1.
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
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Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, KG, KT, PC, ADC is the elder son of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales. He is second in line to succeed his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, William was educated at four schools in the United Kingdom and obtained a degree from the University of St Andrews. He spent parts of a gap year in Chile, Belize, in December 2006, he completed 44 weeks of training as an officer cadet and was commissioned in the Blues and Royals regiment. In April 2008, he qualified as a pilot by completing training at Royal Air Force College Cranwell. He then underwent helicopter flying training in order to become a pilot with the RAF Search. His service with the British Armed Forces ended in September 2013, William married Catherine Middleton, on 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey. Hours before the wedding, he was created Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn, the couples first child, Prince George, was born on 22 July 2013, and their second, Princess Charlotte, was born on 2 May 2015. William, the first child of the Prince and Princess of Wales, was born at St Marys Hospital and his names, William Arthur Philip Louis, were announced by Buckingham Palace a week later on 28 June. He was baptised in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace on 4 August by the Archbishop of Canterbury and he was the first child born to a Prince and Princess of Wales since Prince John in 1905. William was affectionately called Wombat by his parents or Wills, Williams first public appearance was on 1 March 1991, during an official visit of his parents to Cardiff, Wales. After arriving by aeroplane, William was taken to Llandaff Cathedral where he signed the visitors book, on 3 June 1991, William was admitted to Royal Berkshire Hospital after being accidentally hit on the side of the forehead by a fellow student wielding a golf club. He did not lose consciousness, but suffered a fracture of the skull and was operated on at Great Ormond Street Hospital. In a 2009 interview, he dubbed this scar a Harry Potter scar and he was reported to have said, I call it that because it glows sometimes and some people notice it—other times they dont notice it at all. His mother wanted him and his younger brother Harry to have wider experiences than are usual for royal children and she took them to Walt Disney World and McDonalds as well as AIDS clinics and shelters for the homeless. She bought them typical teenage items, such as video games, Diana, who was by then divorced from the Prince of Wales, died in a car accident in the early hours of 31 August 1997. William, then aged 15, along with his brother who was 12, the Prince of Wales waited until his sons woke the following morning to tell them about their mothers death. At his mothers funeral, William accompanied his father, brother, paternal grandfather, William began to accompany his parents on official visits at an early age. William was educated at independent schools, starting at Jane Mynors nursery school, following this, he attended Ludgrove School near Wokingham, Berkshire, and was privately tutored during summers by Rory Stewart
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
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The Duke of Cambridge in Japan in 2015
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
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Chapel of Eton College
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
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St Salvator's Quad, University of St. Andrews
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
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William in his flight lieutenant's uniform in 2010.
2.
Elizabeth II
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Elizabeth II has been Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand since 6 February 1952. Elizabeth was born in London as the eldest child of the Duke and Duchess of York, later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth and her father acceded to the throne on the abdication of his brother Edward VIII in 1936, from which time she was the heir presumptive. She began to undertake duties during the Second World War. Elizabeths many historic visits and meetings include a visit to the Republic of Ireland. She has seen major changes, such as devolution in the United Kingdom, Canadian patriation. She has reigned through various wars and conflicts involving many of her realms and she is the worlds oldest reigning monarch as well as Britains longest-lived. In October 2016, she became the longest currently reigning monarch, in 2017 she became the first British monarch to commemorate a Sapphire Jubilee. Elizabeth has occasionally faced republican sentiments and press criticism of the family, however, support for the monarchy remains high. Elizabeth was born at 02,40 on 21 April 1926, during the reign of her paternal grandfather and her father, Prince Albert, Duke of York, was the second son of the King. Her mother, Elizabeth, Duchess of York, was the youngest daughter of Scottish aristocrat Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and she was delivered by Caesarean section at her maternal grandfathers London house,17 Bruton Street, Mayfair. Elizabeths only sibling, Princess Margaret, was born in 1930, the two princesses were educated at home under the supervision of their mother and their governess, Marion Crawford, who was casually known as Crawfie. Lessons concentrated on history, language, literature and music, Crawford published a biography of Elizabeth and Margarets childhood years entitled The Little Princesses in 1950, much to the dismay of the royal family. The book describes Elizabeths love of horses and dogs, her orderliness, others echoed such observations, Winston Churchill described Elizabeth when she was two as a character. She has an air of authority and reflectiveness astonishing in an infant and her cousin Margaret Rhodes described her as a jolly little girl, but fundamentally sensible and well-behaved. During her grandfathers reign, Elizabeth was third in the line of succession to the throne, behind her uncle Edward, Prince of Wales, and her father, the Duke of York. Although her birth generated public interest, she was not expected to become queen, many people believed that he would marry and have children of his own. When her grandfather died in 1936 and her uncle succeeded as Edward VIII, she became second-in-line to the throne, later that year, Edward abdicated, after his proposed marriage to divorced socialite Wallis Simpson provoked a constitutional crisis. Consequently, Elizabeths father became king, and she became heir presumptive, if her parents had had a later son, she would have lost her position as first-in-line, as her brother would have been heir apparent and above her in the line of succession
Elizabeth II
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The Queen in March 2015
Elizabeth II
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Princess Elizabeth aged 3, April 1929
Elizabeth II
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Princess Elizabeth aged 7, painted by Philip de László, 1933
Elizabeth II
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Elizabeth in Auxiliary Territorial Service uniform, April 1945
3.
Prince George of Cambridge
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Prince George of Cambridge is the elder child and only son of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. He is third in line to succeed his paternal great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, after his grandfather, Charles, Prince of Wales. On 3 December 2012, Clarence House announced that the Duke, at less than twelve weeks, the announcement was made earlier in the pregnancy than is traditional because of the Duchesss admission to hospital with hyperemesis gravidarum. During this time, a couple of Australian radio jockeys attempted to ring up the Hospital and they tried to put on fake British accents and mimicked the Queen and Prince Charles. The nurse who answered their call later committed suicide, before the birth, there was speculation the event would boost the British national economy and provide a focus for national pride. Welsh composer Paul Mealor, who composed Ubi Caritas et Amor for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess, composed a lullaby entitled Sleep On, a recording was made of it by New Zealand soprano Hayley Westenra as a gift for the baby. Commemorative coins were issued by the Royal Mint, Royal Canadian Mint, and Royal Australian Mint, the Duchess was admitted to St Marys Hospital, London, in the early stages of labour on 22 July 2013. She gave birth to a boy weighing 8 pounds 6 ounces at 16,24 BST later the same day, Queen Elizabeth IIs former gynaecologist, Marcus Setchell, delivered the baby assisted by Guy Thorpe-Beeston, Sunit Godambe and Physician to the Queen John Cunningham. The midwifery team accompanying the gynaecologists was led by Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trusts director of midwifery Professor Jackie Dunkley-Bent, William was by his wifes side when she gave birth. The Duchess and her baby, accompanied by the Duke, left hospital on 23 July, William took the full two weeks paternity leave from his job allowed by the Ministry of Defence. Julia Samuel, William van Cutsem and Zara Tindall serving as godparents, the ceremony used a font that was made for Queen Victorias first child and water from the River Jordan. The Royal Mint issued a set of coins to celebrate the christening. George, with his parents, embarked on his first royal tour in April 2014 and his first public engagement of the tour was on 9 April at a playdate at Government House, Wellington, organised by the New Zealand parenting organisation, Plunket. On 20 April, Easter Sunday, he met a bilby named after him at Taronga Zoo in Sydney, the BBC said at the end of the tour theres no doubt Prince George stole the limelight. Georges first birthday party was themed around childrens author Beatrix Potter, on 2 May 2015, George visited the hospital of his birth after the birth of his sister Charlotte, his first public appearance in the United Kingdom. In January 2016, George started his education at the Westacre Montessori School Nursery and that April, he was photographed for postage stamps to mark his great-grandmothers 90th birthday, alongside his father and grandfather. On 22 April of that year, he met President of the United States Barack Obama and he was photographed with a rocking horse that Obama had given him when he was born. The encounter later prompted Obama to joke that Prince George showed up to our meeting in his bathrobe, in March 2017, it was announced that George would begin primary school in September at the private Thomass School in Battersea
Prince George of Cambridge
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George with his parents and the Governor-General of Australia, Sir Peter Cosgrove, at Admiralty House, Sydney, April 2014
Prince George of Cambridge
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George and his mother, 23 July 2013
Prince George of Cambridge
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Easel outside Buckingham Palace, announcing: "Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 4.24 p.m. today. Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well."
Prince George of Cambridge
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Fountain at Trafalgar Square illuminated in blue to mark the birth of Prince George
4.
British Royal Family
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The British royal family comprises the monarch of the United Kingdom and her close relations. There is no legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member of the British royal family. Different terms may be applied to the same or similar group of relatives of the monarch in his or her role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, for example, in Canada, the family is known as the Canadian royal family. Some members of the family have official residences named as the places from which announcements are made in the Court Circular about official engagements they have carried out. The state duties and staff of some members of the family are funded from a parliamentary annuity. Since 1917, when King George V changed the name of the house from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, members of the royal family belong, either by birth or by marriage. In 2014, the family were regarded as British cultural icons. Today, they often perform ceremonial and social duties throughout the United Kingdom, in the other countries of the Commonwealth royalty do not serve as Counsellors of State, although they may perform ceremonial and social duties on behalf of individual states or the organisation. Wives of the said enjoy their husbands precedence, and husbands of princesses are unofficially but habitually placed with their wives as well and she did not alter the relative precedence of other born-princesses, such as the daughters of her younger sons. The Oxford Illustrated History of the British Monarchy and they Serve the Queen, A New and Authoritative Account of the Royal Household. The Lives of the Kings & Queens of England, symbol and Privilege, The Ritual Context of British Royalty. Britains Royal Families, The Complete Genealogy, Royal Family is a celebrated and reverential BBC documentary made by Richard Cawston to accompany the investiture of the current Prince of Wales. The documentary is frequently responsible for the greater press intrusion into the royal familys private life since its first broadcast. Official website of the royal family Official YouTube Channel House of Windsor Family Tree, archived from the original on 2010-12-02
British Royal Family
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The Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the annual Trooping the Colour in 2013.
British Royal Family
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United Kingdom
5.
England
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England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west, the Irish Sea lies northwest of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east, the country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain in its centre and south, and includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly, and the Isle of Wight. England became a state in the 10th century, and since the Age of Discovery. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the worlds first industrialised nation, Englands terrain mostly comprises low hills and plains, especially in central and southern England. However, there are uplands in the north and in the southwest, the capital is London, which is the largest metropolitan area in both the United Kingdom and the European Union. In 1801, Great Britain was united with the Kingdom of Ireland through another Act of Union to become the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1922 the Irish Free State seceded from the United Kingdom, leading to the latter being renamed the United Kingdom of Great Britain, the name England is derived from the Old English name Englaland, which means land of the Angles. The Angles were one of the Germanic tribes that settled in Great Britain during the Early Middle Ages, the Angles came from the Angeln peninsula in the Bay of Kiel area of the Baltic Sea. The earliest recorded use of the term, as Engla londe, is in the ninth century translation into Old English of Bedes Ecclesiastical History of the English People. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, its spelling was first used in 1538. The earliest attested reference to the Angles occurs in the 1st-century work by Tacitus, Germania, the etymology of the tribal name itself is disputed by scholars, it has been suggested that it derives from the shape of the Angeln peninsula, an angular shape. An alternative name for England is Albion, the name Albion originally referred to the entire island of Great Britain. The nominally earliest record of the name appears in the Aristotelian Corpus, specifically the 4th century BC De Mundo, in it are two very large islands called Britannia, these are Albion and Ierne. But modern scholarly consensus ascribes De Mundo not to Aristotle but to Pseudo-Aristotle, the word Albion or insula Albionum has two possible origins. Albion is now applied to England in a poetic capacity. Another romantic name for England is Loegria, related to the Welsh word for England, Lloegr, the earliest known evidence of human presence in the area now known as England was that of Homo antecessor, dating to approximately 780,000 years ago. The oldest proto-human bones discovered in England date from 500,000 years ago, Modern humans are known to have inhabited the area during the Upper Paleolithic period, though permanent settlements were only established within the last 6,000 years
England
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Stonehenge, a Neolithic monument
England
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Flag
England
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Boudica led an uprising against the Roman Empire
England
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Replica of a 7th-century ceremonial helmet from the Kingdom of East Anglia, found at Sutton Hoo
6.
Primogeniture
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The son of a deceased elder brother inherits before a living younger brother by right of substitution for the deceased heir. In the absence of any children, brothers succeed, individually, among siblings, sons inherit before daughters. The principle has applied in history to inheritance of property as well as inherited titles and offices, most notably monarchies. Variations on primogeniture modify the right of the son to the entirety of a familys inheritance or, in the West since World War II. Most monarchies in Europe have eliminated male preference in succession, Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, absolute, equal, or lineal primogeniture is a form of primogeniture in which gender does not matter for inheritance. This form of primogeniture was not practiced by any modern monarchy before 1980, however, according to Poumarede, the Basques of the Kingdom of Navarre transmitted title and property to the firstborn, whatever the gender. This inheritance practice was adhered to by the nobility and free families alike in the early. The Navarrese monarchy, however, was inherited by dynasties from outside of Navarre which followed different succession laws, eventually only the Basque lower nobility and free families of the Basque country and other regions continued to follow this practice, which persisted as late as the 19th century. The most notable of these are the Egyptian cases of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III, as well as the Ptolemaic Dynastys kings, Zapateros proposal was supported by the leader of the main opposition party, the conservative Partido Popular, making its passage likely. However, Zapateros administration ended before any amendment was drafted, Felipe succeeded to the throne as Felipe VI, upon his fathers abdication in 2014, by which time he had two daughters. Felipe VI has no son that would, absent the constitutional change, in July 2006, the Nepalese government proposed adopting absolute primogeniture, but the monarchy was abolished in 2008 before the change could be put into effect. In 2011, the governments of the 16 Commonwealth realms who share the person as their respective monarch announced the Perth Agreement. This was implemented when the legislation came into effect on 26 March 2015. In Japan, debates have occurred over whether to adopt absolute primogeniture, however, the birth of Prince Hisahito, a son of Prince Akishino has sidelined the debate. In 2006, King Juan Carlos I of Spain issued a decree reforming the succession to noble titles from male-preference primogeniture to absolute primogeniture. The order of succession for all noble dignities is determined in accordance with the title of concession and, if there is none, with that traditionally applied in these cases. Men and women have a right of succession to grandeeship and to titles of nobility in Spain. Male-preference primogeniture accords succession to the throne to a member of a dynasty if she has no living brothers
Primogeniture
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Absolute primogeniture
7.
Catherine Middleton
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Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge is the wife of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge. Following his father Charles, Prince of Wales, William is second in line to succeed his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, the duchess grew up in Chapel Row, a village near Newbury, Berkshire, England. She studied art history in Scotland at the University of St Andrews and their engagement was announced on 16 November 2010 before they married on 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey. The duke and duchess have two children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, who are third and fourth in line to the British throne. Catherine Elizabeth Middleton was born at Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading on 9 January 1982 to an upper-middle-class family and she was christened at St Andrews Bradfield, Berkshire, on 20 June 1982. The family of her father Michael has ties to British aristocracy and her Middleton relatives were reported as having played host to British royalty as long ago as 1926. She has a sister, Philippa Pippa, and a younger brother. The family lived in Amman, Jordan, from May 1984 to September 1986, her father worked for British Airways, following her return to Berkshire in 1986, she was enrolled aged four at St Andrews School, a private school near the village of Pangbourne in Berkshire. She boarded part-weekly at St Andrews in her later years and she then studied briefly at Downe House. In November 2006, Middleton accepted a position as a buyer with the clothing chain Jigsaw. She also worked until January 2011 at Party Pieces, her role within the business included catalogue design and production, marketing. In 2001, Middleton met Prince William while they were students in residence at St Salvators Hall at the University of St Andrews. The couple began dating in 2003, although their relationship remained unconfirmed, on 17 October 2005, Middleton complained through her lawyer about harassment from the media, stating that she had done nothing significant to warrant publicity. Middleton attended Prince Williams Passing Out Parade at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on 15 December 2006, on 17 May 2008, Middleton attended the wedding of Prince Williams cousin Peter Phillips to Autumn Kelly, which the prince did not attend. On 19 July 2008, she was a guest at the wedding of Lady Rose Windsor, Prince William was away on military operations in the Caribbean, serving aboard HMS Iron Duke. In 2010, Middleton pursued an invasion of privacy claim against two agencies and photographer Niraj Tanna, who took photographs of her over Christmas 2009 and she obtained a public apology, £5,000 in damages, and legal costs. In April 2007, Prince William and Middleton split up, the couple decided to break up during a holiday in the Swiss resort of Zermatt. Newspapers speculated about the reasons for the split, although these reports relied on anonymous sources, Middleton and her family attended the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium, where she and Prince William sat two rows apart
Catherine Middleton
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The Duchess of Cambridge in 2014
Catherine Middleton
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The newly married Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the balcony of Buckingham Palace
Catherine Middleton
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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with their son Prince George of Cambridge the day after his birth
Catherine Middleton
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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa, 1 July 2011
8.
George I of Great Britain
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George I was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 until his death, and ruler of the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire from 1698. George was born in Hanover and inherited the titles and lands of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg from his father, a succession of European wars expanded his German domains during his lifetime, and in 1708 he was ratified as prince-elector of Hanover. At the age of 54, after the death of his second cousin Queen Anne of Great Britain, in reaction, Jacobites attempted to depose George and replace him with Annes Catholic half-brother, James Francis Edward Stuart, but their attempts failed. During Georges reign, the powers of the monarchy diminished and Britain began a transition to the system of cabinet government led by a prime minister. Towards the end of his reign, actual power was held by Sir Robert Walpole. George died of a stroke on a trip to his native Hanover, George was born on 28 May 1660 in Hanover in the Holy Roman Empire. He was the eldest son of Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Sophia was the granddaughter of King James I of England through her mother, Elizabeth of Bohemia. For the first year of his life, George was the heir to the German territories of his father. In 1661 Georges brother, Frederick Augustus, was born and the two boys were brought up together, after Sophias tour she bore Ernest Augustus another four sons and a daughter. In her letters, Sophia describes George as a responsible, conscientious child who set an example to his brothers and sisters. In 1679 another uncle died unexpectedly without sons and Ernest Augustus became reigning Duke of Calenberg-Göttingen, Georges surviving uncle, George William of Celle, had married his mistress in order to legitimise his only daughter, Sophia Dorothea of Celle, but looked unlikely to have any further children. Under Salic law, where inheritance of territory was restricted to the male line, in 1682, the family agreed to adopt the principle of primogeniture, meaning George would inherit all the territory and not have to share it with his brothers. The same year, George married his first cousin, Sophia Dorothea of Celle, the marriage of state was arranged primarily as it ensured a healthy annual income and assisted the eventual unification of Hanover and Celle. His mother was at first against the marriage because she looked down on Sophia Dorotheas mother and she was eventually won over by the advantages inherent in the marriage. In 1683, George and his brother, Frederick Augustus, served in the Great Turkish War at the Battle of Vienna, and Sophia Dorothea bore George a son, George Augustus. The following year, Frederick Augustus was informed of the adoption of primogeniture and it led to a breach between father and son, and between the brothers, that lasted until Frederick Augustuss death in battle in 1690. With the imminent formation of a single Hanoverian state, and the Hanoverians continuing contributions to the Empires wars, Georges prospects were now better than ever as the sole heir to his fathers electorate and his uncles duchy. Sophia Dorothea had a child, a daughter named after her, in 1687
George I of Great Britain
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George I, c. 1714. Studio of Sir Godfrey Kneller.
George I of Great Britain
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George in 1680, when he was Prince of Hanover. After a painting by Sir Godfrey Kneller.
George I of Great Britain
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George in 1706, when he was Elector of Hanover. After Johann Leonhard Hirschmann.
George I of Great Britain
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George c.1714, the year of his succession, as painted by Sir Godfrey Kneller.
9.
Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge
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The Prince Adolphus, 1st Duke of Cambridge, KG, GCB, GCMG, GCH, PC was the 10th child and 7th son of George III and Queen Charlotte. He held the title of Duke of Cambridge from 1801 until his death and he also served as Viceroy of Hanover on behalf of his brothers George IV and William IV. He was the great-great-grandfather of the current monarch, Elizabeth II, Prince Adolphus was born in February 1774 at Buckingham House, then known as the Queens House, in the City and Liberty of Westminster, now within Greater London. He was the youngest son of George and Charlotte to survive childhood, on 24 March 1774, the young prince was christened in the Great Council Chamber at St Jamess Palace by Frederick Cornwallis, Archbishop of Canterbury. His godparents were Prince John Adolphus of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Landgrave Charles of Hesse-Kassel and he was tutored at home until summer 1786, when he was sent to the University of Göttingen in Germany, along with his brothers Prince Ernest and Prince Augustus. He remained on Freytags staff during the Flanders Campaign in 1793 and his first taste of action was at Famars on 23 May. He was wounded and captured at the Battle of Hondschoote 6 September, remaining in Germany, he commanded a brigade of the Corps of Observation,22 October 1796 –12 January 1798. He was made a British army colonel in 1794, and lieutenant general 24 August 1798, in 1800 – stationed in the Electorate of Hanover – he attended the founding of a village, which was named for him, Adolphsdorf. During the War of the Second Coalition against France, he traveled to Berlin in 1801, regular Hanoverian troops, therefore, had been commandeered to join the multilateral so-called Demarcation Army. In 1803, he was army commander, and replaced Wallmoden as commander on the Weser on 1 June. With the advance of French forces on one side and 24,000 Prussian soldiers on the other, Cambridge refused to become involved in discussions of capitulation, handed over his command to Hammerstein, and withdrew to England. A plan to recruit soldiers in Hanover to be commanded by the Prince had also failed. In 1803, he was appointed as commander-in-chief of the newly founded Kings German Legion, George III appointed Prince Adolphus a Knight of the Garter on 6 June 1786, and created him Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Tipperary, and Baron Culloden on 17 November 1801. The Duke served as colonel-in-chief of the Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards from September 1805, after the collapse of Napoleons empire, he was Military Governor of Hanover from 4 November 1813 –24 October 1816, then Governor General of Hanover from 24 October 1816 –20 June 1837. He was made Field Marshal 26 November 1813, while he was Viceroy, the Duke became patron of the Cambridge-Dragoner Regiment of the Hanoverian army. This regiment was stationed in Celle, and their barracks, the Cambridge-Dragoner Kaserne, were used by the Bundeswehr until 1995, the March of the Hannoversches Cambridge-Dragoner-Regiment is part of the Bundeswehrs traditional music repertoire. After several false starts, the Duke of Clarence settled on Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, the way was cleared for the Duke of Cambridge to find a bride for himself. The Duke of Cambridge was married first at Kassel, Hesse on 7 May and then at Buckingham Palace on 1 June 1818 to his second cousin Augusta, the third daughter of Prince Frederick of Hesse
Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge
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Prince Adolphus
Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge
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Prince Adolphus aged four, with his two younger sisters Mary and Sophia in 1778
Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge
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Sir Thomas Maitland
10.
George III of the United Kingdom
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He was concurrently Duke and prince-elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire until his promotion to King of Hanover on 12 October 1814. He was the third British monarch of the House of Hanover, early in his reign, Great Britain defeated France in the Seven Years War, becoming the dominant European power in North America and India. However, many of Britains American colonies were soon lost in the American War of Independence, further wars against revolutionary and Napoleonic France from 1793 concluded in the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. In the later part of his life, George III had recurrent, although it has since been suggested that he had the blood disease porphyria, the cause of his illness remains unknown. After a final relapse in 1810, a regency was established, on George IIIs death, the Prince Regent succeeded his father as George IV. Historical analysis of George IIIs life has gone through a kaleidoscope of changing views that have depended heavily on the prejudices of his biographers and the sources available to them. Until it was reassessed in the half of the 20th century, his reputation in the United States was one of a tyrant. George was born in London at Norfolk House and he was the grandson of King George II, and the eldest son of Frederick, Prince of Wales, and Augusta of Saxe-Gotha. As Prince George was born two months prematurely and he was unlikely to survive, he was baptised the same day by Thomas Secker. One month later, he was baptised at Norfolk House. His godparents were the King of Sweden, his uncle the Duke of Saxe-Gotha, George grew into a healthy but reserved and shy child. The family moved to Leicester Square, where George and his younger brother Prince Edward, Duke of York, Family letters show that he could read and write in both English and German, as well as comment on political events of the time, by the age of eight. He was the first British monarch to study science systematically and his religious education was wholly Anglican. At age 10 George took part in a production of Joseph Addisons play Cato and said in the new prologue, What. It may with truth be said, A boy in England born, historian Romney Sedgwick argued that these lines appear to be the source of the only historical phrase with which he is associated. Georges grandfather, King George II, disliked the Prince of Wales, however, in 1751 the Prince of Wales died unexpectedly from a lung injury, and George became heir apparent to the throne. He inherited one of his fathers titles and became the Duke of Edinburgh, now more interested in his grandson, three weeks later the King created George Prince of Wales. Georges mother, now the Dowager Princess of Wales, preferred to keep George at home where she could imbue him with her moral values
George III of the United Kingdom
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Coronation portrait by Allan Ramsay, 1762
George III of the United Kingdom
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George (right) with his brother Prince Edward, Duke of York and Albany, and their tutor, Francis Ayscough, later Dean of Bristol, c. 1749
George III of the United Kingdom
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Pastel portrait of George as Prince of Wales by Jean-Étienne Liotard, 1754
George III of the United Kingdom
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George III by Allan Ramsay, 1762
11.
Prince George, 2nd Duke of Cambridge
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The Duke was an army officer by profession and served as Commander-in-Chief of the Forces from 1856 to 1895. He became Duke of Cambridge in 1850 and field marshal in 1862, deeply devoted to the old Army, he worked with the Queen to defeat or minimize every reform proposal, such as setting up a general staff. His Army became a moribund and stagnant institution, lagging far behind France and its weaknesses were dramatically revealed by the poor organization at the start of the Second Boer War. Prince George was born at Cambridge House in Hanover, Germany and his father was Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, the 10th child and seventh son of King George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. His mother was the Duchess of Cambridge and he was baptised at Cambridge House on 11 May 1819, by the Reverend John Sanford, his fathers Domestic Chaplain. His godparents were the Prince Regent, the Duke of Clarence and St Andrews, Prince George of Cambridge was educated in Hanover and from 1830 in England by the Rev. J. R. Wood, a canon of Worcester Cathedral. Like his father, he embarked upon a career initially becoming a colonel in the Hanoverian Army and then, on 3 November 1837. He was attached to the staff at Gibraltar from October 1838 to April 1839, after serving in Ireland with the 12th Royal Lancers, he was appointed substantive lieutenant-colonel of the 8th Light Dragoons on 15 April 1842 and colonel of the 17th Lancers on 25 April 1842. From 1843 to 1845, he served as a colonel on the staff in the Ionian islands and he succeeded to his fathers titles of Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Tipperary, and Baron Culloden on 8 July 1850. The Duke of Cambridge became Inspector of the Cavalry in 1852, in February 1854, at an early stage in the Crimean War, he received command of the 1st Division of the British army in the East. On 19 June 1854, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general and he was present at the battles of the Alma, Balaclava and Inkerman, and at the siege of Sevastopol. Owing to illness the Earl of Cardigan returned first to Malta and then to England, in that capacity he served as the chief military advisor to the Secretary of State for War, with responsibility for the administration of the army and the command of forces in the field. He was promoted to the rank of general on 15 July 1856, the Duke of Cambridge served as commander-in-chief for 39 years. Under his command, the British Army became a moribund and stagnant institution and it is said that he rebuked one of his more intelligent subordinates with the words, Brains. You havent any, I know, Sir and he was equally forthright on his reluctance to adopt change, There is a time for everything, and the time for change is when you can no longer help it. In 1861,100 were issued to five battalions, in 1863. A years good behaviour would return them to the first class, cardwell succeeded in pushing through a number of reforms, including one that made the Commander in chief nominally report to the Secretary of State for War. The Duke was opposed to most of the reforms because they struck at the heart of his view of the Army and his fears seemed to be confirmed in 1873, when Wolseley raided battalions for the expedition against the Ashanti
Prince George, 2nd Duke of Cambridge
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Collodion of Prince George, 1855, by Roger Fenton
Prince George, 2nd Duke of Cambridge
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Prince George
Prince George, 2nd Duke of Cambridge
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Equestrian statue of the Duke of Cambridge, Whitehall
Prince George, 2nd Duke of Cambridge
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Funerary monument, Kensal Green Cemetery, London
12.
Marquess
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A marquess is a nobleman of hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The term is used to translate equivalent Asian styles, as in imperial China. In Great Britain and Ireland, the spelling of the aristocratic title of this rank is marquess. In Scotland the French spelling is sometimes used. In Great Britain and Ireland, the ranks below a duke. A woman with the rank of a marquess, or the wife of a marquess, is called a marchioness /ˌmɑːrʃəˈnɛs/ in Great Britain, the dignity, rank or position of the title is referred to as a marquisate or marquessate. The theoretical distinction between a marquess and other titles has, since the Middle Ages, faded into obscurity. In times past, the distinction between a count and a marquess was that the land of a marquess, called a march, was on the border of the country, while a land, called a county. As a result of this, a marquess was trusted to defend and fortify against potentially hostile neighbours and was more important. The title is ranked below that of a duke, which was restricted to the royal family. In the German lands, a Margrave was a ruler of an immediate Imperial territory, German rulers did not confer the title of marquis, holders of marquisates in Central Europe were largely associated with the Italian and Spanish crowns. The word entered the English language from the Old French marchis in the late 13th or early 14th century, the French word was derived from marche, itself descended from the Middle Latin marca, from which the modern English words march and mark also descend. In Great Britain and Ireland, the spelling for an English aristocrat of this rank is marquess. The word marquess is unusual in English, ending in -ess but referring to a male, a woman with the rank of a marquess, or the wife of a marquess, is called a marchioness in Great Britain and Ireland, or a marquise /mɑːrˈkiːz/ elsewhere in Europe. The dignity, rank or position of the title is referred to as a marquisate or marquessate, the honorific prefix The Most Honourable is a form of address that precedes the name of a marquess or marchioness in the United Kingdom. The rank of marquess was a late introduction to the British peerage, no marcher lords had the rank of marquess. The following list may still be incomplete, feminine forms follow after a slash, many languages have two words, one for the modern marquess and one for the original margrave. Even where neither title was used domestically, such duplication to describe foreign titles can exist
Marquess
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A 17th-century engraving of a marquis in the robe worn during his creation ceremony.
Marquess
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Royal, noble and chivalric ranks
13.
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
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Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, KG, GCVO, CD, ADC is the youngest of four children and the third son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. At the time of his birth, he was third in line to succeed his mother, as of 2017, he is ninth in line. Prince Edward was born on 10 March 1964, at Buckingham Palace, as the son and fourth and youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. He was baptised on 2 May 1964 in the chapel at Windsor Castle by the then-Dean of Windsor. As with his siblings, a governess was appointed to look after Edward and was responsible for his early education at Buckingham Palace. At the age of seven, Edward was then sent to Gibbs School before attending, in September 1972, Heatherdown School, near Ascot in Berkshire. He then, as his father and elder brothers had done him, moved to Gordonstoun, in northern Scotland. Upon his return to Britain, Edward matriculated at Jesus College, Cambridge and his admission to Cambridge caused some controversy at the time, since his A-level grades were far below the standard normally required, straight As, for Oxbridge entrance. Edward graduated in 1986 as BA and proceeded Master of Arts in 1991, Prince Edward made two very public attempts to pursue a career. However, in January 1987 he dropped out of the commando course after completing just one third of the 12-month training. Media reported, at the time, that the move prompted a berating from Prince Philip who reduced his son to prolonged tears, after leaving the Marines, Edward opted for a career in entertainment. His duties reportedly involved making tea for the artistic staff, while there he met actress Ruthie Henshall, whom he dated for three years. The media attacked the programme, it was reported that the Queen was not in favour of the event. In 1993, Edward formed the production company Ardent Productions. Commercial breaks are filled with army recruiting advertisements, ardents productions were somewhat better received in the United States and a documentary Edward made about his great-uncle, Edward VIII in 1996, sold well worldwide. Nonetheless, the reported losses every year it operated save one when Edward did not draw a salary. The Prince of Wales was reportedly angered by the incident, Ardent Productions was voluntarily dissolved in June 2009, with assets reduced to just £40. Edwards original backers in the venture are said to have lost every penny, Edward met Sophie Rhys-Jones, then a public relations executive with her own firm, in 1994
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
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The Earl in Belfast, February 2015
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
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The Earl and Countess of Wessex at the wedding of the Crown Princess of Sweden in June 2010
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
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The Earl and Countess of Wessex at Trooping the Colour in June 2013
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
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The Earl of Wessex at Yate, Gloucestershire, December 2011
14.
Duke of Edinburgh
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Duke of Edinburgh, named after the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, is a title that has been created four times for members of the British royal family since 1726. The current holder is the Prince Philip, consort to Queen Elizabeth II, the title was first created in the Peerage of Great Britain on 26 July 1726 by George I, who bestowed it on his grandson Prince Frederick, who also became Prince of Wales the following year. These titles were also in the Peerage of Great Britain, the marquessate was apparently erroneously gazetted as Marquess of the Isle of Wight although Marquess of the Isle of Ely was the intended title. In later editions of the London Gazette the Duke is referred to as the Marquess of the Isle of Ely, upon Fredericks death, the titles were inherited by his son Prince George. When Prince George became King George III in 1760, the merged into the Crown. On 19 November 1764, George III created a variation of the title for his brother, Prince William. This title was in the Peerage of Great Britain and the subsidiary title of the dukedom was Earl of Connaught, in the Kingdom of Ireland. In 1805, the titles were inherited by Williams only son, another William, Queen Victoria re-created the title on 24 May 1866 for her second son Prince Alfred, this time in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The subsidiary titles of the dukedom were Earl of Kent and Earl of Ulster, when Alfred became the sovereign of the two German duchies Saxe-Coburg and Saxe-Gotha in 1893, he retained his British titles. His only son Alfred, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha committed suicide in 1899, the title was created for a fourth time on 19 November 1947 by King George VI, who bestowed it on his son-in-law Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, when he married Princess Elizabeth. Subsequently, Elizabeth was styled HRH Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh until she became Queen in 1952, the subsidiary titles of the dukedom were Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich, of Greenwich in the County of London. Like the dukedom, these titles were also in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, earlier that year, Philip had renounced his Greek and Danish royal titles along with his rights to the Greek throne. In 1957, Philip became a Prince of the United Kingdom and this is unlikely to happen by direct inheritance, as Prince Edward is the youngest of Prince Philips three sons
Duke of Edinburgh
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The Prince Frederick Louis (1707–1751) was the very first Duke of Edinburgh, from 1727 to his death.
Duke of Edinburgh
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Dukedom of Edinburgh
Duke of Edinburgh
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Prince George was the second Duke of Edinburgh, before he became George III.
15.
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
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Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. A member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Philip was born into the Greek and he was born in Greece, but his family was exiled from the country when he was an infant. After being educated in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, he joined the Royal Navy in 1939, from July 1939, he began corresponding with the 13-year-old Princess Elizabeth, whom he had first met in 1934. During the Second World War he served with the Mediterranean and Pacific fleets, after the war, Philip was granted permission by King George VI to marry Elizabeth. After an engagement of five months, he married Elizabeth on 20 November 1947, just before the wedding, he was created Duke of Edinburgh. Philip left active service when Elizabeth became Queen in 1952. He was formally made a Prince of the United Kingdom in 1957, Philip has four children with Elizabeth, Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward. He has eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, a keen sports enthusiast, Philip helped develop the equestrian event of carriage driving. He is a patron of over 800 organisations and serves as chairman of the Duke of Edinburghs Award scheme for people aged 14 to 24 and he is the longest-serving consort of a reigning British monarch and the oldest-ever male member of the British royal family. Philips four elder sisters were Margarita, Theodora, Cecilie, and he was baptised into the Greek Orthodox Church. His godparents were Queen Olga of Greece and the Mayor of Corfu, shortly after Philips birth, his maternal grandfather, Prince Louis of Battenberg, then known as Louis Mountbatten, Marquess of Milford Haven, died in London. Louis was a naturalised British citizen, who, after a career in the Royal Navy, had renounced his German titles and adopted the surname Mountbatten during the First World War. After visiting London for the memorial, Philip and his mother returned to Greece where Prince Andrew had remained behind to command an army division embroiled in the Greco-Turkish War, the war went badly for Greece and the Turks made large gains. On 22 September 1922, Philips uncle, King Constantine I, was forced to abdicate, the commander of the army, General Georgios Hatzianestis, and five senior politicians were executed. Prince Andrews life was believed to be in danger, and Alice was under surveillance, in December, a revolutionary court banished Prince Andrew from Greece for life. The British naval vessel HMS Calypso evacuated Prince Andrews family, with Philip carried to safety in a cot made from a fruit box. Philips family went to France, where settled in the Paris suburb of Saint-Cloud in a house lent to them by his wealthy aunt, Princess George of Greece. Because Philip left Greece as a baby, he not have a strong grasp of Greek
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
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Prince Philip in March 2015
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
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Mon Repos, the birthplace of Philip
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
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Philip studied at Gordonstoun school, Scotland.
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
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Philip served aboard HMS Valiant in the Battle of the Mediterranean.
16.
Letters patent
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Letters patent can be used for the creation of corporations or government offices, or for the granting of city status or a coat of arms. Letters patent are issued for the appointment of representatives of the Crown, such as governors and governors-general of Commonwealth realms, in the United Kingdom they are also issued for the creation of peers of the realm. A particular form of letters patent has evolved into the modern patent granting exclusive rights in an invention. e, the opposite of letters patent are letters close, which are personal in nature and sealed so that only the recipient can read their contents. Letters patent are thus comparable to other kinds of open letter in that their audience is wide, letters patent are so named from the Latin verb pateo, to lie open, exposed, accessible. The originators seal was attached pendent from the document, so that it did not have to be broken in order for the document to be read. Thus letters patent do not equate to a letter but rather to any form of document, deed, contract, letter, despatch, edict, decree. Letters patent are a form of open or public proclamation and an exercise of extra-parliamentary power by a monarch or president. Prior to the establishment of Parliament, the monarch ruled absolutely by the issuing of his written orders. They can thus be contrasted with the Act of Parliament, which is in effect an order by Parliament. No explicit government approval is contained within letters patent, only the seal or signature of the monarch, in their original form they were simply written instructions or orders from the sovereign, whose order was law, which were made public to reinforce their effect. According to the United Kingdom Ministry of Justice, there are 92 different types of letters patent. The Patent Rolls are made up of copies of English royal letters patent. In 1634, during the Thirty Years War, the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II became convinced that his general Albrecht von Wallenstein was plotting treason, on 24 January 1634 the Emperor signed a secret patent removing him from his command. Finally an open patent, charging Wallenstein with high treason, was signed on 18 February, in the patent, Ferdinand II ordered to have Wallenstein brought under arrest to Vienna, dead or alive. On the basis of patent, several of Wallensteins officers assassinated him and were rewarded by the Emperor. The form of patent for creating peerages has been fixed by the Crown Office Order 1992. Part III of the schedule lays down nine pro forma texts for creating various ranks of the peerage, lords of appeal in ordinary, gender-specific differences are highlighted in italics. In Commonwealth realms, letters patent are issued under the powers of the head of state
Letters patent
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Letters patent issued by Queen Victoria in 1900, creating the office of Governor-General of Australia as part of the process of Federation
Letters patent
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Letters patent issued by the United States General Land Office
17.
