''; 31 January 1707 – 31 March 1751) was the eldest son and heir apparent of King George II of Great Britain. He grew estranged from his parents, King George and Queen C ...

, was styled "Duke of Gloucester" from 1718–1726, but was then created

Duke of Edinburgh Duke of Edinburgh, named after the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh, is a substantive title that has been created four times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not pr ...

rather than of Gloucester. There was next a creation of a double dukedom (not two dukedoms) for the brother of

King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...

, Prince William Henry, his proper title becoming "

Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh ( ) was a British title (after Gloucester and Edinburgh) in the Peerage of Great Britain; the sole creation carried with it the subsidiary title of Earl of Connaught. It existed for the brother of King Geor ...

". The fifth and most recent creation was for Prince Henry, third son of

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...

, styled as ''His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester''. Upon Prince Henry's death, the dukedom was inherited by his only surviving son Prince Richard, who still holds the title. The heir-apparent 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 inherited by Alexander Windsor; as a great-grandson of a sovereign he is not entitled to royal style, and will be styled as ''His Grace The Duke of Gloucester''. The Duke of Gloucester in 2008 cropped

Dukes of Gloucester

First creation, 1385–1397

Second creation, 1414–1447

Third creation, 1461

Fourth creation, 1659

''Only styled'', 1689

''Only styled'', 1717

Fifth creation, 1928

''Also: Earl of Ulster and Baron Culloden (1928)''London Gazette, Issue:33371, Page:2321
/ref>

Line of succession

Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester (Henry William Frederick Albert; 31 March 1900 – 10 June 1974) was a member of the British royal family. He was the third son of King George V and Mary of Teck, Queen Mary, and was a younger brother of kings E ...

(1900–1974)'' ** Coronet of a Grandchild of the Sovereign

Prince William of Gloucester Prince William of Gloucester (William Henry Andrew Frederick; 18 December 1941 – 28 August 1972) was a member of the British royal family. The elder son of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, he w ...

(1941–1972)'' ** Coronet of a Grandchild of the Sovereign

Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester (Richard Alexander Walter George; born 26 August 1944) is a member of the British royal family. He is the second son of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, the youngest ...

(born 1944) ***(1) Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster (born 1974) **** (2) Xan Windsor, Lord Culloden (born 2007)

Arms

File:Arms of Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester.svg, Arms of Thomas of Woodstock: ''

Royal arms of England The coat of arms of England is the coat of arms historically used as arms of dominion by the monarchs of the Kingdom of England, and now used to symbolise England generally.: "The three golden lions upon a ground of red have certainly continued ...

'' (arms of his father King Edward III) with

difference Difference commonly refers to: * Difference (philosophy), the set of properties by which items are distinguished * Difference (mathematics), the result of a subtraction Difference, The Difference, Differences or Differently may also refer to: Mu ...

''a bordure argent'' File:Arms of Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Gloucester.svg, Arms of Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Gloucester: ''

Arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...

of King Henry IV differenced by a

bordure In heraldry, a bordure is a band of contrasting tincture forming a border around the edge of a shield, traditionally one-sixth as wide as the shield itself. It is sometimes reckoned as an ordinary and sometimes as a subordinary. A bordure encl ...

argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to b ...

'' File:Arms of Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence.svg, Arms of Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence, second son of King Henry IV. Blason: ''Arms of King Henry IV a label of three points argent each charged with three ermine spots and a canton gules''. Later borne by Richard, Duke of Gloucester (later King Richard III). File:Coat of Arms of Henry Stuart, Duke of Gloucester.svg, Coat of arms of

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

as a son of the Sovereign File:Coat of Arms of William of Denmark, Duke of Gloucester.svg,

's Coat of Arms File:Coat of Arms of Henry, Duke of Gloucester.svg, Coat of Arms of Henry, the Duke of Gloucester File:Coat of Arms of Richard, Duke of Gloucester.svg, Coat of Arms of

File:Coat of arms of Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster.svg,

Coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

of Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster, eldest son of the

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

, &

heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offi ...

to the

Dukedom of Gloucester Duke of Gloucester ( ) 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 curre ...

Family trees

References

External links

The Duke of Gloucester
at the Royal Family website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gloucester, Duke Of Dukedoms in the Peerage of the United Kingdom 1385 establishments in England 1928 establishments in the United Kingdom Noble titles created in 1385 Noble titles created in 1414 Noble titles created in 1461 Noble titles created in 1659 Noble titles created in 1928