Duke of Cambridge is a hereditary title of nobility in the British royal family, one of several royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom. The title is named after the city of Cambridge in England. It is heritable by male descendants by primogeniture, and has been conferred five times upon members of the English and later British royal families, three times in the peerage of England and twice in the peerage of the United Kingdom.

The title of Duke of Cambridge, first created in 1660, superseded an earlier title of Earl of Cambridge. The title became extinct several times before being revived in 2011, when Queen Elizabeth II bestowed it on her grandson Prince William on 29 April 2011 upon his marriage to Catherine Middleton. Catherine became known as the Duchess of Cambridge.

History The title was first granted in 1660 by Charles II of England (immediately following the Restoration of the monarchy) to his infant eldest nephew Charles Stuart (1660–1661), the first son of the Duke of York (later King James II), though he was never formally created Duke of Cambridge as he died at the age of six months. The first officially recognised creation of the dukedom was in the Peerage of England in 1664, when King Charles II granted the title to his next eldest surviving nephew James Stuart, the infant second son of the Duke of York, who died early in 1667 at the age of three, when the title again became extinct. The title was then granted later that year by King Charles II to his next eldest surviving nephew Edgar Stuart, the third son of the Duke of York, who also died in infancy, in 1671 at the age of three, when the title became extinct the third time. The Duke of York's fourth son Charles (his eldest son by his second wife) was also styled Duke of Cambridge in 1677, but died when about a month old, not having lived long enough to be formally created duke.

The title was recreated by Queen Anne in 1706 who granted it to George Augustus (later King George II), son of the Elector of Hanover (later King George I), her distant cousin (both being descended from King James I). When the title was created George Augustus was third in line to the throne, after his grandmother Sophia and his father. When he ascended to the throne as King George II in 1727, the dukedom merged with the Crown.

The title was again recreated in the peerage of the United Kingdom and was granted in 1801 by King George III to his seventh son Prince Adolphus (1774–1850), then aged 27. Following his death in 1850 the title was inherited by his only son Prince George, 2nd Duke of Cambridge, whose three sons were barred from inheriting the title as his marriage had been in violation of the Royal Marriages Act 1772. Thus on the death of the 2nd Duke in 1904 the title again became extinct.

During the period leading up to the 1999 wedding of Prince Edward, the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II, some people speculated that the Dukedom of Cambridge or Sussex were the most likely to be granted to him, and The Sunday Telegraph later reported that Prince Edward was at one point set to be titled Duke of Cambridge. Instead, Prince Edward was created Earl of Wessex, and it was announced that he would eventually be created the next Duke of Edinburgh after his father.

On 29 April 2011, the day of his wedding, it was announced that Queen Elizabeth II had created her grandson Prince William Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus, titles relating respectively to places in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, three of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom. The letters patent granting these titles received the great seal on 26 May 2011.

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, William and Catherine were made Prince and Princess of Wales in addition to their titles as Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. They have henceforth been primarily referred to as the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Dukes of Cambridge

Styled, 1660

Duke Birth Marriage(s) Death Arms Charles StuartHouse of Stuart1660–1661 22 October 1660Worcester House, LondonSon of James, Duke of York (later King James II)and Anne Hyde not married 5 May 1661Whitehall Palace, Londonaged 6 months

First creation, 1664 Also: Earl of Cambridge and Baron of Dauntsey (1664)

Duke Portrait Birth Marriage(s) Death James StuartHouse of Stuart1664–1667 12 July 1663St James's Palace, LondonSon of James, Duke of York (later King James II)and Anne Hyde not married 20 June 1667Richmond Palace, Londonaged 3

Second creation, 1667 Also: Earl of Cambridge and Baron of Dauntsey (1667)

Duke Birth Marriage(s) Death Edgar StuartHouse of Stuart1667–1671 14 September 1667St James's Palace, LondonSon of James, Duke of York (later King James II)and Anne Hyde not married 8 June 1671Richmond Palace, Londonaged 3

Styled, 1677

Duke Birth Marriage(s) Death Charles StuartHouse of Stuart1677–1677 7 November 1677St James's Palace, LondonSon of James, Duke of York (later King James II)and Mary of Modena not married 12 December 1677St James's Palace, Londonaged 35 days

Third creation, 1706 Also: Marquess of Cambridge, Earl of Milford Haven, Viscount Northallerton and Baron Tewkesbury (1706)

Duke Portrait Birth Marriage(s) Death Arms Prince GeorgeHouse of Hanover1706–1727Prince of Wales,Duke of Cornwalland Duke of Rothesay (1714) 30 October / 9 November 1683Herrenhausen, HanoverSon of Prince George of Brunswick-Lüneburg (later King George I)and Sophia Dorothea of Celle 22 August 1705Caroline of Ansbach10 children 25 October 1760Kensington Palace, Londonaged 76

Prince George succeeded as George II in 1727 and his titles merged with the crown.

Fourth creation, 1801 Also: Earl of Tipperary and Baron Culloden (1801)

Duke Portrait Birth Marriage(s) Death Arms Prince AdolphusHouse of Hanover1801–1850 24 February 1774Buckingham Palace, LondonSon of King George IIIand Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz 18 June 1818Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel3 children 8 July 1850Cambridge House, Londonaged 76 Prince GeorgeHouse of Hanover1850–1904 26 March 1819Cambridge House, HanoverSon of Prince Adolphusand Princess Augusta 8 January 1847Sarah Fairbrother3 children 17 March 1904Londonaged 84

Prince George's marriage to Sarah Fairbrother produced three sons. However, due to the Royal Marriages Act 1772, the marriage was invalid (he had not asked for Queen Victoria's approval to marry) and his children were thus illegitimate and could not succeed to his titles; so, accordingly, all his titles became extinct on his death.

Fifth creation, 2011 Also: Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus (2011)

Duke Portrait Birth Marriage(s) Death Arms Prince WilliamHouse of Windsor2011–present 21 June 1982St Mary's Hospital, LondonEldest son of Charles, Prince of Wales (later King Charles III)and Diana, Princess of Wales 29 April 2011Catherine Middleton3 children Living (age )

Line of succession If William becomes king, his titles, including the dukedom, will merge with the crown. However, if he dies before becoming king, then his sons are eligible to inherit the dukedom in birth order:

William, Prince of Wales (born 1982) (1) Prince George of Wales (born 2013) (2) Prince Louis of Wales (born 2018)

Family tree

See also Duke of Cambridge's Personal Canadian Flag Marquess of Cambridge Earl of Cambridge

References