House of Stuart
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The House of Stuart, originally Stewart and, in Gaelic, Stiùbhart was a European royal house that originated in Scotland. The dynastys patrilineal Breton ancestors had held the office of High Steward of Scotland since the 12th century, the royal Stewart line was founded by Robert II, and they were Kings and Queens of Scots from the late 14th century until the union with England in 1707. Mary I, Queen of Scots was brought up in France and her son, James VI of Scotland, inherited the thrones of England and Ireland upon the death of Elizabeth I in 1603. Except for the period of the Commonwealth, 1649–1660, the Stuarts were monarchs of England, Scotland and Ireland until 1707, then of Great Britain and Ireland, in total, nine Stewart/Stuart monarchs ruled Scotland alone from 1371 until 1603. James VI of Scotland then inherited the realms of Elizabeth I of England, following the Glorious Revolution in 1688, two Stuart queens ruled the isles, Mary II and Anne. Both were the Protestant daughters of James VII and II by his first wife, during the reign of the Stuarts, Scotland developed from a relatively poor and feudal country into a prosperous, modern and centralised state. They ruled during a time in European history of transition from the Middle Ages, through the Renaissance, monarchs such as James IV were known for sponsoring exponents of the Northern Renaissance such as the poet Robert Henryson, and others. The name Stewart derives from the position of office similar to a governor. It was originally adopted as the surname by Walter Stewart, 3rd High Steward of Scotland. Prior to this, family names were not used, but instead they had patronyms defined through the father, the gallicised spelling was first borne by John Stewart of Darnley after his time in the French wars. During the 16th century, the French spelling Stuart was adopted by Mary, Queen of Scots, the FitzAlan family quickly established themselves as a prominent Anglo-Norman noble house, with some of its members serving as High Sheriff of Shropshire. It was the great-grandson of Alan named Walter FitzAlan who became the first hereditary High Steward of Scotland, another supporter of Matilda was her uncle David I of Scotland from the House of Dunkeld. After Matilda was pushed out of England into the County of Anjou, essentially failing in her legitimist attempt for the throne, many of her supporters in England fled also. It was then that Walter followed David up to the Kingdom of Scotland, where he was granted lands in Renfrewshire, the next monarch of Scotland, Malcolm IV, made the High Steward title a hereditary arrangement. While High Stewards, the family were based at Dundonald, South Ayrshire between the 12th and 13th centuries. The sixth High Steward of Scotland, Walter Stewart, married Marjorie, daughter of Robert the Bruce, in 1503, James IV attempted to secure peace with England by marrying King Henry VIIs daughter, Margaret Tudor. The birth of their son, later James V, brought the House of Stewart into the line of descent of the House of Tudor, and the English throne. Margaret Tudor later married Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, and their daughter, Margaret Douglas, was the mother of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley
House of Stuart
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Tombstone of the last members of the House of Stuart in the St. Peter's Basilica – Work of Antonio Canova.
House of Stuart
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Last armorial of the Stuart monarch for use in Great Britain, 1707 to 1714
House of Stuart
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James I of Scotland
House of Stuart
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James IV of Scotland
18.
Worcester Park House
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During the English Commonwealth the park and house were bought by Colonel Thomas Pride, of Prides Purge fame. Pride died in the house in 1658, in 1670 a long lease of the house and park was granted to Sir Robert Long, 1st Baronet, by Charles II. The area known as Worcester Park was once part of a Great Park surrounding the Nonsuch Palace of Henry VIII, the remaining walls and chimneys were gradually demolished by the youth of the area during the following ten years. The lake also silted up during this period following improvements to the Hogsmill river, the ruins of a splendid ornamental lake with a multi-arched bridge and balustrade were still visible in the woodland at the foot of the hill in Parkers Field. The house was positioned so that it had a view of the arches, the house itself was not visible, even in the late 1950s, nor were there any obvious ruins apart from the lake and some mounds of brickwork to be found. The lake itself had drained into the river Hogsmill, but no source of incoming water was visible. To the northeast of the site is a small, often dry, stream at the boundary, running SE->NW, with some old and modern culverting. There was a kitchen garden with glass houses and an inner walled garden. During World War II a local policeman looked after the walled garden, close to the bridge remnant, to the southwest of the bridge, was a ruined domed structure that resembled an ice house. However, it was filled with soil and other débris which prevented any investigation in the 1950s, locals presumed the house to be named Worcester Park House, and have suggested that Blakesley School, was the original house, while historical sources suggest Worcester House as the name. However the map of 1871 shows a building labelled Worcester Park House to be alongside the lake, to the west of it, on land that was, in the 1950s, the scant overgrown ruins in the photographs of the site fit with this map. Exploration of the site in May 2006 reveals loss of the balustrades, the bridge and the lake, the remainder of the site is heavily wooded and has dense undergrowth, with some contemporary fly tipping of refuse
Worcester Park House
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Confirmation that the site of Blakesley School was "Worcester Court", not "Worcester park House" - 1930 map
Worcester Park House
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Hogsmill Tavern, Cromwell Road
Worcester Park House
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Entrance to the ruins behind the Hogsmill Tavern
19.
London
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London /ˈlʌndən/ is the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdom. Standing on the River Thames in the south east of the island of Great Britain and it was founded by the Romans, who named it Londinium. Londons ancient core, the City of London, largely retains its 1. 12-square-mile medieval boundaries. London is a global city in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism. It is crowned as the worlds largest financial centre and has the fifth- or sixth-largest metropolitan area GDP in the world, London is a world cultural capital. It is the worlds most-visited city as measured by international arrivals and has the worlds largest city airport system measured by passenger traffic, London is the worlds leading investment destination, hosting more international retailers and ultra high-net-worth individuals than any other city. Londons universities form the largest concentration of education institutes in Europe. In 2012, London became the first city to have hosted the modern Summer Olympic Games three times, London has a diverse range of people and cultures, and more than 300 languages are spoken in the region. Its estimated mid-2015 municipal population was 8,673,713, the largest of any city in the European Union, Londons urban area is the second most populous in the EU, after Paris, with 9,787,426 inhabitants at the 2011 census. The citys metropolitan area is the most populous in the EU with 13,879,757 inhabitants, the city-region therefore has a similar land area and population to that of the New York metropolitan area. London was the worlds most populous city from around 1831 to 1925, Other famous landmarks include Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, St Pauls Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, and The Shard. The London Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world, the etymology of London is uncertain. It is an ancient name, found in sources from the 2nd century and it is recorded c.121 as Londinium, which points to Romano-British origin, and hand-written Roman tablets recovered in the city originating from AD 65/70-80 include the word Londinio. The earliest attempted explanation, now disregarded, is attributed to Geoffrey of Monmouth in Historia Regum Britanniae and this had it that the name originated from a supposed King Lud, who had allegedly taken over the city and named it Kaerlud. From 1898, it was accepted that the name was of Celtic origin and meant place belonging to a man called *Londinos. The ultimate difficulty lies in reconciling the Latin form Londinium with the modern Welsh Llundain, which should demand a form *lōndinion, from earlier *loundiniom. The possibility cannot be ruled out that the Welsh name was borrowed back in from English at a later date, and thus cannot be used as a basis from which to reconstruct the original name. Until 1889, the name London officially applied only to the City of London, two recent discoveries indicate probable very early settlements near the Thames in the London area
London
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Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace and Central London skyline
London
London
London
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The name London may derive from the River Thames
20.
Whitehall Palace
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Before then, it had grown to be the largest palace in Europe with more than 1,500 rooms, overtaking the Vatican and Versailles. The palace gives its name, Whitehall, to the road on many of the current administrative buildings of the UK government are situated. It is about 650 metres from Westminster Abbey, by the 13th century the Palace of Westminster had become the centre of government in England, and had been the main London residence of the king since 1049. The surrounding area became a popular and expensive location, the Archbishop of York Walter de Grey bought a nearby property as his London residence soon after 1240, calling it York Place. King Edward I stayed at York Place on several occasions while work was carried out at Westminster, and enlarged it to accommodate his entourage. York Place was rebuilt during the 15th century and expanded so much by Cardinal Wolsey that it was rivalled by only Lambeth Palace as the greatest house in London, the Kings London palaces included. The name Whitehall or White Hall was first recorded in 1532, Henry VIII hired Flemish artist Anthony van den Wyngaerde to redesign York Place, and he extended it during his lifetime. Inspired by Richmond Palace, he included a centre with a bowling green, indoor tennis court, a pit for cock fighting. It is estimated more than £30,000 were spent during the 1540s. Henry VIII married two of his wives at the palace—Anne Boleyn in 1533 and Jane Seymour in 1536, Henry died at the palace in January 1547. In 1611 the palace hosted the first known performance of William Shakespeares play The Tempest and its decoration was finished in 1634 with the completion of a ceiling by Sir Peter Paul Rubens, commissioned by Charles I. By 1650 Whitehall Palace was the largest complex of buildings in England. Its layout was irregular, and its constituent parts were of different sizes and in several different architectural styles. Like his father, he died at the palace—but from a stroke, james II ordered various changes by Sir Christopher Wren, including a chapel finished in 1687, rebuilding of the queens apartments, and the queens private lodgings. By 1691 the palace had become the largest and most complex in Europe, on 10 April a fire broke out in the much-renovated apartment previously used by the Duchess of Portsmouth that damaged the older palace structures, though apparently not the state apartments. This actually gave a greater cohesiveness to the remaining complex, however a second fire on 4 January 1698 destroyed most of the remaining residential and government buildings, the diarist John Evelyn noted succinctly the next day, Whitehall burnt. Nothing but walls and ruins left, beside the Banqueting House, some buildings survived in Scotland Yard and some facing the park, along with the so-called Holbein Gate, eventually demolished in 1769. Despite some rebuilding, financial constraints prevented large scale reconstruction, in the second half of the 18th century, much of the site was leased for the construction of town houses
Whitehall Palace
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The Palace of Whitehall by Hendrick Danckerts, c. 1675. The view is from the west, in St. James's Park. The Horse Guards barracks are on the extreme left, with the taller Banqueting House behind it. The four-towered building left of centre is the palace gatehouse, the " Holbein Gate ".
Whitehall Palace
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Inigo Jones's plan, dated 1638, for a new palace at Whitehall.
Whitehall Palace
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A plan of Whitehall Palace in 1544.
Whitehall Palace
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A plan of Whitehall Palace in 1680.
21.
Richmond Palace
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Richmond Palace was a royal residence on the River Thames in England that stood in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It lay upstream and on the bank from the Palace of Westminster. It replaced a palace, itself built on the site of a manor house appropriated by the Crown some two centuries before. In 1500, a year before the construction of the new Richmond Palace began, the name of the town of Sheen, however, both names, Sheen and Richmond, continue to be used, not without scope for confusion. Richmond remained part of the County of Surrey until the mid-1960s, Richmond Palace was a favourite home of Queen Elizabeth, who died there in 1603. It remained a residence of the kings and queens of England until the death of Charles I in 1649, within months of his execution, the Palace was surveyed by order of Parliament and was sold for £13,000. Over the following ten years it was demolished, the stones. Only vestigial traces now survive, notably the Gate House, Henry I divided the manor of Shene from the royal manor of Kingston and granted it to a Norman knight. The manor-house of Sheen was established by at least 1125, in 1299 Edward I took his whole court to the manor-house at Sheen, close by the river side. In 1305, he received at Sheen that the Commissioners from Scotland to arrange the Scottish civil government and it returned to royal hands in the reign of Edward II and after his deposition it was held by his wife, Queen Isabella. When the boy-king Edward III came to the throne in 1327 he gave the manor to his mother Isabella, after her death he extended and embellished the manor house and turned it into the first Shene Palace. Edward III died at Shene on 21 June 1377, in 1368 Geoffrey Chaucer served as a yeoman at Sheen. Richard II was the first English king to make Sheen his main residence in 1383 and he took his bride Anne of Bohemia there. For almost 20 years it lay in ruins until Henry V undertook rebuilding work in 1414, the first, pre-Tudor, version of the palace was known as Sheen Palace. It was positioned roughly at 51. 460388°N0. 310219°W /51.460388, -0.310219, in what is now the garden of Trumpeters House, between Richmond Green and the River. In 1414 Henry V also founded a Carthusian monastery there known as Sheen Priory, Henry VI continued the rebuilding in order that the palace might be worthy of the reception of his queen, Margaret of Anjou. Edward IV granted it to his queen for life, in 1492 a great tournament was held at the Palace by Henry VII. On 23 December 1497 a fire destroyed most of the wooden buildings, Henry rebuilt it and named the new palace Richmond Palace after his title of Earl of Richmond
Richmond Palace
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Richmond Palace, west front, drawn by Antony Wyngaerde, dated 1562
Richmond Palace
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Richmond Palace from SW. 1765 engraving by James Basire, "based on an ancient drawing". Essentially as built by Henry VII in 1501. The outbuilding with pointed roof to the rear left (north) is the Great Kitchen. The chapel-like building adjoining the palace at the north (left) is the Great Hall
Richmond Palace
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Scene at deathbed of King Heny VII at Richmond Palace, 1509. Drawn contemporaneously from witness accounts by the courtier Sir Thomas Wriothesley(d.1534), who wrote an account of the proceedings. BL Add.MS.45131,f.54
22.
Duke of Rothesay
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Duke of Rothesay is a title of the heir apparent to the British throne, currently Prince Charles. The Duke of Rothesay also holds other Scottish titles, including those of Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland. The title is named after Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, Argyll and Bute, david Stewart, Duke of Rothesay, the son of Robert III of Scotland, King of Scots, first held the dukedom from its creation in 1398. After his death, his brother James, later King James I, thereafter, the heir-apparent to the Scottish Crown held the dukedom, an Act of the Scottish Parliament passed in 1469 confirmed this pattern of succession. The Earldom of Carrick existed as early as the twelfth century, in 1306, Robert the Bruce, Earl of Carrick, became King Robert I of Scotland, with the earldom merging in the Crown. In the following years, successive Kings of Scots created several heirs-apparent Earl of Carrick, the Act of 1469 finally settled the earldom on the eldest son of the Scottish monarch. The office of the Great Steward of Scotland dates back to its first holder, Walter fitz Alan, the seventh Great Steward, Robert, ascended the Scots throne as Robert II in 1371. Thereafter, only the heirs-apparent to the Crown held the office, the 1469 Act also deals with this. Between the 1603 Union and Edward VIIs time as heir apparent and it was Queen Victoria who mandated the title for use to refer to the eldest son and heir apparent when in Scotland, and this usage has continued since. This may have been as a result, direct or indirect, another of the non-peerage titles belonging to the heir-apparent, that of Lord of the Isles, merits special mention. The Lords of the Isles, of the MacDonald family, originally functioned as vassals of the Scottish — or Norwegian — kings who ruled the Western Isles. The ambitious John MacDonald II, fourth Lord of the Isles, made a treaty in 1462 with King Edward IV of England. In 1475, James III discovered the Lord of the Isles actions, MacDonald later regained his position, but James IV again deprived him of his titles in 1493 after his nephew provoked a rebellion. In 1540 James V of Scotland granted the Lordship to the heirs-apparent to the Crown, an Act of the Parliament of Scotland passed in 1469 governs the succession to most of these titles. It provides that the first-born Prince of the King of Scots for ever should hold the dukedom, though the Act specified King, eldest sons of queens regnant subsequently also held the dukedom. The interpretation of the word Prince, however, does not include women, the eldest son of the British Sovereign, as Duke of Rothesay, had the right to vote in elections for representative peers from 1707. This right continued until 1963, when the UK Parliament abolished the election of representative peers and he has the formal Scottish style of HRH The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay. The personal arms of the current Duke were bestowed upon him in 1974 by HM The Queen, the escutcheon features on the 1st and 4th quarters the arms of the Great Steward of Scotland, with the 2nd and 3rd quarters featuring the arms of the Lord of the Isles
Duke of Rothesay
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HRH The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay
Duke of Rothesay
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Standard of the Duke of Rothesay; the Royal Standard of Scotland defaced with a plain label of three points azure.
23.
Leineschloss
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The Leineschloss, situated on the Leine in Hanover, Germany, is the former residence of the Hanoverian kings and the current seat of the Landtag of Lower Saxony. The first building on the site was a Franciscan friary, constructed in about 1300, in 1636, George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, began construction of the palace on the site as his residence. In 1742 the north-west wing was renewed, between 1816 and 1844, the architect Georg Ludwig Friedrich Laves fully re-built the palace. The column portico with six Corinthian columns was built during this period, during World War II, the Leineschloss burnt out entirely after British aerial bombings. King George I of Great Britain was originally buried in the Chapel of the Leineschloss, architect Dieter Oesterlen re-built the palace between 1957 and 1962
Leineschloss
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Main Entrance
Leineschloss
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Leine river frontage
24.
Hanover
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At the end of the Napoleonic Wars, the Electorate was enlarged to become a Kingdom with Hanover as its capital. From 1868 to 1946 Hanover was the capital of the Prussian Province of Hanover and it is now the capital of the Land of Lower Saxony. Since 2001 it has been part of the Hanover district, which is a body made up from the former district. With a population of 518,000, Hanover is a centre of Northern Germany. Hanover also hosts annual commercial trade fairs such as the Hanover Fair, every year Hanover hosts the Schützenfest Hannover, the worlds largest marksmens festival, and the Oktoberfest Hannover, the second largest such festival in Germany. In 2000, Hanover hosted the world fair Expo 2000, the Hanover fairground, due to numerous extensions, especially for the Expo 2000, is the largest in the world. Hanover is of importance because of its universities and medical school, its international airport. The city is also a crossing point of railway lines and highways. Hanover is the traditional English spelling, the German spelling is becoming more popular in English, recent editions of encyclopaedias prefer the German spelling, and the local government uses the German spelling on English websites. The traditional English spelling is used in historical contexts, especially when referring to the British House of Hanover. Hanover was founded in times on the east bank of the River Leine. Its original name Honovere may mean high bank, though this is debated, Hanover was a small village of ferrymen and fishermen that became a comparatively large town in the 13th century due to its position at a natural crossroads. As overland travel was difficult, its position on the upper navigable reaches of the river helped it to grow by increasing trade. In the 14th century the churches of Hanover were built. The beginning of industrialization in Germany led to trade in iron and silver from the northern Harz Mountains, in 1636 George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, ruler of the Brunswick-Lüneburg principality of Calenberg, moved his residence to Hanover. The Dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg were elevated by the Holy Roman Emperor to the rank of Prince-Elector in 1692, thus the principality was upgraded to the Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg, colloquially known as the Electorate of Hanover after Calenbergs capital. Its electors would later become monarchs of Great Britain, the first of these was George I Louis, who acceded to the British throne in 1714. The last British monarch who ruled in Hanover was William IV, semi-Salic law, which required succession by the male line if possible, forbade the accession of Queen Victoria in Hanover
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New Town Hall, Hanover
Hanover
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Illustration of Hanover by Matthäus Merian, 1654
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Am Kröpcke, 1895
25.
Caroline of Ansbach
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Wilhelmina Charlotte Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach, commonly known as Caroline of Ansbach, was Queen of Great Britain as the wife of King George II. Her father, Margrave John Frederick of Brandenburg-Ansbach, belonged to a branch of the House of Hohenzollern and was the ruler of a small German state, the Principality of Ansbach. Caroline was orphaned at an age and moved to the enlightened court of her guardians, King Frederick I. As a young woman, Caroline was much sought-after as a bride and they had eight children, seven of whom grew to adulthood. Caroline moved permanently to Britain in 1714 when her husband became Prince of Wales, as Princess of Wales, she joined her husband in rallying political opposition to his father King George I. In 1717, her husband was expelled from court after a family row, Caroline came to be associated with Robert Walpole, an opposition politician who was a former government minister. Walpole rejoined the government in 1720, and Carolines husband and King George I reconciled publicly, over the next few years, Walpole rose to become the leading minister. Caroline succeeded as queen and electress consort in 1727, when her husband became King George II and her eldest son, Frederick, became Prince of Wales. He was a focus for the opposition, like his father before him, as princess and as queen, Caroline was known for her political influence, which she exercised through and for Walpole. Her tenure included four regencies during her husbands stays in Hanover, Caroline was widely mourned following her death in 1737, not only by the public but also by the King, who refused to remarry. Caroline was born on 1 March 1683 at Ansbach, the daughter of John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach and her father was the ruler of one of the smallest German states, he died of smallpox at the age of 32, when Caroline was three years old. Caroline and her full sibling, her younger brother Margrave William Frederick, left Ansbach with their mother. In 1692, Carolines widowed mother was pushed into a marriage with the Elector of Saxony. Eleonore Erdmuthe was widowed two years later, after her unfaithful husband contracted smallpox from his mistress. Eleonore remained in Saxony for another two years, until her death in 1696, the orphaned Caroline and William Frederick returned to Ansbach to stay with their elder half-brother, Margrave George Frederick II. Frederick and Sophia Charlotte became king and queen of Prussia in 1701, the queen was the daughter of Dowager Electress Sophia of Hanover, and the sister of George, Elector of Hanover. She was renowned for her intelligence and strong character, and her uncensored and liberal court attracted a great many scholars, Caroline was exposed to a lively intellectual environment quite different from anything she had experienced previously. Before she began her education under Sophia Charlottes care, Caroline had received formal education
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Portrait by Jacopo Amigoni, painted in 1735
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Ansbach in the 17th century
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Engraving of the royal couple and their seven children who survived infancy
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Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk (pictured) was one of Caroline's Women of the Bedchamber in addition to being one of Caroline's husband's mistresses.
26.
Cambridge House
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Cambridge House is a grade I listed mansion on the northern side of Piccadilly in central London, England, named after one of its owners, the Duke of Cambridge, 7th son of George III. It has also known as Egremont House, Cholmondeley House, The Naval and Military Club. The house was built for Charles Wyndham, 2nd Earl of Egremont and it was initially known as Egremont House. The house is in a late Palladian style and it has three main storeys plus basement and attics and is seven bays wide. As is usual in a London mansion of the period the first floor is the principal floor and this floor has the highest ceilings and its status is emphasised externally by a Venetian window in the centre. The house changed several times. For several years in the 1820s it was occupied by George Cholmondeley, 1st Marquess of Cholmondeley, from 1829 to 1850 it was the London residence of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, and became known as Cambridge House. Due to his status, that name has persisted. After the Duke died in 1850, the house was purchased by Lord Palmerston and it was his London residence and the site of many splendid social and political gatherings. After Palmerstons death at Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire in 1865, his body was taken to Cambridge House from which his funeral procession departed to Westminster Abbey, shortly after Palmerstons death, Cambridge House was purchased by the Naval and Military Club, which had outgrown its previous premises. The Club came to be known as the In and Out, from the prominent signs on the entrance, members included TE Lawrence and Ian Fleming. In 1999, the Club moved to new premises, having sold Cambridge House in 1996 to entrepreneur Simon Halabi for £50 million, however, the building remained vacant after 1999, and fell into a state of disrepair. Plaster was falling off the ceiling in the first floor rooms, in 2009 Halabis companies went into bankruptcy. In June 2011 the site was acquired by the Reuben brothers for a reported £130m through their investment company, in October 2012 applications were submitted for a full refurbishment into private homes and residential apartments. In April 2013, David and Simon Reuben won approval to develop the property into a 60,600 square foot single home and it is likely to become the UKs most expensive home, estimated to be valued in the region of £250 million after renovation. According to Bloomberg News, the application for Number 94 was approved after the two investors offered to contribute £3.85 million to the construction of affordable housing in the borough. ISBN 0-7134-8702-X Reuben Brothers - real estate holdings Reuben Brothers - timeline of purchases and developments Country Life Picture Library - interior photos
Cambridge House
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The position of Cambridge House is marked on this extract from a map of London published in 1799.
Cambridge House
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The neoclassical main front of Cambridge House today
27.
Piccadilly
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Piccadilly is a road in the City of Westminster, London to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road that connects central London to Hammersmith, Earls Court, Heathrow Airport, St Jamess is to the south of the eastern section, while the western section is built up only on the northern side. At just under 1 mile in length, Piccadilly is one of the widest and straightest streets in central London, Piccadilly has been a main road since at least medieval times, and in the middle ages was known as the road to Reading or the way from Colnbrook. Around 1611 or 1612, a Robert Baker acquired land in the area, shortly after purchasing the land, he enclosed it and erected several dwellings, including his home, Pikadilly Hall. Some of the most notable homes in London were built on the northern side of the street during this period, including Clarendon House. Berkeley House, constructed around the time as Clarendon House, was destroyed by a fire in 1733 and rebuilt as Devonshire House in 1737 by William Cavendish. It was later used as the headquarters for the Whig party. Burlington House has since been home to several noted societies, including the Royal Academy of Arts, the Geological Society of London, several members of the Rothschild family had mansions at the western end of the street. St Jamess Church was consecrated in 1684 and the area became St James Parish. The Old White Horse Cellar, at No,155, was one of the most famous coaching inns in England by the late-18th century, by which time the street had become a favourable location for booksellers. The Bath Hotel emerged around 1790, and Walsingham House was built in 1887, both the Bath and the Walsingham were purchased and demolished when the prestigious Ritz Hotel was built on the site in 1906. Piccadilly Circus station, at the east end of the street, was designed by Charles Holden and it was the first underground station to have no above-ground premises, the station is only accessible by subways from street level. The clothing store Simpsons was established at 203 -206 Piccadilly by Alec Simpson in 1936, during the 20th century, Piccadilly became known as a place to acquire heroin, and was notorious in the 1960s as the centre of Londons illegal drug trade. Today, Piccadilly is regarded as one of Londons principal shopping streets and its landmarks include the Ritz, Park Lane, Athenaeum and Intercontinental hotels, Fortnum & Mason, the Royal Academy, the RAF Club, Hatchards, the Embassy of Japan and the High Commission of Malta. Piccadilly has inspired works of fiction, including Oscar Wildes The Importance of Being Earnest. It is one of a group of squares on the London Monopoly board, the street has been part of a main road for centuries although there is no evidence that it was part of a Roman Road, unlike Oxford Street further north. In the Middle Ages it was known as the road to Reading or the way from Colnbrook, during the Tudor period, relatively settled conditions made expansion beyond Londons city walls a safer venture. Property speculation became an enterprise and developments grew so rapidly that the threat of disease
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View of Piccadilly by the Meriden Hotel looking towards Piccadilly Circus
Piccadilly
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Apsley House on an 1869 map. The neighbouring houses were demolished in the early 1960s to allow Park Lane to be widened. The Wellington Arch has been moved since this time.
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St James's Church has stood on Piccadilly since 1684, and was designed by Sir Christopher Wren.
28.
Sarah Fairbrother
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Sarah Fairbrother was an English actress and the mistress of Prince George, Duke of Cambridge, a male-line grandson of George III. As the couple married in contravention of the Royal Marriages Act 1772, Sarah Fairbrother was born in James Street, Westminster and baptised at St James, Westminster,8 October 1817. Her parents were John Fairbrother, a servant in Westminster, the details of her birth, parentage, and first two children were revealed for the first time in Anthony J. Camps Royal Mistresses and Bastards, Fact and Fiction 1714-1936. Her father was described as a servant in 1813 and 1817 and his family had no connection with Robert Fairbrother, the prompter at Drury Lane Theatre, or with the Fairbrother family of printers in Bow Street, Covent Garden, as is frequently stated. Sarah had a son, Charles Manners Sutton Fairbrother, on 8 August 1836. He was baptised at St Mary, Islington,12 March 1837 and he died unmarried at 19 Pall Mall, Middlesex,14 March 1901. Sarah had a daughter, Louisa Catherine, on 22 March 1839. She married at St George Hanover Square,7 May 1859, Francis Fisher Hamilton and died without issue, at 14 Victoria Square, London,13 June 1919. Sarah Fairbrother met Prince George of Cambridge,10 February 1840 and she was pregnant with a third child, Augustus when she obtained a licence from the Faculty Office on 17 December 1846 and went through a form of marriage with the Prince on 8 January 1847. Legend created for the couple an idyllic relationship that seems far from the reality, she having many moments of suspicion and jealousy and she was an invalid from 1867. The Princes comment in 1884 that when a man, through some unfortunate accident, makes a great mistake, an old soldiers widow, who had been housekeeper at the Horse Guards, summed up popular feeling. Ah, well, she said, he loved a woman and he married her and stuck to her. It overwhelmed me with grief and sorrow, the Duke, who never forget anniversaries, lived over again the miseries of Louisas death in January 1891. My thoughts, he wrote, were absorbed with the sad recollection of last year. How I deplore her loss, to me so great and irreparable, no words can express the intense sorrow that oppresses and depresses my heart. From everything that the Duke did, said and wrote, it is evident that he was devoted to Louisa, lady Geraldine, no doubt expressing the view of the Duchess, and, certainly in this instance, of the Queen, deplored the marriage and detested Louisa. Her opinions, of course, were poisoned by almost hysterical jealousy, lady Geraldines views were more often than not expressed with extravagant vigour, but they were recorded after all in a private journal with no thought of publication. She was neither obliged nor accustomed to weigh her words, and her hopeless infatuation for the Duke, her unthinking acceptance of social conventions, and her distracted jealousy, all encouraged her to blackguard Mrs. FitzGeorge
Sarah Fairbrother
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Sarah Louisa Fairbrother as Abdullah in Open Sesame (or as Alladin in The Forty Thieves), staged in 1844.
29.
House of Windsor
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The House of Windsor is the royal house of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms. The houses of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Windsor have provided five British monarchs to date, including four kings, the name was changed from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to the English Windsor in 1917 because of anti-German sentiment in the British Empire during World War I. During the reign of the Windsors, major changes took place in British society, the British Empire participated in the First and Second World Wars, ending up on the winning side both times, but subsequently lost its status as a superpower during decolonisation. Much of Ireland broke with the United Kingdom and the remnants of the Empire became the Commonwealth of Nations, the current head of the house is monarch of sixteen sovereign states. As well as these separate monarchies, there are also three Crown dependencies, fourteen British Overseas Territories and two associated states of New Zealand. Edward VII and, in turn, his son, George V, were members of the German ducal House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha by virtue of their descent from Albert, Prince Consort, husband of Queen Victoria. The King and his family were convinced to abandon all titles held under the German Crown and to change German titles. From 1917 to 1919, George V also stripped 15 of his German relations—most of whom belonged to the House of Hanover—of their British titles and styles of prince, Prince Alastair and Princess Victoria died unmarried and childless. Princess Mary married into the Lascelles family, and Princess Patricia married Alexander Ramsay, neither of the Prince Arthurs had any further children, meaning all subsequent members of the House of Windsor descend from the sons of George V. In 1947, Princess Elizabeth, heir presumptive to King George VI and he was a member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, a branch of the House of Oldenburg, and had been a prince of Greece and Denmark. It is the translation of the German battenberg, which refers to Battenberg. Philip privately complained, I am nothing but a bloody amoeba, I am the only man in the country not allowed to give his name to his own children. Still, Elizabeth also decreed that her descendants who do not have that style and title would bear the surname Mountbatten-Windsor. This came after months of correspondence between the Prime Minister Harold Macmillan and the constitutional expert Edward Iwi. Iwi had raised the prospect that the Royal child due to be born in February 1960 would bear the Badge of Bastardy if it were given its mothers maiden name rather than its fathers name and she clearly wished to make this change before the birth of her child. The issue did not affect Prince Charles or Princess Anne, as they had been born with the name Mountbatten, Prince Andrew was born 11 days later, on 19 February 1960. Any future monarch can change the name through a similar royal proclamation. At the creation of the House of Windsor, its head reigned over a unitary British Empire, in the chart below, the countries are differentiated between light green, medium green, and dark green
House of Windsor
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Succession to the British throne - family tree (2015)
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House of Windsor
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King George V
30.
St Mary's Hospital, London
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St Marys Hospital is a hospital in Paddington, in the City of Westminster, London, founded in 1845. Until 1988 the hospital ran St Marys Hospital Medical School, part of the federal University of London, in 1988 it merged with Imperial College London, and then with Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School in 1997 to form Imperial College School of Medicine. In 2007 Imperial College became an independent institution when it withdrew from the University of London, St Marys Hospital first opened its doors to patients in 1851, the last of the great voluntary hospitals to be founded. The hospital site incorporates the private Lindo wing where several celebrity, the wing is named after Frank Charles Lindo, a businessman and board-member of the hospital, who donated £111,500 before his death in 1938. The laboratory where Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin has been restored to its condition of 1928 and incorporated into a museum about the discovery and his life. The museum is open to the public from Monday to Thursday from 10am to 1pm, the museum is a member of the London Museums of Health & Medicine. In celebration of the association, a British Rail Class 43 locomotive was named St Marys Hospital, the locomotive is still in service, but following changes of ownership, the name has now been removed. One of the large metal nameplates was acquired by the hospital, and is now displayed in the foyer of the Cambridge Wing
St Mary's Hospital, London
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St Mary's Hospital
St Mary's Hospital, London
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St Mary's Hospital QEQM building (above) and old section (below).
St Mary's Hospital, London
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The old section of St Mary's Hospital in 2005
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The Chapel of St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, London.
31.
Charles, Prince of Wales
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Charles, Prince of Wales is the eldest child and heir apparent of Queen Elizabeth II. Known alternatively in South West England as Duke of Cornwall and in Scotland as Duke of Rothesay, he is the heir apparent in British history. He is also the oldest person to be next in line to the throne since Sophia of Hanover, Charles was born at Buckingham Palace as the first grandchild of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. After earning a bachelor of degree from Trinity College, Cambridge. In 1981, he married Lady Diana Spencer and they had two sons, Prince William later to become Duke of Cambridge, and Prince Harry, in 1996, the couple divorced, following well-publicised extramarital affairs. Diana died in a car crash in Paris the following year, in 2005, Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles. Charles has sought to raise awareness of the dangers facing the natural environment. As an environmentalist, he has received awards and recognition from environmental groups around the world. His support for alternative medicine, including homeopathy, has been criticised by some in the medical community and he has been outspoken on the role of architecture in society and the conservation of historic buildings. Subsequently, Charles created Poundbury, a new town based on his theories. He has authored a number of books, including A Vision of Britain, A Personal View of Architecture in 1989 and he was baptised in the palaces Music Room by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Geoffrey Fisher, on 15 December 1948. When Prince Charles was aged three his mothers accession as Queen Elizabeth II made him her heir apparent. As the monarchs eldest son, he took the titles Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles and Prince. Charles attended his mothers coronation at Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953, seated alongside his grandmother, as was customary for upper-class children at the time, a governess, Catherine Peebles, was appointed and undertook his education between the ages of five and eight. Buckingham Palace announced in 1955 that Charles would attend school rather than have a private tutor, Charles then attended two of his fathers former schools, Cheam Preparatory School in Berkshire, England, followed by Gordonstoun in the north-east of Scotland. He reportedly despised the school, which he described as Colditz in kilts. Upon his return to Gordonstoun, Charles emulated his father in becoming Head Boy and he left in 1967, with six GCE O-levels and two A-levels in history and French, at grades B and C, respectively. Tradition was broken again when Charles proceeded straight from school into university
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The Prince of Wales in Jersey, July 2012
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Signature
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Telegram announcing the birth of Prince Charles to the Governor-General of New Zealand
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Queen Elizabeth II formally invests the Prince of Wales with his coronet, 1969
32.
Diana, Princess of Wales
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Diana, Princess of Wales, was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, who is the eldest child and heir apparent of Queen Elizabeth II. Diana was born into a family of British nobility with royal ancestry and was the child and third daughter of John Spencer, Viscount Althorp. She grew up in Park House, situated on the Sandringham estate, in 1975, after her father inherited the title of Earl Spencer, she became known as Lady Diana Spencer. She came to prominence in February 1981 when her engagement to Prince Charles was announced and her wedding to the Prince of Wales on 29 July 1981, held at St Pauls Cathedral, reached a global television audience of over 750 million people. While married, Diana bore the titles Princess of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, Duchess of Rothesay, the marriage produced two sons, the princes William and Harry, who were then respectively second and third in the line of succession to the British throne. As Princess of Wales, Diana undertook royal duties on behalf of the Queen and she was celebrated for her charity work and for her support of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. She was involved with dozens of charities including Londons Great Ormond Street Hospital for children, Diana remained the object of worldwide media scrutiny during and after her marriage, which ended in divorce on 28 August 1996. Media attention and public mourning were extensive after her death in a car crash in Paris on 31 August 1997, Diana was born on 1 July 1961, in Park House, Sandringham, Norfolk. She was the fourth of five children of John Spencer, Viscount Althorp, the Spencer family has been closely allied with the British Royal Family for several generations. Both of Dianas grandmothers had served as ladies-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, on 30 August 1961, Diana was baptised at St. Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham, with wealthy commoners as godparents. Diana had three siblings, Sarah, Jane, and Charles and her infant brother, John, died shortly after his birth one year before Diana was born. The desire for an added strain to the Spencers marriage. Diana grew up in Park House, situated on the Sandringham estate, the Spencers leased the house from its owner, Queen Elizabeth II. The Royal Family frequently holidayed at the neighbouring Sandringham House, and Diana played with Princes Andrew, Diana was seven years old when her parents divorced. Her mother later had an affair with Peter Shand Kydd and married him in 1969, Diana lived with her mother in London during her parents separation in 1967, but during that years Christmas holidays, Lord Althorp refused to let Diana return to London with Lady Althorp. Shortly afterwards he won custody of Diana with support from his former mother-in-law, Ruth Roche, in 1972, Lord Althorp began a relationship with Raine, Countess of Dartmouth, the only daughter of Alexander McCorquodale and Dame Barbara Cartland. They married at Caxton Hall, London in 1976, as an upper-class child at the time, Diana was first educated under the supervision of her governess, Gertrude Allen. She began her education at Silfield Private School in Gayton, Norfolk, and moved to Riddlesworth Hall School, an all-girls boarding school near Diss
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The Princess of Wales raising money for cancer research in Chicago, Illinois, June 1996
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Charles and Diana's wedding commemorated on a 1981 British Crown
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The Prince and Princess of Wales after the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of York in 1986
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Charles and Diana visit Uluru, Australia, March 1983
33.
Heir apparent
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An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. An heir presumptive, by contrast, is someone who is first in line to inherit a title, today these terms most commonly describe heirs to hereditary titles, particularly monarchies. They are also used metaphorically to indicate an anointed successor to any position of power, in France the title was le Dauphin. See crown prince for more examples and this article primarily describes the term heir apparent in a hereditary system regulated by laws of primogeniture—as opposed to cases where a monarch has a say in naming the heir. An heir presumptive, by contrast, can always be bumped down in the succession by the birth of more closely related in a legal sense to the current title-holder. The clearest example occurs in the case of a title-holder with no children, if at any time he or she were to produce children, they rank ahead of whatever more distant relative had been heir presumptive. Many legal systems assume childbirth is always possible regardless of age or health, in such circumstances a person may be, in a practical sense, the heir apparent but still, legally speaking, heir presumptive. Adelaide was 44 at the time, so pregnancy was even if unlikely. Daughters may inherit titles that descend according to male-preference primogeniture, thus, normally, even an only daughter will not be heir apparent, since at any time a brother might be born who, though younger, would assume that position. Hence, she is an heir presumptive, for example, Queen Elizabeth II was heir presumptive during the reign of her father, King George VI, because at any stage up to his death, George could have fathered a legitimate son. In a system of absolute primogeniture that disregards gender, female heirs apparent occur, several European monarchies that have adopted such systems in the last few decades furnish practical examples. Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway is heir apparent to her father, Victoria was not heir apparent from birth, but gained the status in 1980 following a change in the Swedish Act of Succession. Her younger brother Carl Philip was thus heir apparent for a few months, then, as the representative of her fathers line she would assume a place ahead of any more distant relatives. Such a situation has not to date occurred with the English or British throne, several times an heir apparent has died, however, there have been several female heirs apparent to British peerages. In one special case, however, England and Scotland had an heir apparent. William, by contrast, was to reign for life only, thus, although after Marys death William continued to reign, he had no power to beget direct heirs, and Anne became the heir apparent for the remainder of Williams reign. She eventually succeeded him as Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland, the position of an heir apparent is normally unshakable, it can be assumed they will inherit. Sometimes, however, extraordinary events—such as the death or the deposition of the parent—intervene
Heir apparent
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Throngs before the Imperial Palace in Japan awaiting the appearance of the Crown Prince Hirohito for the recent proclamation of his official recognition as the heir apparent to the Japanese Imperial Throne – New York Times, 1916.
34.
James VI and I
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James VI and I was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until his death. The kingdoms of Scotland and England were individual sovereign states, with their own parliaments, judiciary, and laws, though both were ruled by James in personal union. James was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, James succeeded to the Scottish throne at the age of thirteen months, after his mother Mary was compelled to abdicate in his favour. Four different regents governed during his minority, which ended officially in 1578, in 1603, he succeeded the last Tudor monarch of England and Ireland, Elizabeth I, who died without issue. He continued to reign in all three kingdoms for 22 years, a period known after him as the Jacobean era, until his death in 1625 at the age of 58. After the Union of the Crowns, he based himself in England from 1603, only returning to Scotland once in 1617 and he was a major advocate of a single parliament for England and Scotland. In his reign, the Plantation of Ulster and British colonization of the Americas began, at 57 years and 246 days, Jamess reign in Scotland was longer than those of any of his predecessors. He achieved most of his aims in Scotland but faced difficulties in England, including the Gunpowder Plot in 1605. James himself was a scholar, the author of works such as Daemonologie, The True Law of Free Monarchies. He sponsored the translation of the Bible that would later be named after him, Sir Anthony Weldon claimed that James had been termed the wisest fool in Christendom, an epithet associated with his character ever since. Since the latter half of the 20th century, historians have tended to revise Jamess reputation and treat him as a serious, James was the only son of Mary, Queen of Scots, and her second husband, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. Both Mary and Darnley were great-grandchildren of Henry VII of England through Margaret Tudor, Marys rule over Scotland was insecure, and she and her husband, being Roman Catholics, faced a rebellion by Protestant noblemen. James was born on 19 June 1566 at Edinburgh Castle, and as the eldest son and heir apparent of the monarch automatically became Duke of Rothesay and Prince and he was baptised Charles James or James Charles on 17 December 1566 in a Catholic ceremony held at Stirling Castle. His godparents were Charles IX of France, Elizabeth I of England, Mary refused to let the Archbishop of St Andrews, whom she referred to as a pocky priest, spit in the childs mouth, as was then the custom. The subsequent entertainment, devised by Frenchman Bastian Pagez, featured men dressed as satyrs and sporting tails, Jamess father, Darnley, was murdered on 10 February 1567 at Kirk o Field, Edinburgh, perhaps in revenge for Rizzios death. James inherited his fathers titles of Duke of Albany and Earl of Ross, Mary was already unpopular, and her marriage on 15 May 1567 to James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, who was widely suspected of murdering Darnley, heightened widespread bad feeling towards her. In June 1567, Protestant rebels arrested Mary and imprisoned her in Loch Leven Castle and she was forced to abdicate on 24 July 1567 in favour of the infant James and to appoint her illegitimate half-brother, James Stewart, Earl of Moray, as regent. The care of James was entrusted to the Earl and Countess of Mar, to be conserved, nursed, and upbrought in the security of Stirling Castle
James VI and I
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Portrait by Daniel Mytens, 1621
James VI and I
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Portrait of James as a boy, after Arnold Bronckorst, 1574
James VI and I
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James (right) depicted beside his mother Mary (left). In reality, they were separated when he was still a baby.
James VI and I
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James in 1586, age 20
35.
Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia
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Elizabeth Stuart was, as the wife of Frederick V, Elector Palatine, Electress Palatine, and briefly, Queen of Bohemia. Due to her husband’s reign in Bohemia lasting for just one winter and she was the second child and eldest daughter of James VI and I, King of Scots, England, and Ireland, and his wife, Anne of Denmark. She was also the granddaughter of Mary, Queen of Scots and she was four years older than her brother Charles, who became Charles I of England, Scotland, and Ireland. With the demise of the Stuart dynasty in 1714, her grandson succeeded to the British throne as George I of Great Britain, the reigning British monarch, Elizabeth II, is Elizabeth Stuarts direct descendant of the 10th and 11th generation through different paths. Elizabeth was born at Falkland Palace, Fife, on 19 August 1596 at 2 oclock in the morning, at the time of her birth, her father was King of Scots only. Named in honour of Queen Elizabeth I of England, the young Elizabeth was christened on 28 November 1596 in the Chapel Royal at Holyroodhouse, a couple of years later the kings second daughter, Margaret, was placed in their care as well. Elizabeth did not pay attention to this younger sister, as even at this young age her affections were with her brother. When Elizabeth I, the Queen of England, died in 1603, Elizabeth Stuarts father, James, along with her elder brother, Henry, Elizabeth made the journey south toward England with her mother in a triumphal progress of perpetual entertainment. Elizabeth remained at court for a few weeks, but there is no evidence that she was present at her parents coronation on 25 July 1603 and it seems likely that by this time the royal children already had been removed to Oatlands, an old Tudor hunting lodge near Weybridge. On 19 October 1603 an order was issued under the privy seal announcing that the King had thought fit to commit the keeping and education of the Lady Elizabeth to the Lord Harrington and his wife. Under the care of Lord Harington at Coombe Abbey, Elizabeth met Anne Dudley, the conspirators chose Elizabeth after considering the other available options. Prince Henry, it was believed, would perish alongside his father, Charles was seen as too feeble and Mary too young. Elizabeth, on the hand, had already attended formal functions. The conspirators aimed to cause an uprising in the Midlands to coincide with the explosion in London and she would then be brought up as a Catholic and later married to a Catholic bridegroom. The plot failed when the conspirators were betrayed and Guy Fawkes was caught by the Kings soldiers before he was able to ignite the powder, Elizabeth was given a comprehensive education for a princess at that time. This education included instruction in history, geography, theology, languages, writing, history, music. She was denied instruction in the classics as her father believed that Latin had the effect of making women more cunning. By the age of 12, Elizabeth was fluent in languages, including French
Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia
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Elizabeth, while Electress consort Palatine
Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia
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Princess Elizabeth at age 7 by Robert Peake the Elder
Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia
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Coombe Abbey painted in 1797 by Maria Johnson
Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia
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Portrait of Frederick believed to have been painted in 1613 the year of his marriage to Elizabeth by Michiel Jansz. van Mierevelt
36.
Frederick V, Elector Palatine
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Frederick V was, as the son and heir of Frederick IV, Elector Palatine, the Elector of the Rhine Palatinate in the Holy Roman Empire upon his fathers death in 1610. This defeat was followed by an Imperial invasion of Fredericks Palatinate lands and he was forced to flee to Holland in 1622 and he lived the rest of his life in exile with his wife and family at the Hague. Frederick was born at the Jagdschloss Deinschwang near Amberg in the Upper Palatinate and he was the son of Frederick IV and of Louise Juliana of Orange-Nassau, the daughter of William the Silent and Charlotte de Bourbon-Montpensier. An intellectual, a mystic, and a Calvinist, he succeeded his father as Prince-Elector of the Rhenish Palatinate in 1610 and he was responsible for the construction of the famous Hortus Palatinus gardens in Heidelberg. In 1618 the largely Protestant estates of Bohemia rebelled against their Catholic King Ferdinand, Frederick was asked to assume the crown of Bohemia. He accepted the offer and was crowned on 4 November 1619, however, James opposed the takeover of Bohemia from the Habsburgs and Fredericks allies in the Protestant Union failed to support him militarily by signing the Treaty of Ulm. His brief reign as King of Bohemia ended with his defeat at the Battle of White Mountain on 8 November 1620 – a year and four days after his coronation. After this battle, the Imperial forces invaded Fredericks Palatine lands and he had to flee to his uncle Prince Maurice, an Imperial edict formally deprived him of the Palatinate in 1623. He lived the rest of his life in exile with his wife and family, mostly at The Hague and his eldest surviving son Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine returned to power in 1648 with the end of the war. His daughter Princess Sophia was eventually named heiress presumptive to the British throne, Frederick was born on 26 August 1596 at the Jagdschloss Deinschwang near Amberg in the Upper Palatinate. His father, Frederick IV was the ruler of Electoral Palatinate, his mother was Louise Juliana of Nassau, Frederick was related to almost all of the ruling families of the Holy Roman Empire and a number of diplomats and dignitaries attended his baptism at Amberg on 6 October 1596. In 1604, at his mothers urging, he was sent to Sedan to live in the court of his uncle Henri de La Tour dAuvergne, during his time at Sedan, Frederick was a frequent visitor to the court of Henry IV of France. His tutor was Calvinist theologian Daniel Tilenus, a professor of theology at the Academy of Sedan and these views are likely to have shaped Fredericks future policies. On 19 September 1610, Fredericks father, Frederick IV, died from extravagant living, under the terms of the Golden Bull of 1356, Fredericks closest male relative would serve as his guardian and as regent of the Palatinate until Frederick reached the age of majority. Frederick V welcomed John to Heidelberg, whereas Wolfgang William was denied entry and this led to a heated dispute among the princes of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1613, Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor intervened in the dispute, the dispute ended in 1614, when Frederick attained his eighteenth birthday. However, much bad blood among the houses was caused by this dispute, Frederick IVs marriage policy had been designed to solidify the Palatinates position within the Reformed camp in Europe. Frederick IV had hoped that his daughter Katharina would marry the future Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, in keeping with his fathers policy, Frederick V sought a marriage to Elizabeth Stuart, daughter of James I of England and VI of Scotland
Frederick V, Elector Palatine
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Frederick wearing the Crown of Saint Wenceslas, other Bohemian regalia and the collar of the Order of the Garter and holding an orb. On the table is the Cap representing his separate office as Elector Palatine. Painted by Gerrit von Honthorst in 1634.
Frederick V, Elector Palatine
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Portrait of Frederick by Michiel Jansz. van Mierevelt, 1613.
Frederick V, Elector Palatine
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Elizabeth Stuart (1596–1662), 1613.
Frederick V, Elector Palatine
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Heidelberg Castle and the Hortus Palatinus commissioned by Frederick, and designed by English architect Inigo Jones (1573–1652) and French engineer Salomon de Caus (1576–1626).
37.
Charles I of England
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Charles I was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles was the son of King James VI of Scotland, but after his father inherited the English throne in 1603, he moved to England. He became heir apparent to the English, Irish, and Scottish thrones on the death of his brother, Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales. Two years later, he married the Bourbon princess Henrietta Maria of France instead, after his succession, Charles quarrelled with the Parliament of England, which sought to curb his royal prerogative. Charles believed in the right of kings and thought he could govern according to his own conscience. Many of his subjects opposed his policies, in particular the levying of taxes without parliamentary consent and he supported high church ecclesiastics, such as Richard Montagu and William Laud, and failed to aid Protestant forces successfully during the Thirty Years War. From 1642, Charles fought the armies of the English and Scottish parliaments in the English Civil War, after his defeat in 1645, he surrendered to a Scottish force that eventually handed him over to the English Parliament. Charles refused to accept his captors demands for a constitutional monarchy, re-imprisoned on the Isle of Wight, Charles forged an alliance with Scotland, but by the end of 1648 Oliver Cromwells New Model Army had consolidated its control over England. Charles was tried, convicted, and executed for treason in January 1649. The monarchy was abolished and a called the Commonwealth of England was declared. The monarchy was restored to Charless son, Charles II, in 1660, the second son of King James VI of Scotland and Anne of Denmark, Charles was born in Dunfermline Palace, Fife, on 19 November 1600. James VI was the first cousin twice removed of Queen Elizabeth I of England, in mid-July 1604, Charles left Dunfermline for England where he was to spend most of the rest of his life. His speech development was slow, and he retained a stammer, or hesitant speech. In January 1605, Charles was created Duke of York, as is customary in the case of the English sovereigns second son, Thomas Murray, a Presbyterian Scot, was appointed as a tutor. Charles learnt the usual subjects of classics, languages, mathematics, in 1611, he was made a Knight of the Garter. Eventually, Charles apparently conquered his physical infirmity, which might have been caused by rickets and he became an adept horseman and marksman, and took up fencing. Even so, his public profile remained low in contrast to that of his stronger and taller elder brother, Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales. However, in early November 1612, Henry died at the age of 18 of what is suspected to have been typhoid, Charles, who turned 12 two weeks later, became heir apparent
Charles I of England
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Portrait from the studio of Anthony van Dyck, 1636
Charles I of England
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Engraving by Simon de Passe of Charles and his parents, King James and Queen Anne, c. 1612
Charles I of England
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Portrait by Robert Peake, c. 1610
Charles I of England
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Portrait of Charles as Prince of Wales after Daniel Mytens, c. 1623
38.
Mary II of England
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Mary II was joint monarch of England, Scotland, and Ireland with her husband and first cousin, William of Orange, from 1689 until her death. William became sole ruler upon her death in 1694, popular histories usually refer to their joint reign as that of William and Mary. Mary wielded less power than William when he was in England, ceding most of her authority to him and she did, however, act alone when William was engaged in military campaigns abroad, proving herself to be a powerful, firm, and effective ruler. Mary, born at St Jamess Palace in London on 30 April 1662, was the eldest daughter of James, Duke of York, and his first wife, Anne Hyde. She was baptised into the Anglican faith in the Chapel Royal at St Jamess and her godparents included her fathers cousin, Prince Rupert of the Rhine. Although her mother bore eight children, all except Mary and her younger sister Anne died very young, consequently, for most of her childhood, Mary was second in line to the throne after her father. The Duke of York converted to Roman Catholicism in 1668 or 1669, Marys education, from private tutors, was largely restricted to music, dance, drawing, French, and religious instruction. Her mother died in 1671, and her father remarried in 1673, taking as his second wife Mary of Modena, from about the age of nine until her marriage, Mary wrote passionate letters to an older girl, Frances Apsley, the daughter of courtier Sir Allen Apsley. In time, Frances became uncomfortable with the correspondence, and replied more formally, at the age of fifteen, Mary became betrothed to her cousin, the Protestant Stadtholder of Holland, William of Orange. William was the son of the Kings late sister, Mary, Princess Royal, and thus fourth in the line of succession after James, Mary, and Anne. The Duke of York agreed to the marriage, after pressure from chief minister Lord Danby and the King, when James told Mary that she was to marry her cousin, she wept all that afternoon and all the following day. William and a tearful Mary were married in St Jamess Palace by Bishop Henry Compton on 4 November 1677, Mary accompanied her husband on a rough sea crossing back to the Netherlands later that month, after a delay of two weeks caused by bad weather. On 14 December, they made an entry to The Hague in a grand procession. Marys animated and personable nature made her popular with the Dutch people and she was devoted to her husband, but he was often away on campaigns, which led to Marys family supposing him to be cold and neglectful. She suffered further bouts of illness that may have been miscarriages in mid-1678, early 1679 and her childlessness would be the greatest source of unhappiness in her life. From May 1684, the Kings illegitimate son, James Scott, Duke of Monmouth, lived in the Netherlands, Monmouth was viewed as a rival to the Duke of York, and as a potential Protestant heir who could supplant James in the line of succession. William, however, did not consider him a viable alternative, upon the death of Charles II without legitimate issue in February 1685, the Duke of York became king as James II in England and Ireland and James VII in Scotland. Mary was playing cards when her husband informed her of her fathers accession, to Williams relief, Monmouth was defeated, captured and executed, but both he and Mary were dismayed by Jamess subsequent actions
Mary II of England
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Portrait by Godfrey Kneller, 1690
Mary II of England
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The Lady Mary by Caspar Netscher, 1676, the year before her marriage
Mary II of England
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Portrait by Peter Lely, 1677
Mary II of England
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Mary's father, James II and VII, was the last Catholic monarch in the British Isles (portrait by Nicolas de Largillière, c 1686)
39.
William IV of the United Kingdom
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William IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death. The third son of George III and younger brother and successor to George IV, he was the last king, William served in the Royal Navy in his youth and was, both during his reign and afterwards, nicknamed the Sailor King. He served in North America and the Caribbean, in 1789, he was created Duke of Clarence and St Andrews. Since his two brothers died without leaving legitimate issue, he inherited the throne when he was 64 years old. Although William did not engage in politics as much as his brother or his father, through his brother, the Viceroy of Hanover, he granted his German kingdom a short-lived liberal constitution. William was succeeded in the United Kingdom by his niece, Victoria, William was born in the early hours of the morning on 21 August 1765 at Buckingham House, the third child and son of King George III and Queen Charlotte. He had two brothers, George and Frederick, and was not expected to inherit the Crown. He was baptised in the Great Council Chamber of St Jamess Palace on 20 September 1765 and his godparents were his paternal uncles, the Duke of Gloucester and Prince Henry, and his paternal aunt, Princess Augusta, then hereditary duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. He spent most of his life in Richmond and at Kew Palace. At the age of thirteen, he joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman and his experiences in the navy seem to have been little different from those of other midshipmen, though in contrast to other sailors he was accompanied on board ships by a tutor. He did his share of the cooking and got arrested with his shipmates after a brawl in Gibraltar. He served in New York during the American War of Independence, I am fully persuaded, that it is unnecessary to caution you against offering insult or indignity to the persons of the Prince or Admiral. The plot did not come to fruition, the British heard of it and assigned guards to William and he became a lieutenant in 1785 and captain of HMS Pegasus the following year. The two were friends, and dined together almost nightly. At Nelsons wedding, William insisted on giving the bride away and he was given command of the frigate HMS Andromeda in 1788, and was promoted to rear-admiral in command of HMS Valiant the following year. William sought to be made a duke like his brothers, and to receive a similar parliamentary grant. To put pressure on him, William threatened to stand for the House of Commons for the constituency of Totnes in Devon, Williams political record was inconsistent and, like many politicians of the time, cannot be certainly ascribed to a single party. William ceased his active service in the Royal Navy in 1790, the following year he spoke in favour of the war, expecting a command after his change of heart, none came
William IV of the United Kingdom
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Portrait by Sir Martin Archer Shee, 1833
William IV of the United Kingdom
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William aged thirteen (left) and his younger brother Edward, painted by Benjamin West, 1778
William IV of the United Kingdom
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William in dress uniform painted by Sir Martin Archer Shee, c.1800
William IV of the United Kingdom
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Mrs. Jordan in the Character of Hypolita, mezzotint by John Jones of London, 1791, after a painting by John Hoppner
40.
Queen Victoria
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Victoria was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she adopted the title of Empress of India. Victoria was the daughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, both the Duke of Kent and King George III died in 1820, and Victoria was raised under close supervision by her German-born mother Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. She inherited the throne aged 18, after her fathers three brothers had all died, leaving no surviving legitimate children. The United Kingdom was already a constitutional monarchy, in which the sovereign held relatively little direct political power. Privately, Victoria attempted to influence government policy and ministerial appointments, publicly, Victoria married her first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in 1840. Their nine children married into royal and noble families across the continent, tying them together, after Alberts death in 1861, Victoria plunged into deep mourning and avoided public appearances. As a result of her seclusion, republicanism temporarily gained strength and her Golden and Diamond Jubilees were times of public celebration. Her reign of 63 years and seven months is known as the Victorian era and it was a period of industrial, cultural, political, scientific, and military change within the United Kingdom, and was marked by a great expansion of the British Empire. She was the last British monarch of the House of Hanover and her son and successor, Edward VII, belonged to the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the line of his father. Victorias father was Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, until 1817, Edwards niece, Princess Charlotte of Wales, was the only legitimate grandchild of George III. Her death in 1817 precipitated a crisis that brought pressure on the Duke of Kent. In 1818 he married Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, a widowed German princess with two children—Carl and Feodora —by her first marriage to the Prince of Leiningen and her brother Leopold was Princess Charlottes widower. The Duke and Duchess of Kents only child, Victoria, was born at 4.15 a. m. on 24 May 1819 at Kensington Palace in London. Victoria was christened privately by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Charles Manners-Sutton, on 24 June 1819 in the Cupola Room at Kensington Palace and she was baptised Alexandrina, after one of her godparents, Emperor Alexander I of Russia, and Victoria, after her mother. Additional names proposed by her parents—Georgina, Charlotte, and Augusta—were dropped on the instructions of the Dukes eldest brother, George, the Duke of Clarence and the Duke of Kent married on the same day in 1818, but both of Clarences daughters died as infants. Victorias father died in January 1820, when Victoria was less than a year old, a week later her grandfather died and was succeeded by his eldest son, George IV. The Duke of York died in 1827, when George IV died in 1830, he was succeeded by his next surviving brother, William IV, and Victoria became heir presumptive
Queen Victoria
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Victoria wearing her small diamond crown Photograph by Alexander Bassano, 1882
Queen Victoria
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Victoria, aged four Painting by Stephen Poyntz Denning, 1823
Queen Victoria
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Victoria with her spaniel Dash, 1833 Painting by George Hayter
Queen Victoria
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Self-portrait, 1835
41.
Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge
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Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge was a member of the British Royal Family, a granddaughter of George III and great-grandmother of Elizabeth II. She held the title of Duchess of Teck through marriage, Mary Adelaide is remembered as the mother of Queen Mary, the wife of King George V. She was one of the first royals to patronise a wide range of charities, Mary Adelaide was born on 27 November 1833 in Hanover, Germany. Her father was Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, the youngest surviving son of George III and her mother was Princess Augusta of Hesse-Cassel, the daughter of Prince Frederick of Hesse-Cassel. The young princess was christened on 9 January 1834 at Cambridge House, Hanover by Rev John Ryle Wood and her godmother and paternal aunt Princess Elizabeth was the only godparent who was present. The rest were King William IV and Queen Adelaide, Princess Mary, Princess Marie of Hesse-Cassel and she was named Mary Adelaide Wilhelmina Elizabeth for her aunts and uncle. Mary Adelaide spent the years of her life in Hanover, Germany. After the death of William IV, Mary Adelaides first cousin, however, Salic law prevented Victoria from ascending the throne of Hanover, which instead passed to Prince Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland. The Duke of Cumberland moved to Hanover as King and Mary Adelaides father, no longer needed in Hanover, returned to London with his family, by the age of 30, Mary Adelaide was still unmarried. Her large girth and lack of income were contributing factors, as was her advanced age, however, her royal rank prevented her from marrying someone not of royal blood. Her cousin, Queen Victoria, took pity on her and attempted to arrange pairings, eventually a suitable candidate was found in Württemberg, Prince Francis of Teck. With no other options available, Mary Adelaide decided to marry him, the couple were married on 12 June 1866 at St. Annes Church, Kew, Surrey. The Duke and Duchess of Teck chose to reside in London rather than abroad, mainly because Mary Adelaide received £5,000 per annum as a Parliamentary annuity and her mother, the Duchess of Cambridge, also provided her with supplementary income. Requests to Queen Victoria for extra funds were generally refused, however, Mary Adelaide requested that her new husband be granted the style Royal Highness, but this was refused by Queen Victoria. The queen did, however, promote Francis to the rank of Highness in 1887 in celebration of her Golden Jubilee. The Tecks had one daughter and three sons, Despite their modest income, Mary Adelaide had expensive tastes and lived an extravagant life of parties, expensive food and clothes and holidays abroad. The debts soon built up and the Tecks were forced to flee the country in 1883 to avoid their creditors and they travelled to Florence, Italy, and also stayed with relatives in Germany and Austria. Initially, they travelled under the names of the Count and Countess von Hohenstein, however, Mary Adelaide wished to travel in more style and reverted to her royal style, which commanded significantly more attention and better service
Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge
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Mary Adelaide in 1897
Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge
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The Duchess of Teck and her family c. 1880; Prince Alexander sits centre with his arm around the Duchess, Princess Mary (later Queen Mary) is seated at far right
Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge
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Mary Adelaide in c.1880
42.
Francis, Duke of Teck
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Francis, Duke of Teck GCB GCVO, until 1863 known as Count Francis von Hohenstein, was a member of the German nobility, and later of the British Royal Family. He was the father of Queen Mary, the wife of King George V, Francis held the titles of Count of Hohenstein, Prince and later Duke of Teck and was granted the style His Serene Highness in 1863. He was granted the British style of Highness in 1887, Francis was born Franz Paul Karl Ludwig Alexander on 28 August 1837 in Esseg, Slavonia. His father was Duke Alexander of Württemberg, the son of Duke Louis of Württemberg and his mother was Countess Claudine Rhédey von Kis-Rhéde. The marriage was morganatic, meaning that Francis had no rights to the Kingdom of Württemberg. His title at birth was Count Francis von Hohenstein, after his mother was created Countess of Hohenstein in her own right by Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria. He was educated at the Imperial Austrian Academy of Engineers from 1849 to 1853 and he transferred to the Guard Squadron in 1858 and later became a Captain in the 7th Hussars. In 1863, Francis was created Prince of Teck, with the style His Serene Highness in the Kingdom of Württemberg and he served during the Austro-Prussian War and retired from the Austrian Army when he married and moved to England in 1866. As the product of a marriage, and without succession rights to the throne. He further had little income in comparison with other European princes and that, together with the fact that she was already in her thirties, meant that Mary Adelaide was also short of choices for marriage. The couple married on 12 June 1866 at St Annes Church, Kew and they had one daughter and three sons, Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, later Queen Mary, Queen-Consort of the United Kingdom. Prince Adolphus of Teck, later Duke of Teck and Marquess of Cambridge, Prince Alexander of Teck, later Earl of Athlone. He was created Duke of Teck by the King of Württemberg in 1871, Teck was made Honorary Colonel of the 1st City of London Artillery in 1867 and Honorary Colonel of 49th Middlesex Rifle Volunteers on 16 August 1876, a position he held until his death. He was attached to the staff of British General Sir Garnet Wolseley during the Egyptian campaign of 1882 and he received the silver medal for the Battle of Tel-el-Kebir, the Khedives Star, and the Order of Osmanieh, first class. On his return from Egypt he was gazetted a Colonel in the British Army, the Duke of Teck was made Colonel à la suite of the 25th Dragoons Queen Olga on 6 March 1889, and a Generalmajor in the German Army on 18 October 1891. He was made a supernumerary Major-General in the British Army in July 1893, because Francis had no inheritance, the couple lived on Mary Adelaides Parliamentary allowance of £5,000 per annum, supplemented by income from her mother, The Duchess of Cambridge. The Duke and Duchess lived beyond their means, leading to the build-up of large debts, in 1883, the Tecks fled the UK to continental Europe, where they stayed with relatives in Florence and Germany. They eventually returned to the UK in 1885, with an Order in Council on 1 July 1887, Queen Victoria granted Francis the style Highness, as a gift to celebrate her Golden Jubilee
Francis, Duke of Teck
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Duke of Teck by Alexander Bassano.
Francis, Duke of Teck
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Francis, Duke of Teck, and Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck, with Duke Philipp and Duchess Marie Therese of Württemberg in England, around 1866
43.
George VI
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George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death. He was the last Emperor of India and the first Head of the Commonwealth, known as Albert until his accession, George VI was born in the reign of his great-grandmother Queen Victoria, and was named after his great-grandfather Albert, Prince Consort. As the second son of King George V, he was not expected to inherit the throne and spent his life in the shadow of his elder brother. He attended naval college as a teenager, and served in the Royal Navy, in 1920, he was made Duke of York. He married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1923 and they had two daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret, in the mid-1920s, he had speech therapy for a stammer, which he never fully overcame. Georges elder brother ascended the throne as Edward VIII upon the death of their father in 1936, however, later that year Edward revealed his desire to marry divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson. British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin advised Edward that for political and religious reasons he could not marry a divorced woman, Edward abdicated in order to marry, and George ascended the throne as the third monarch of the House of Windsor. During Georges reign, the break-up of the British Empire and its transition into the Commonwealth of Nations accelerated, the parliament of the Irish Free State removed direct mention of the monarch from the countrys constitution on the day of his accession. The following year, a new Irish constitution changed the name of the state to Ireland, from 1939, the Empire and Commonwealth – except Ireland – was at war with Nazi Germany. War with Italy and Japan followed in 1940 and 1941, respectively, though Britain and its allies were ultimately victorious in 1945, the United States and the Soviet Union rose as pre-eminent world powers and the British Empire declined. After the independence of India and Pakistan in 1947, George remained king of countries, but relinquished the title of Emperor of India in June 1948. Ireland formally declared itself a republic and left the Commonwealth in 1949, George adopted the new title of Head of the Commonwealth. He was beset by problems in the later years of his reign. He was succeeded by his eldest daughter, Elizabeth II, George was born at York Cottage, on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, during the reign of his great-grandmother Queen Victoria. His father was Prince George, Duke of York, the second and eldest-surviving son of the Prince and his mother was the Duchess of York, the eldest child and only daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Teck. His birthday was the 34th anniversary of the death of his great-grandfather, Albert, uncertain of how the Prince Consorts widow, Queen Victoria, would take the news of the birth, the Prince of Wales wrote to the Duke of York that the Queen had been rather distressed. Two days later, he again, I really think it would gratify her if you yourself proposed the name Albert to her. Consequently, he was baptised Albert Frederick Arthur George at St. Mary Magdalenes Church near Sandringham three months later, within the family, he was known informally as Bertie
George VI
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Formal portrait, c. 1940–46
George VI
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Four kings: Edward VII (far right), his son George, Prince of Wales, later George V (far left), and grandsons Edward, later Edward VIII (rear), and Albert, later George VI (foreground), c. 1908
George VI
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Prince Albert (left) at an RAF dinner in 1919 with Sir Hugh Trenchard (centre) and Christopher Courtney (right)
George VI
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The Duke and Duchess (centre, reading programmes) at Eagle Farm Racecourse, Brisbane, 1927
44.
Duke of Cambridge's Personal Canadian Flag
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The Royal Standards of Canada are a set of uniquely Canadian personal flags approved by the Queen of Canada for use by members of the Canadian Royal Family. They are used to denote the presence of the bearer within any car, ship, airplane, building, or area, the flags are part of a larger collection of Canadian royal symbols. The Royal Standard, also called The Queens Personal Canadian Flag, is a heraldic banner adopted and proclaimed by Queen Elizabeth II in 1962 for her use in her capacity as Queen of Canada. Different standards are used by Elizabeth in some of the other Commonwealth realms, the Royal Arms, Crest or Standard. A similar version of the standard was used twice, at the coronations of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II in 1937 and 1953, respectively. It was a banner of the 1921-1957 version of the Royal Arms of Canada, the banner was in a 3,4 ratio and without defacement. The sixth variant is used by any member of the Canadian Royal Family who has not been presented by the Crown with a personal Canadian standard. All were created by the Canadian Heraldic Authority, the first two, other than the sovereigns, being the banners for the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge, the Princess Royals banner was first used during her October 2013 visits to CFB Borden and CFB Kingston. Prince Edwards standard was first used during his visit to British Columbias Government House at the start of a tour by him and his wife. The ermine bordered Royal Standard was registered 15 January,2015 for use by members of the Royal Family who do not have a standard for use in Canada. All variants are in a 1,2 proportion, the Personal Standards consist of the escutcheon of the Royal Arms of Canada defaced with both a blue roundel surrounded by a wreath and a white label of three points. The wreath on Prince Charles banner is of gold leaves, the roundel depicts the Prince of Wales feathers. The remainder of the banners have wreaths of gold maple leaves only, the roundel on the royal standard of the Duke of York bears Andrews cypher and the centre label is charged with a blue anchor, taken from the Princes coat of arms. The Earl of Wessexs standard uses the cypher of Edward on the roundel and has within the label a Tudor Rose. A variant exists for use by all members of the Royal Family who do not possess a specific banner for use relative to Canada and it consists of the escutcheon of the Royal Arms of Canada surrounded by an ermine border. The flag must be broken immediately upon the arrival and lowered directly after her departure from any building, ship, aircraft. On land, as per Department of National Defence protocol, the Queens standard must be flown from a flagpole bearing as a head the crest of the Canadian royal arms. No other person may use the flag, the Queens federal representative, flags are kept at the Queens Ottawa residence, Rideau Hall, and supplied to Department of Canadian Heritage royal visit staff by the household staff prior to the Queens arrival
Duke of Cambridge's Personal Canadian Flag
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The Queen's standard flying from the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill
Duke of Cambridge's Personal Canadian Flag
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The personal standard of Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada
45.
Bowmanville
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Bowmanville is a community of about 40,000 people located in the municipality of Clarington, Ontario, Canada. It is approximately 75 km east of Toronto, and 15 km east of Oshawa along Highway 2, Bowmanville was first incorporated as a town in 1858, but later incorporated with the neighbouring townships of Clarke and Darlington in 1974 forming Clarington. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area, the lands which would later become Bowmanville were first purchased by John Burk, who later sold it to Lewis Lewis. Lewis opened the first store in what was then called Darlington Mills, the store was purchased in about 1824 by Charles Bowman who then established the first post office. Its first postmaster was Robert Fairbairn, who ran the post office from 1828 to 1857, by 1866, Bowmanville was a town with a population of about 3,500 in the township of Darlington, County Durham. It was a station of the Grand Trunk Railway and it was established on the north shore of Lake Ontario. It possessed a harbour and there was extensive water power in the vicinity. The success of the Vanstone Mill, fueled by the machinery of the Crowns land grant program, under the generous yet discriminate eyes of wealthy local merchants such as John Simpson and Charles Bowman, small properties would often be sold to promote settlement and small business. The town soon developed an economy, all the while gradually establishing itself as a moderate player in shipping, rail transport, metal works. At present, St. Johns Anglican Church, St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, St. Pauls United Church and the impressively ornate Trinity United Church still serve the community. All of these edifices, appropriately, lie on or are in proximity to present-day Church Street. In the 19th century, in 1857, the Ontario Bank was founded in Bowmanville, the bank, while appearing to be a local enterprise, was primarily controlled by 16 Montreal businessmen. The Ontario bank eventually opened local branches including locations in Whitby, Oshawa, in 1874, it was moved to Toronto, and would later become insolvent as a result of investing in speculative stocks in 1906. Cream of Barley was shipped throughout the British Empire, Goodyear even went so far as to provide affordable housing for its employees, and present day Carlisle Ave. in the 1910s still stands as one of Ontarios best preserved examples of industrial housing. The land on which the Bowmanville Hospital was built was donated by J. W. Alexander, the 20th century saw a steady rise in the construction of area schools, with Vincent Massey P. S. St. Joseph Catholic Elementary, Waverly P. S, St. Elizabeth Catholic Elementary, John M. James P. S. Harold Longworth P. S. and Holy Family Catholic Elementary School, all accommodating gradual population increases, the local school board was amalgamated with neighboring jurisdictions to form the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board in 1997. The Catholic schools are part of the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board which had already merged four municipalities in 1969, as the town grew and prospered, so arrived Bowmanvilles grand era of architectural building and refinement
Bowmanville
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Downtown Bowmanville
46.
List of British consorts
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A royal consort is the spouse of a ruling King or Queen. Consorts of monarchs in the United Kingdom and its predecessors have no status or power. Some royal consorts, such as current consort Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, have helped to enhance the image of the Monarchy by becoming celebrities in their own right. Since the foundation of the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707, it, queens between 1727 and 1814 were also Electress of Hanover, as their husbands all held the title of Elector of Hanover. Between 1814 and 1837, queens held the title as Queen of Hanover, in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, Hanover was annexed by Prussia and became the Province of Hanover. Not all wives of monarchs have become consorts, as they may have died, been divorced, had their marriage declared invalid prior to their husbands ascending the throne, or married after abdication. Such cases include, Sophia Dorothea of Celle, wife of George I of Great Britain, married 22 November 1682, divorced 28 December 1694, maria Anne Fitzherbert, wife of George IV of the United Kingdom, married 1785, marriage declared null, died 1837. Wallis Warfield Simpson, wife of Edward VIII, and therefore not the wife of a king, married 3 June 1937. It has been stated, however, that it is intended that she should be styled not as a queen consort, all female consorts have had the right to be and have been styled as queens consort. It was suggested at first that he would in fact become King, Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, husband of Elizabeth II, already raised to the peerage as Duke of Edinburgh in 1947, was made a Prince of the United Kingdom in 1957. He is not styled as Prince Consort, since 1707, only George I and Edward VIII have been unmarried throughout their reign
List of British consorts
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Prince Albert was the only male consort to be awarded the title of Prince Consort, compared to the usual custom of raising them to the peerage.
List of British consorts
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Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the current royal consort.
List of British consorts
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Prince George of Denmark and Norway
List of British consorts
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Margravine Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach
47.
Duke of Lancaster
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The Duke of Lancaster is an ancient title which is informally used within Lancaster to describe Elizabeth II, the monarch of the United Kingdom and owner of the estates of the Duchy of Lancaster. The Duchy of Lancaster exists as an entity from the Crown Estate. There were several Dukes of Lancaster in the 14th and early 15th centuries, there were three creations of the Dukedom of Lancaster. He died in 1361 and the peerage expired, the second creation was on 13 November 1362, for John of Gaunt, 1st Earl of Richmond, who was both the 1st Dukes son-in-law and also fourth son of King Edward III. John had married Blanche of Lancaster, 6th Countess of Lancaster, daughter of Henry Grosmont, when John of Gaunt, the 1st Duke of this creation died on 4 February 1399, the Dukedom passed to his son, Henry of Bolingbroke, 1st Duke of Hereford. Later that same year, the new 2nd Duke usurped the throne of England from Richard II, ascending the throne as Henry IV, the third creation was on 10 November 1399, for Henry of Monmouth, Prince of Wales, eldest son of the new king. In 1413, the 1st Duke ascended the throne as King Henry V, and the Dukedom merged in the crown again, where it has remained ever since
Duke of Lancaster
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Incumbent Queen Elizabeth II since 6 February 1952
Duke of Lancaster
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Standard of the Duchy of Lancaster
Duke of Lancaster
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Henry, Prince of Wales, was the last person to hold the title before it merged in the crown on his accession as Henry V.
48.
Duke of Gloucester
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Duke of Gloucester /ˈɡlɒstə/ is a British royal title, often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The title was first conferred on Thomas of Woodstock, the child of King Edward III. The title became extinct at his death, as it did upon the death of the duke of the creation, Humphrey of Lancaster. The title was conferred on Richard Plantagenet, brother to King Edward IV. When Richard himself became king, the merged into the crown. After Richards 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, Duke of Gloucester, son of the future Anne, Queen of Great Britain, was styled Duke of Gloucester for his whole life, but was never formally created duke. Frederick, Prince of Wales, was styled Duke of Gloucester from 1718–1726, there was next a creation of a double dukedom for the brother of King George III, Prince William Henry, his proper title becoming Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh. The fifth and final creation was for the Prince Henry, son of King George V, upon Prince Henrys death, the dukedom was inherited by his son Prince Richard, who still holds the title. The heir to the title is Alexander Windsor, styled Earl of Ulster, the next in the line of succession is the Earl of Ulsters son Xan Windsor, known by his grandfathers third title of Lord Culloden. The royal dukedom will devolve into an ordinary one when it will be inherited by the Earl of Ulster, as a great-grandson of a sovereign he lacks any royal style. Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster, Prince Richards only son Xan Windsor, Lord Culloden, Lord Ulsters only son List of dukedoms by reign Earl of Gloucester Duke of Gloucester
Duke of Gloucester
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HRH Prince Richard, the current Duke of Gloucester
Duke of Gloucester
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Dukedom of Gloucester
Duke of Gloucester
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Thomas of Woodstock House of Plantagenet 1385–1397 also: Duke of Aumale (1385–1397), Earl of Essex (1376–1397), Earl of Buckingham (1377)
Duke of Gloucester
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Humphrey of Lancaster House of Lancaster 1414–1447 also: Earl of Pembroke (1414)
49.
Duke of Kent
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The title of Duke of Kent has been created several times in the peerages of Great Britain and the United Kingdom, most recently as a royal dukedom for the fourth son of King George V. Since 1942, the title has held by Prince Edward. A title associated with Kent first appears anciently with the Kingdom of Kent, the Kings of Cantware date back to about 449. After 825, when the Kingdom of Kent was taken over by Egbert, King of Wessex, Kent became a dependency of Wessex and was ruled by sub-kings, usually related to the Wessex rulers. The titular kingship became something like the title, as Aethelwulf, Egberts son. By 860, Kent lost its status as a kingdom, becoming absorbed into Wessex, in the peerage of England the first title of Kent was that of the Earl of Kent. After the death of his father, Godwin the Earl of Wessex, Leofwine and it is possible that Godwin was the first Earl of Kent, since he ruled over that area as well as many others. After Leofwines death at Hastings in 1066, William the Conqueror named his half-brother, Odo of Bayeux, who was also Bishop of Bayeux, however, Odo was twice removed from this title. The first occasion was in 1082, when he was imprisoned and it was not until 1141 that the title returned, this time for William de Ipres, but he was deprived of the title in 1155. In 1227 it was revived for Hubert de Burgh, but became extinct with his death. In 1321, it was revived for Edmund of Woodstock, and through the marriage of Joan Plantagenet to Thomas Holland, the title passed to the Holland family. In 1461 it was revived for William Neville, and then in 1465 for Edmund Grey, the Grey family held the title until Henry Grey died without male heirs. Henry Grey succeeded his father, Anthony Grey, as the 12th Earl of Kent in 1702, in 1706, he was elevated to Marquess of Kent, along with Earl of Harold and Viscount Goderich. In 1710 he was elevated again as Duke of Kent. Henry had one son and five daughters with his first wife, Jemima Crew, by the time of Henrys death in 1740, both of his sons had died, Anthony and George, leaving the Duke of Kent without a male heir. On 23 April 1799 the double dukedom of Kent and Strathearn was given, with the earldom of Dublin, to King George IIIs fourth son, Edward had only one child, a daughter, Princess Alexandrina Victoria. Upon Edwards death in 1820, the dukedom of Kent and Strathearn became extinct, the Duke of Edinburgh had only one son, Prince Alfred, who would have inherited his fathers titles had he not died before his father in 1899. With Prince Alfreds death in 1900, Kents title became extinct, in 1934, Prince George, the fourth son of King George V of the United Kingdom and Queen Mary, was created Duke of Kent, Earl of St Andrews and Baron Downpatrick
Duke of Kent
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HRH Prince Edward, the current Duke of Kent
Duke of Kent
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Dukedom of Kent
50.
Duke of Albany
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Duke of Albany was a peerage title that has occasionally been bestowed on the younger sons in the Scottish and later the British royal family, particularly in the Houses of Stuart and Windsor. The Dukedom of Albany was first granted in 1398 by King Robert III of Scotland on his brother, Robert Stewart, Albany was a broad territorial term representing the parts of Scotland north of the River Forth, roughly the former Kingdom of the Picts. The title was the first Dukedom created in Scotland and it passed to Roberts son Murdoch Stewart, and was forfeited in 1425 due to the attainder of Murdoch. The title was created in 1458 for Alexander Stewart but was forfeit in 1483. His son John Stewart, was restored to the creation in 1515. In 1541 Robert, second son of James V of Scotland, was styled Duke of Albany and that creation merged with the Scottish crown upon Jamess ascension. The title, along with the title of Duke of York, with which it has since been traditionally coupled, was created for a time in 1604 for Charles, son of James VI. Upon Charless ascent to the throne in 1625, the title of Duke of Albany merged once again in the crowns, the title was next granted in 1660 to Charles Is son, James, by Charles II. When James succeeded his brother to the throne in 1685. The cities of New York and Albany, New York were thus named after James, as he was the Duke of York and of Albany. The pretender, Charles Edward Stuart, gave the title Duchess of Albany to his illegitimate daughter Charlotte, the title Duke of York and Albany was granted three times by the Hanoverian kings. The title of Albany alone was granted for the time, this time in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, in 1881 to Prince Leopold. Prince Leopolds son, Prince Charles Edward, was deprived of the peerage in 1919 for bearing arms against the United Kingdom in World War I. Under the Titles Deprivation Act 1917, the lineal male heir of the 1st Duke of Albany was allowed to petition the British Crown for the restoration of the peerages. Because subsequent descendants have married in contravention of the Royal Marriages Act 1772, the last person eligible to do so was Friedrich Josias, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, who died in 1998. So prior to 2013, the marriages of the descendants of the 2nd Duke were invalid in the UK. However the Succession to the Crown Act 2013 specified otherwise in section 3 and she was also created a Lady of the Order of the Thistle by her father on 30 November 1784. Thomas Norton and Thomas Sackvilles Gorboduc includes Fergus, the Duke of Albany, william Shakespeares King Lear includes as a major character the Duke of Albany, who is husband to Lears daughter, Goneril
Duke of Albany
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HRH Prince Charles Edward, the last person to hold the title, was deprived thereof in 1919
Duke of Albany
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Arms of the Albany Stewarts
51.
Duke of Clarence
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Duke of Clarence is a title which has been traditionally awarded to junior members of the British Royal family. All three creations were in the Peerage of England, the title was first granted to Lionel of Antwerp, the second son of King Edward III, in 1362. Since he died without sons, the title became extinct, the title was again created in favour of Thomas of Lancaster, the second son of King Henry IV, in 1412. Upon his death, too, the title became extinct, the last creation in the Peerage of England was for George Plantagenet, brother of King Edward IV, in 1461. The Duke forfeited his title in 1478, after he had convicted of treason against his brother. He allegedly met his end by being drowned in a butt of Malmsey, however, she was deposed before this could take effect. Two double dukedoms, of Clarence and St Andrews and of Clarence, the title also took the form of an earldom for Queen Victorias son Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, and his son Prince Charles Edward, the Clarence earldom being a subsidiary title. The title is said to originate from the town of Clare, Suffolk, which was owned by the first Duke of Clarence, Lionel of Antwerp. His wife, Elizabeth, 4th Countess of Ulster, was a descendant of the previous owners, the de Clares. After the Union of the Crowns in 1603, the holders of the title were given titles including Scottish place names, St Andrews. His legitimate male line ended with the death in 1499 of his only son Edward Plantagenet, william IV, who became king in 1830, at which point the title merged with the Crown. For heirs to the peerages, see Duke of Albany Prince Albert Victor, 1st Duke of Clarence
Duke of Clarence
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William IV was styled "HRH The Duke of Clarence" between his creation in 1789 and his accession in 1830
52.
Duke of Clarence and St Andrews
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Duke of Clarence and St Andrews was a title awarded to a prince of the British Royal family. The creation was in the Peerage of Great Britain, while there had been several creations of Dukes of Clarence, the only creation of a Duke of Clarence and St Andrews was in 1789 for The Prince William, third son of King George III. When William succeeded his brother to the throne in 1830, the dukedom merged in the crown, see also Earl of Munster The Prince William, 1st Duke of Clarence and St Andrews, third son of George III, acceded in 1830 as William IV. All of his honours merged with the crown, and he had no male issue
Duke of Clarence and St Andrews
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William IV was styled "HRH The Duke of Clarence" between his creation in 1789 and his accession in 1830
53.
Duke of Kent and Strathearn
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Duke of Kent and Strathearn is a title that was created once in the Peerage of Great Britain. Several Earls of Kent had previously created in the Peerage of England. Henry Grey, 12th Earl of Kent was created Duke of Kent in 1710, on 23 April 1799, the double dukedom of Kent and Strathearn was given, along with the earldom of Dublin, to King George IIIs fourth son, Prince Edward Augustus. Edward had only one child, a daughter, Princess Alexandrina Victoria, upon Edwards death in 1820, the dukedom of Kent and Strathearn became extinct, as he had no legitimate male heir
Duke of Kent and Strathearn
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Dukedom of Kent and Strathearn
54.
Duke of Kintyre and Lorne
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Robert Bruce Stuart, Duke of Kintyre and Lorne was the fifth child of James VI of Scots and Anne of Denmark. He was born at Dalkeith Castle, Scotland, on 2 May 1602 he was created Duke of Kintyre and Lorne, Marquess of Wigton, Earl of Carrick and Lord of Annandale, all in the Peerage of Scotland. On his death, at the age of four months, all his titles, created only 25 days earlier and he died at Dunfermline Palace, Fife, Scotland and was buried at Dunfermline Abbey. His older siblings included Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, Elizabeth of Bohemia, and Charles I
Duke of Kintyre and Lorne
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Robert, Duke of Kintyre in a 1625 engraving by James Webster
55.
Duke of Windsor
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Duke of Windsor was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 8 March 1937, for the Prince Edward, former King Edward VIII, the dukedom takes its name from the town where Windsor Castle, a residence of English monarchs since the time of Henry I, following the Norman Conquest, is situated. Windsor has been the name of the Royal Family since 1917. Edward had abdicated on 11 December 1936, so that he could marry the American divorcée Wallis Simpson, at the time of the abdication, there was controversy as to how the ex-King should be titled. The new King George VI apparently brought up the idea of a title just after the instrument was signed. That declaration is recorded in the London Gazette, the Dukedom of Windsor became extinct on the death of its first and sole holder in 1972. The Duchess of Windsor died in 1986, as the Royal Arms go hand-in-hand with the crown, the undifferentiated Royal Arms passed to George VI. This was done by means of a label argent of three points, bearing on the point an imperial crown proper
Duke of Windsor
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The Duke of Windsor in 1945
Duke of Windsor
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Dukedom of Windsor
56.
Duke of Norfolk
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The Duke of Norfolk is the premier Duke in the peerage of England, and also, as Earl of Arundel, the premier Earl. The Duke of Norfolk is, moreover, the Earl Marshal, the seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the county of Norfolk. The current Duke of Norfolk is Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk, the dukes have historically been Catholic, a state of affairs known as recusancy in England. All past and present dukes have been descended from Edward I, the son of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, was Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, the Earl was descended from both King Edward I and King Edward III. Before the Dukes of Norfolk, there were the Bigod Earls of Norfolk and their male line ended with Roger Bigod, 5th Earl of Norfolk, who died without an heir in 1307, so their titles and estates reverted to the crown. Edward II then created his brother Thomas of Brotherton earl in 1312 and it passed to Thomass daughter, granddaughter of King Edward I, Margaret, and then to her grandson Thomas Mowbray. When King Richard II created Thomas Mowbray duke in 1397, he conferred upon him the estates and titles that had belonged to the earls and his elderly grandmother Margaret was still alive, and so at the same time she was created Duchess of Norfolk for life. Mowbray died in exile in 1399, some months after his grandmother and his widow took the title Countess of Norfolk. Between 1401 and 1476, the Mowbray family held the title, John Mowbray, the 4th duke, died without male issue in 1476, his only surviving child being the 3-year-old Anne Mowbray. At the age of 3, a marriage was arranged between Anne and Richard, Duke of York, the son of King Edward IV of England. She remained Richards child bride until she died at the age of 8, in accordance with the marriage arrangements, Richard inherited the lands and wealth of the Mowbray family. He was also made Duke of Norfolk, however, upon the death of Edward IV, the throne was usurped by Edwards brother, Richard III. Prince Richard and his brother were declared illegitimate and confined to the Tower of London in mid-1483. They subsequently disappeared, and the titles of both York and Norfolk were forfeited to the crown, from this point to the present, the title has remained in the hands of the descendants of John Howard. The Catholic faith of the Howard dynasty often resulted in conflict with the monarch, particularly during. In 1546, Thomas Howard, the third Duke, fell out of favour with the dying Henry and was attainted on 27 January 1547, he was stripped of his titles and his lands reverted to the Crown. However, the Duke died the year aged around 81. Following Marys death and the accession of her sister Elizabeth I, in 1660, the fourth Dukes great-great-grandson, the 23rd Earl of Arundel, was restored to the family lands and dukedom
Duke of Norfolk
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John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk (3rd Creation)
Duke of Norfolk
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Dukedom of Norfolk
Duke of Norfolk
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Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, holding the baton of the Earl Marshal
Duke of Norfolk
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18th Duke of Norfolk, then the Earl of Arundel, at Carlton Towers, 1981
57.
Duke of Somerset
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Duke of Somerset is a title in the peerage of England that has been created several times. The only subsidiary title of the Duke of Somerset is Baron Seymour, several other titles have been held by the Dukes of Somerset, but have become extinct. The ducal seat is Bradley House in Maiden Bradley, west Wiltshire, with an estate at Berry Pomeroy Castle, Totnes. William de Mohun of Dunster, a favourite of Empress Matilda, in the foundation charter of the priory at Bruton he describes himself as Willielmus de Moyne, comes Somersetensis. The title was not recognised by Stephen or Henry II, John Beaufort was the eldest son from John of Gaunts marriage to Katherine Swynford. In 1399 upon the accession of Henry IV his marquessates were revoked, the Commons petitioned the King for his restoration but he himself objected stating the name of marquess is a strange name in this realm. He was succeeded as Earl of Somerset by his son Henry Beaufort and he was created Duke of Somerset and Earl of Kendal on 28 August 1443. He died on 27 May 1444, possibly through suicide, the dukedom and the Earldom of Kendal became extinct. The Earldom of Somerset passed to his brother Edmund Beaufort, Count of Mortain, Edmund had been created Earl of Dorset on 18 August 1442 and Marquess of Dorset on 24 June 1443. He was created Duke of Somerset under a new creation on 31 March 1448, however he is usually referred to as the 2nd Duke of Somerset. After the defeat at the battle of Towton on 29 March 1461 he fled to Scotland and was attainted on 4 November 1461, all his honours and estates were declared forfeit. His titles were restored to him on 10 March 1463 but he deserted the King and was captured and beheaded after the battle of Hexham on 15 May 1464 and he was unmarried but his illegitimate son Charles Somerset became the 1st Earl of Worcester. Henrys titles were forfeited by act of Parliament, but his brother Edmund Beaufort was styled Duke of Somerset by the Lancastrians, after the Battle of Tewkesbury on 4 May 1471 he fled and took refuge in Tewkesbury Abbey. He was beheaded by the Yorkists, and buried in the abbey church, upon his death the house of Beaufort became extinct in the legitimate line. In 1499 Henry VII nominated his infant son Edmund to the dukedom of Somerset at his baptism, the illegitimate son of Henry VIII, Henry Fitzroy, by Bessie Blount, was created Earl of Nottingham, and Duke of Richmond and Somerset on 18 June 1525. He died without heirs on July 22,1536 so his titles became extinct, robert Carr, born Kerr/Ker, son of Sir Thomas Ker of Ferniehirst, became a favourite of King James VI and I. On 25 March 1611 he was created Viscount Rochester, and subsequently a privy councillor, on the death of Lord Salisbury in 1612 he began to act as the king’s secretary. On the 3 November 1613 he was created Earl of Somerset and he died in July 1645, leaving a daughter, Anne
Duke of Somerset
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Arms of Seymour: Gules, two wings conjoined in lure or
Duke of Somerset
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Coat of Arms of the Seymour Dukes of Somerset: Quarterly, 1st and 4th: Or, on a pile gules between six fleurs de lys azure three lions of England (special grant to 1st Duke of Somerset); 2nd and 3rd: Gules, two wings conjoined in lure or (Seymour) The paternal arms of Seymour concede the positions of greatest honour, the 1st & 4th quarters, to a version of the arms of Plantagenet
Duke of Somerset
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Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
58.
Duke of Richmond
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Duke of Richmond is a title in the Peerage of England that has been created four times in British history. It has been held by members of the royal Tudor and Stuart families, the current holder of this title is Charles Gordon-Lennox, 10th Duke of Richmond. Prior to the creation of the Dukedom the early nobles of England associated with Richmondshire were Lords, at times the honour of Richmond was held without a title. The Dukedom of Richmond emerged under King Henry VIII, the first creation of a dukedom of Richmond was made in 1525 for Henry FitzRoy, an illegitimate son of King Henry VIII. Upon the Dukes death without children in 1536, his titles became extinct, the second creation was in 1623 for Ludovic Stuart, 2nd Duke of Lennox, who also held other titles in the peerage of Scotland. He was created Earl of Richmond in 1613 and Duke of Richmond in the peerage of England in 1623 as a member of the Lennox line in the House of Stuart. These became extinct at his death in 1624, but his Scottish honours devolved on his brother Esmé, Earl of March, esmés son James, 4th Duke of Lennox subsequently received the third creation of the dukedom of Richmond in 1641, when the two dukedoms again became united. In 1672, on the death of James nephew Charles, 3rd Duke of Richmond and 6th Duke of Lennox, both titles again became extinct. The fourth creation of the dukedom of Richmond was in August 1675, Charles Lennox was further created Duke of Lennox a month later. Charles son, also Charles, succeeded to the French title Duke of Aubigny on the death of his grandmother in 1734, the 6th Duke of Richmond and Lennox was created Duke of Gordon in 1876. Thus, the Duke holds three dukedoms, more than any person in the realm. The subsidiary titles of the dukedom created in 1675 are Earl of March, Earl of Darnley, Earl of Kinrara, Baron Settrington, of Settrington in the County of York, the Dukes of Richmond, Lennox and Gordon are normally styled Duke of Richmond and Gordon. Before the creation of the Dukedom of Gordon they were styled Duke of Richmond, the titles Earl of March and Baron Settrington were created in the peerage of England along with the Dukedom of Richmond. The titles Earl of Darnley and Lord Torbolton were created in the Peerage of Scotland along with the Dukedom of Lennox, finally, the title Earl of Kinrara was created in the peerage of the United Kingdom with the Dukedom of Gordon. The eldest son of the Duke uses the courtesy title Earl of March, before the creation of the Dukedom of Gordon, the courtesy title used was Earl of March. The family seat is Goodwood House near Chichester, West Sussex, the heir apparent is Charles Gordon-Lennox, Earl of March and Kinrara, only son of the 10th Duke. The heir apparent to the heir apparent is Charles Gordon-Lennox, Lord Settrington, Duke of Richmond and Lennox Duke of Lennox Duke of Gordon Duke of Aubigny Earl of Lichfield Earl of Newcastle Earl of Richmond Baron Clifton Chisholm, Hugh, ed. Lennox. Aristocrats, Caroline, Emily, Louisa, and Sarah Lennox, Goodwood, Art and Architecture, Sport and Family, Frances Lincoln,2007
Duke of Richmond
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The 10th and current Duke, Charles Gordon-Lennox, by Allan Warren.
Duke of Richmond
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Arms of the Duke of Richmond, Lennox and Gordon
59.
Duke of Grafton
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Duke of Grafton is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1675 by Charles II of England for Henry FitzRoy, the most famous duke was probably Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton, who served as Prime Minister in the 1760s. The Duke of Grafton holds three subsidiary titles, all created in 1675 in the Peerage of England, Earl of Euston, Viscount Ipswich, and Baron Sudbury. Between 1723 and 1936 the Dukes, being descended from the 1st Dukes wife Isabella FitzRoy, 2nd Countess of Arlington, also held the titles Earl of Arlington, Viscount Thetford and Baron Arlington. Those titles fell into abeyance between the 9th Dukes sisters, with the abeyance of the barony of Arlington being ended in 1999, the title of the Dukedom refers to the Honour of Grafton in the southeast of Northamptonshire, the titular village now being called Grafton Regis. The family seat is Euston Hall in Suffolk, the traditional burial place of the Dukes of Grafton is the parish church of Saint Genevieve in Euston, Suffolk. The Dukes eldest son is styled by courtesy Earl of Euston, Viscount Daventry Baron Southampton Falk, Bernard. The Royal Fitz Roys, Dukes of Grafton through Four Centuries
Duke of Grafton
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Duke of St Albans
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Duke of St Albans is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1684 for Charles Beauclerk, 1st Earl of Burford, the subsidiary titles of the Duke are, Earl of Burford, in the County of Oxford, Baron Heddington, in the County of Oxford and Baron Vere, of Hanworth in the County of Middlesex. The Earldom and the Barony of Heddington are in the Peerage of England, the Dukes of St Albans also bear the hereditary title of Grand Falconer of England, and Hereditary Registrar of the Court of Chancery. The eldest son and heir of the Duke of St Albans is known by the courtesy title Earl of Burford, recent Dukes of St Albans have not held a landed estate. Former seats of the Dukes of St Albans were Bestwood in Nottinghamshire, the accepted pronunciation of the family surname Beauclerk is reflected in the original alternative rendering Beauclaire, boh-clair. The heir apparents heir apparent is his son, James Malcolm Aubrey Edward de Vere Beauclerk. The Fortunes of the Beauclerk Family, 1670-1974, London, William Kimber,1974
Duke of St Albans
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Duke of Devonshire
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Duke of Devonshire is a title in the Peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. Although modern usage outside of the county itself now rarely refers to Devon as Devonshire, despite the title of the dukedom and the subsidiary title, the earldom of Devonshire, the family estates are centred in Derbyshire. The title Duke of Devonshire should not be confused with the earlier title, uniquely, every Duke of Devonshire has been made a Knight of the Garter, except the present one. The Cavendish family descends from Sir John Cavendish, who took his name from the village of Cavendish, Suffolk and he served as Chief Justice of the Kings Bench from 1372 to 1381, and was killed in the Peasants Revolt in 1381. Two of his great-grandsons were George Cavendish, Thomas Cardinal Wolseys biographer, Sir William gained great wealth from his position in the Exchequer and also from unfairly taking advantage of the dissolution of the Monasteries. He married as his wife the famous Bess of Hardwick. One of their sons, Sir Charles Cavendish, was the father of William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, while another son, yet another son, William Cavendish, was a politician and a supporter of the colonialization of Virginia. In 1605 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Cavendish, of Hardwicke in the County of Derby, both titles are in the Peerage of England. He was succeeded by his eldest son, William Cavendish, 2nd Earl of Devonshire, on his early death in 1628 the titles passed to his son, William Cavendish, 3rd Earl of Devonshire, who also served as Lord-Lieutenant of Derbyshire. He was succeeded by his son, the fourth Earl and he was a strong supporter of the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and later served under William III and Mary II as Lord Steward of the Household. In 1694 he was created Marquess of Hartington and Duke of Devonshire in the Peerage of England and he was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Duke, who held political office as Lord President of the Council and Lord Privy Seal and was also Lord-Lieutenant of Devonshire. His eldest son, the third Duke, served as Lord Privy Seal, as Lord Steward of the Household, on his death the titles passed to his eldest son, the fourth Duke, who was a prominent politician. Devonshire married Charlotte Boyle, 6th Baroness Clifford, daughter of the famous architect Richard Boyle and their third and youngest son Lord George Cavendish was created Earl of Burlington in 1831. Devonshire was succeeded by his eldest son, William Cavendish, who became the fifth Duke of Devonshire and he had already succeeded his mother as seventh Baron Clifford in 1754. He served as Lord-Lieutenant of Derbyshire from 1782 to 1811 but is best remembered for his first marriage to Lady Georgiana Spencer and their only son, the sixth Duke, served as Lord Chamberlain of the Household from 1827 to 1828 and from 1830 to 1834. Known as the Bachelor Duke, he never married and on his death in 1858 the barony of Clifford fell into abeyance between his sisters and he was succeeded in the other titles by his first cousin once removed, the second Earl of Burlington, who became the seventh Duke. He was the son of William Cavendish, eldest son of the aforementioned first Earl of Burlington and he was Lord-Lieutenant of Lancashire and Derbyshire and Chancellor of the University of London and of the University of Cambridge. He was succeeded by his second but eldest surviving son, the eighth Duke and he was a noted statesman and the most famous member of the Cavendish family
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William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire briefly Prime Minister between 1756 and 1757.
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Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire
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Chatsworth House, the ancestral seat of the Dukes of Devonshire
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St Peter's Church, Edensor, Cavendish family plot with the graves of the Dukes of Devonshire
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Duke of Marlborough (title)
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Duke of Marlborough is a title in the Peerage of England. The name of the dukedom refers to Marlborough in Wiltshire and it is one of the few titles in the peerage which allows for suo jure female inheritance, and the only current dukedom to do so. The earldom of Marlborough was held by the family of Ley from its creation 1626 until its extinction with the death of the 4th earl in 1679, the title was recreated 10 years later for John Churchill. Churchill had been made Lord Churchill of Eyemouth in the Scottish peerage, shortly after her accession to the throne in 1702, Queen Anne made Churchill the first Duke of Marlborough and granted him the subsidiary title Marquess of Blandford. In 1678, Churchill married Sarah Jennings, a courtier and influential favourite of the queen and they had seven children, of whom four daughters married into some of the most important families in Great Britain, one daughter and one son died in infancy. He was pre-deceased by his son, John Churchill, Marquess of Blandford, in 1703, so, to prevent the extinction of the titles and she was married to the 2nd Earl of Godolphin and had a son who predeceased her. When Henrietta died in 1733, the Marlborough titles passed to her nephew Charles Spencer, the son of her late sister Anne. Upon his maternal aunt Henriettas death in 1733, Charles Spencer succeeded to the Marlborough family estates and titles, when he died in 1758, his titles passed to his eldest son George, who was succeeded by his eldest son George, the 5th Duke. In 1815, Francis Spencer was created Baron Churchill in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, in 1902, his grandson, the 3rd Baron Churchill, was created Viscount Churchill. In 1817, the 5th Duke obtained permission to assume and bear the surname of Churchill in addition to his surname of Spencer, at the same time he received Royal Licence to quarter the coat of arms of Churchill with his paternal arms of Spencer. The 7th Duke was the grandfather of the British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill. The 11th duke, John Spencer-Churchill died in 2014, having assumed the title in 1972, the 12th and present duke is Charles James Spencer-Churchill. The family seat is Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, construction started in 1705 and the house was completed in 1722, the year of the 1st Dukes death. Blenheim Palace has since remained in the Churchill and Spencer-Churchill family, with the exception of the 10th Duke and his first wife, the Dukes and Duchesses of Marlborough are buried in Blenheim Palaces chapel. Most other members of the Spencer-Churchill family are interred in St. Martins parish churchyard at Bladon, the dukedom is the only one in the United Kingdom that can still pass through a female line. Succession to the title under the first and second contingencies have lapsed, the Duke holds subsidiary titles, Marquess of Blandford, Earl of Sunderland, Earl of Marlborough, Baron Spencer of Wormleighton, and Baron Churchill of Sandridge, all in the Peerage of England. The title Marquess of Blandford is used as the title for the Dukes eldest son. The Dukes eldest sons eldest son can use the courtesy title Earl of Sunderland, the title of Earl of Marlborough, created for John Churchill in 1689, had previously been created for James Ley, in 1626, becoming extinct in 1679
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Burial place of most Dukes and Duchesses of Marlborough in the chapel at Blenheim Palace.
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Duke of Marlborough (title)
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John Churchill, Marquess of Blandford (1686–1703)
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Portrait of George Spencer-Churchill
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Duke of Hamilton
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Duke of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in 1643. It is the senior dukedom in that Peerage, and as such its holder is the Premier Peer of Scotland, the title, the town of Hamilton in Lanarkshire, and many places around the world are named after members of the Hamilton family. The Ducal familys surname, originally Hamilton, is now Douglas-Hamilton, traditionally, the Duke of Hamilton enjoys the exclusive right to remove the Scottish Crown Jewels from the City of Edinburgh. He also regularly attends sittings in the Court of Lord Lyon as an hereditary assessor, the courtesy titles used by heirs apparent are Marquess of Douglas and Clydesdale and Earl of Angus. No Duke has had a great-grandson in direct line to the titles, before the Dukes succeeded to the Marquessate of Douglas and its subsidiary titles, the heirs apparent were styled initially Earl of Arran and later Marquess of Clydesdale. The heir apparent to the Earldom of Lanark was styled Lord Polmont, Gilbert de Hameldun is recorded as witnessing a charter confirming the gift of the church at Cragyn to the Abbey of Paisley in 1271. His ancestry is uncertain but he may have been the son of William de Hamilton, Gilbert de Hameldun married Isabella Randolph, daughter of Thomas Randolph of Strathdon, Chamberlain of Scotland. His heir was Walter fitz Gilbert and he was governor of Bothwell Castle for the English Crown during the First War of Scottish Independence. Following the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, he gave refuge to the Earl of Hertford and other escapees, only to deliver them and he then became a Bruce partisan. Sometime between 1315 and 1329, Robert the Bruce knighted him and granted him lands in Renfrewshire, the lands had previously belonged to John Comyn, who was murdered by Robert the Bruce. The 1st laird of Cadzow was succeeded as 2nd laird by his son Sir David fitz Walter and he was a supporter of King David II and fought at the Battle of Nevilles Cross where he was captured along with the King. His son David Hamilton, the 3rd laird, was the first to establish Hamilton as the family name, David Hamiltons son Sir John Hamilton became the 4th laird and was in turn succeeded as 5th laird by his son James Hamilton. The 5th laird was succeeded as 6th laird by his son, Sir James Hamilton, in early 1474, he married Princess Mary, Countess of Arran, daughter of King James II and widow of Thomas Boyd, 1st Earl of Arran. He was succeeded by his legitimate son, James, 2nd Lord Hamilton. However, it was discovered that Sir Thomas Hay was still alive. The 2nd Lord married secondly Janet, Lady Livingstone, daughter of Sir David Beaton of Creich and widow of Sir Robert Livingstone of Easter Wemyss and Drumry. He became a Privy Counsellor to King James IV, and helped to arrange his marriage to Princess Margaret, as a reward he was created Earl of Arran on 8 August 1503. He was succeeded by his son from his second marriage, James
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Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, 16th Duke of Hamilton, and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hamilton
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Lennoxlove House, a current seat of the Dukes of Hamilton
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Hamilton Palace, the former family seat in Hamilton, circa 1880.
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Bookplate showing an early Coat of Arms for the Duke of Hamilton and Brandon
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Duke of Montrose
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The title of Duke of Montrose has been created twice in the Peerage of Scotland, firstly in 1488 for David Lindsay, 5th Earl of Crawford. It was forfeited and then returned, but only for the period of the holders lifetime, the title was bestowed anew in 1707, again in the Peerage of Scotland, on the fourth Marquess of Montrose, and has since been in the Graham family. The title is tied as the chieftainship of Clan Graham. The titles Earl and Baron Graham of Belford are in the Peerage of Great Britain, the eldest son of the Duke uses the courtesy title Marquess of Graham and Buchanan. The family seat is Auchmar House, near Loch Lomond, Stirlingshire and it was previously Buchanan Castle, near Drymen, Stirlingshire. His dukedom was forfeit when James IV acceded in 1488, but it was restored for life in 1489
Duke of Montrose
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Duke of Manchester
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Duke of Manchester is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1719 for the politician Charles Montagu, 4th Earl of Manchester and their ancestor was one Richard Ladde, grandfather of the Lord Chief Justice Sir Edward, who changed his name to Montagu in about 1447. The judge Sir Edward Montagus grandson, Edward Montagu, was raised to the peerage as 1st Baron Montagu of Boughton and he is the ancestor of the Dukes of Montagu. In 1626, he was made Earl of Manchester and it is said that the title referred not to the city of Manchester, but to Godmanchester in Huntingdonshire. The word God was deliberately excluded from the title, as Henry thought it would be blasphemous for him to be known as Lord Godmanchester. However, this is not the case, as the patent roll of 1626 grants the title of Earl of Manchester in the county of Lancaster. His son, the 2nd Earl, was a prominent Parliamentary General during the Civil War and his son, the 3rd Earl, represented Huntingdonshire in the House of Commons. His son was the 4th Earl, who in 1719 was created Duke of Manchester, Charles, 1st Duke of Manchester, was succeeded by his eldest son. The 2nd Duke notably served as Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard in the administration of Sir Robert Walpole and he was childless, and on his death, the titles passed to his younger brother, the 3rd Duke. He had earlier represented Huntingdonshire in Parliament and he was succeeded by his son, the 4th Duke. He was Ambassador to France and served as Lord Chamberlain of the Household and his son, the 5th Duke, was Governor of Jamaica between 1827 and 1830 also held office as Postmaster General. He was succeeded by his son, the 6th Duke and he represented Huntingdon in the House of Commons as a Tory. His eldest son, the 7th Duke, was Conservative Member of Parliament for Bewdley and his son, the 8th Duke, briefly represented Huntingdonshire in Parliament. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the 9th Duke and he sat on the Liberal benches in the House of Lords and served as Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard in the Liberal administration of Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman. In the twentieth century, mismanagement and profligacy resulted in the depletion of the Dukedoms estates. Generational instability caused further damage to the honour, both the 11th and 12th Dukes had a criminal record. The principal estate of the Dukes of Manchester was Kimbolton Castle and it was sold, together with 50 acres of parkland, by the 10th Duke in 1951, and is now a private school. A remaining 3,250 acres of the estate were sold by his eldest son, the other family seat was Tandragee Castle, in County Armagh, Northern Ireland
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Charles, 1st Duke of Manchester, painted by Sir Godfrey Kneller
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Dukedom of Manchester
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Kimbolton Castle in 1880, the former seat of the Dukes of Manchester
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Consuelo Montagu, Duchess of Manchester, wife of the 8th Duke. By John Singer Sargent.
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Duke of Northumberland
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Duke of Northumberland is a noble title that has been created three times in English and British history, twice in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of Great Britain. The current holder of title is Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland. The title was first created in the Peerage of England in 1551 for John Dudley and he had already been created Viscount Lisle in 1543 and Earl of Warwick in 1547, also in the Peerage of England. In 1553, Dudley advanced the claim of his daughter-in-law, Lady Jane Grey, to the English throne, an illegitimate son of one of his younger sons, Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, Sir Robert Dudley, claimed the dukedom when in exile in Italy. On 9 March 1620 the Emperor Ferdinand II officially recognised the title, George FitzRoy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, an illegitimate son of king Charles II, was created Duke of Northumberland in the Peerage of England in 1683. He had already been created Baron of Pontefract, Viscount Falmouth and Earl of Northumberland in 1674, however, all the titles became extinct on his death in 1716 as he left no heirs. In 1716 Philip Wharton, 1st Duke of Wharton, was created Duke of Northumberland, Marquess of Woburn, Earl of Malmesbury and Viscount Winchendon in the Jacobite Peerage, the title had no legal validity in the Kingdom of Great Britain. The Duke was succeeded in the dukedom and associated titles by his eldest son, Hugh, the 2nd Duke, the 3rd Duke later held office as Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland from 1829 to 1830. The 4th Duke was an admiral in the Royal Navy and notably served as First Lord of the Admiralty in 1852. He was also childless and on his death in 1865 the barony of Prudhoe became extinct while the barony of Percy was inherited by his great-nephew, John Stewart-Murray, 7th Duke of Atholl. The Admiral was succeeded in the dukedom and remaining titles by his first cousin, George, the barony of Lovaine and earldom of Beverley have since been merged in the dukedom as courtesy titles. The 5th Duke was succeeded by his eldest son, Algernon, the 6th Duke, the 6th Dukes eldest son, Henry, the 7th Duke, was summoned to the House of lords through a writ of acceleration in his fathers junior title of Lord Lovaine in 1887. The 7th Dukes eldest son, Henry Percy, Earl Percy and he was succeeded by his fourth but eldest surviving son, Alan, the 8th Duke, whose eldest son, Henry, the 9th Duke, was killed during the retreat to Dunkirk during the Second World War. Henry was succeeded by his brother, Hugh, the 10th Duke. In 1957, on the death of his cousin once removed, James Stewart-Murray, 9th Duke of Atholl, Hugh succeeded as 9th Baron Percy. As of 2012 the titles are held by his son, Ralph, the 12th Duke. Several other members of the Percy family have gained distinction. James Smithson, illegitimate son of the first Duke, was a chemist and mineralogist, charlotte Percy, Duchess of Northumberland, wife of the third Duke, was governess of the future Queen Victoria
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Hugh Percy, 1st Duke of Northumberland.
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Armorials of Percy ancient: Azure, five fusils conjoined in fesse or These arms are still quartered by the Dukes of Northumberland, but were superseded c. 1300 by the adoption by Henry de Percy, 1st Baron Percy (d.1314) of the arms Or, a lion rampant azure, the source for which is variously given as the "Lion of Brabant", the extinct arms of Redvers, Earls of Devon, or the Lion of Arundel combined with the tinctures of Warenne
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John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland
67.
Duke of Leinster
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Duke of Leinster is a title in the Peerage of Ireland and the premier dukedom in that peerage. The viscounty of Leinster is in the Peerage of Great Britain, the barony of Kildare in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, the courtesy title of the eldest son and heir of the Duke of Leinster is Marquess of Kildare. The family seat now is Oakley Park, near Abingdon, Oxfordshire and this branch of the Welsh-Norman FitzGerald dynasty, which came to Ireland in 1169, were initially created Earls of Kildare. The earldom was created in 1316 for John FitzGerald, Two senior FitzGeralds, Garret Mór FitzGerald and his son, Garret Óg FitzGerald served as Lords Deputy of Ireland. The tenth Earl, Thomas FitzGerald, known as Silken Thomas, was attainted, in 1554, Thomass half-brother and only male heir, Gerald FitzGerald, was created Earl of Kildare in the Peerage of Ireland. He was subsequently restored to the original Patent in 1569, as 11th earl, the second earldom became extinct in 1599, although the original earldom survived. The family was based in Maynooth Castle in Maynooth in County Kildare. In later centuries the family owned estates in Waterford with their country residence being a Georgian house called Carton House which had replaced the castle in County Kildare, in Dublin, the Earl built a large townhouse residence on the southside of Dublin called Kildare House. When the Earl was awarded a dukedom and became Duke of Leinster, one of its occupants was Lord Edward FitzGerald, who became an icon for Irish nationalism through his involvement with the Irish Rebellion of 1798, which ultimately cost him his life. Leinster House was sold by the Leinsters in 1815, in 1924 it bought the building for parliamentary use. It has remained the parliament house of the Irish state, the Dukes of Leinster had by the early 20th century lost all their property and wealth. Their Carton House seat was sold, as later on was their residence in Waterford. The family now live in a property in Ramsden, Oxfordshire. A controversial claim by the descendants of the 5th Duke was made and failed. Paul FitzGerald and his supporters claimed that Lord Desmond faked his death, instead, it was passed down through her fathers brothers family. It was alleged that an archivist had acknowledged the package had once existed, the Baron Falconer of Thoroton, Lord Chancellor, and Harriet Harman, Minister of State in the Department for Constitutional Affairs, gave due consideration to this claim. The claim was dismissed by Lord Falconer despite a 30-year campaign by Paul FitzGeralds family reputedly costing £1.3 million, the Lord Chancellor adjudicated that the title was to remain with the existing holder, the 9th Duke, Maurice FitzGerald. Paul FitzGerald has a right of appeal against the Lord Chancellors verdict by petitioning Her Majesty The Queen, in 2010, however, DNA evidence was presented that indicates that Paul FitzGerald is related to the wife of the 5th Duke, the former Lady Hermione Duncombe
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Argent a saltire gules
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The 1st Duke of Leinster.
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The 2nd Duke of Leinster
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Duke of Sutherland
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Duke of Sutherland is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom which was created by William IV in 1833 for George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Marquess of Stafford. A series of marriages to heiresses by members of the Leveson-Gower family made the Dukes of Sutherland one of the richest landowning families in the United Kingdom. The title remained in the Leveson-Gower family until the death of the 5th Duke of Sutherland in 1963, the Duke is also a Baronet, of Sittenham in the County of York, a title created in the Baronetage of England in 1620. Between 1839 and 1963 the Dukes also held the titles of Lord Strathnaver and Earl of Sutherland, the Scottish titles came into the family through the marriage of the first Duke to Elizabeth Sutherland, 19th Countess of Sutherland. Sir Thomas Gower was created a Baronet, of Sittenham in the County of York and this title was in the Baronetage of England. His son Thomas, the second Baronet, married Frances, daughter of Sir John Leveson and their grandson son William, the fourth Baronet, assumed the additional surname of Leveson. Sir William married Lady Jane, daughter of John Granville, 1st Earl of Bath and sister of Grace Carteret and their son John, the fifth Baronet, was raised to the Peerage of England as Baron Gower, of Sittenham in the County of York, in 1706. His son, the second Baron, served three times as Lord Privy Seal, in 1746 he was created Viscount Trentham, of Trentham in the County of Stafford, and Earl Gower. Both titles are in the Peerage of Great Britain and his eldest surviving son from his first marriage, Granville, the second Earl, was also a prominent politician. In 1786 he was created Marquess of Stafford in the Peerage of Great Britain, Lord Stafford married secondly Lady Louisa Egerton, daughter of Scroop Egerton, 1st Duke of Bridgewater. His son from his marriage to Lady Susanna Stewart, Lord Granville Leveson-Gore, was created Earl Granville in 1833. Lord Stafford was succeeded by his eldest son from his marriage, George. He married Elizabeth Sutherland, 19th Countess of Sutherland, in 1803 he succeeded to the vast estates of his maternal uncle Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater. In 1833 he was created Duke of Sutherland in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, such activities were in widespread use across Scotland and Ireland in the 18th and 19th centuries by unscrupulous landowners such as the Sutherlands. The Clearances as they are known were excused by the landlords as necessary improvements, however. They are thought to have begun by Admiral John Ross of Balnagowan Castle in 1762. MacLeod of MacLeod began experimental work on Skye in 1732, another wave of mass emigration came in 1792, known as the Year of the Sheep to Scottish Highlanders. The people were accommodated in poor crofts or small farms in areas where farming could not sustain the communities
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George Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland, by Thomas Phillips
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John Egerton, 6th Duke of Sutherland, by Allan Warren
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The Emigrants Statue commemorates the flight of Highlanders during the clearances, but is also a testament to their accomplishments in the places they settled. Located in the Sutherland village of Helmsdale, Scotland.
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Duke of Abercorn
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The title Duke of Abercorn /ˈævəkɔːn/ is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1868 and bestowed upon James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Abercorn and this article also covers the Earls and Marquesses of Abercorn, all named after Abercorn, West Lothian, in Scotland. In acknowledgement of his loyalty, James VI of Scotland, conferred on the Hon. Claud Hamilton, third son of James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran, the title Lord Paisley. His successor, the 2nd Earl of Abercorn, was additionally created Lord Hamilton, Baron of Strabane, in the Peerage of Ireland, on 8 May 1617. He resigned this dignity to his brother in 1633, the brothers heirs inherited the Earldom and other titles in 1680, in the person of Claud Hamilton. He was attainted in Ireland in 1691, and the Barony of Strabane forfeited, the 6th earl was at his accession an Irish baronet, of Dunalong in the County of Tyrone, and of Nenagh in the County of Tipperary. He was additionally created Baron Mountcastle and Viscount Strabane, in the Peerage of Ireland, the 7th earl became the first of the Earls of Abercorn to be invested a Privy Counsellor, having been appointed to both the English and Irish Privy Councils. The 8th earl was created Viscount Hamilton, of Hamilton, in the Peerage of Great Britain on 24 August 1786 and he was made a Knight of the Garter in 1805. Currently, the holder of the Dukedom is James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Abercorn, of the subsidiary titles above, Marquess of Hamilton is the courtesy title of the heir apparent, and Viscount Strabane that of his heir-apparent. The Dukes of Abercorn also claim the French title of Duc de Châtellerault, as heirs-male of the 2nd Earl of Arran, who was granted the title in 1548 by Henry II of France. The family seat is Baronscourt, a country house on the Barons Court Estate near Newtownstewart, Omagh. The traditional burial place of the Dukes of Abercorn and their families is the cemetery at Baronscourt Parish Church, Claud Hamilton, 1st Lord Paisley was a Scottish politician The 1st Earl of Abercorn was the 1st Lords eldest son. He was a great-grandfather of Diana, Princess of Wales, James Edward Hamilton, 4th Duke of Abercorn, elder son of the 3rd Duke. He is related to Diana, Princess of Wales through Dianas paternal grandmother Cynthia Spencer, Duke of Hamilton Earl of Arran Hamilton baronets Proby baronets of Elton Hall Clan Douglas Cracrofts Peerage Baronscourt House- Aerial photo
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Quarterly 1st & 4th: Gules, three cinquefoils pierced ermine (Hamilton); 2nd & 3rd: Argent, an ancient ship or lymphad with one mast the sails furled and oars out sable (Arran)