Duke of Cambridge, one of several current

royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom In the British peerage, a royal duke is a member of the British royal family, entitled to the titular dignity of prince and the style of ''His Royal Highness'', who holds a dukedom. Dukedoms are the highest titles in the British roll of peerage ...

, is a hereditary title of specific rank of nobility in the British royal family. The title (named after the city of

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

) is heritable by male descendants by primogeniture, and has been conferred upon members of the British royal family several times. The title of Duke of Cambridge, first created in 1660, superseded an earlier title of

Earl of Cambridge The title of Earl of Cambridge was created several times in the Peerage of England, and since 1362 the title has been closely associated with the Royal family (see also Duke of Cambridge, Marquess of Cambridge). The first Earl of the fourth crea ...

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

History

The title was first granted in 1660 by King Charles II (immediately following the Stuart Restoration, Restoration of the monarchy) to his infant eldest nephew Charles Stuart, Duke of Cambridge (1660–1661), Charles Stuart (1660–1661), the first son of the Duke of York (later King James II), though he was never formally created Duke of Cambridge as he died at the age of six months. The first officially recognised creation of the dukedom was in the Peerage of England in 1664, when King Charles II granted the title to his next eldest surviving nephew James Stuart, Duke of Cambridge, James Stuart, the infant second son of the Duke of York, who died early in 1667 at the age of three, when the title again became extinct. The title was then granted later that year by King Charles II to his next eldest surviving nephew Edgar Stuart, Duke of Cambridge, Edgar Stuart, the third son of the Duke of York, who also died in infancy, in 1671 at the age of three, when the title became extinct the third time. The Duke of York's fourth son Charles Stuart, Duke of Cambridge (1677), Charles (his eldest son by his second wife) was also styled Duke of Cambridge in 1677, but died when about a month old, not having lived long enough to be formally created duke. The title was recreated by Queen Anne in 1706 who granted it to George II of Great Britain, George Augustus (later King George II), son of the Elector of Hanover (later George I of Great Britain, King George I), her distant cousin (both being descended from King James I). When the title was created George Augustus was third in line to the throne, after his grandmother Sophia of Hanover, Sophia and his father. When he ascended to the throne as King George II in 1727, the dukedom merged with the Crown. The title was again recreated in the peerage of the United Kingdom and was granted in 1801 by King George III to his seventh son Prince Adolphus (1774–1850), then aged 27. Following his death in 1850 the title was inherited by his only son Prince George, Duke of Cambridge, Prince George, 2nd Duke of Cambridge, whose three sons were barred from inheriting the title as his marriage had been in violation of the Royal Marriages Act 1772. Thus on the death of the 2nd Duke in 1904 the title again became extinct. During the period leading up to the Wedding of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, and Sophie Rhys-Jones, 1999 wedding of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward, the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II, some people speculated that the Dukedom of Cambridge or Duke of Sussex, Sussex were the most likely to be granted to him, and ''The Sunday Telegraph'' later reported that Prince Edward was at one point set to be titled Duke of Cambridge. Instead, Prince Edward was created Earl of Wessex, and it was announced that he would eventually be created the next Duke of Edinburgh after Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, his father. On 29 April 2011, the day of Wedding of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine Middleton, his wedding, it was announced that Queen Elizabeth II had created her grandson Prince William Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus, titles relating respectively to places in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, three of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom. The letters patent granting these titles received the Great Seal of the Realm, great seal on 26 May 2011. They were illuminated by Andrew Stewart Jamieson.

Dukes of Cambridge

''Styled'', 1660

, Charles Stuart, Duke of Cambridge (1660–1661), Charles Stuart
House of Stuart
1660–1661 , , 22 October 1660
Worcester Park House, Worcester House, London
son of James II of England, James, Duke of York (later King James II) and Anne Hyde , not married , 5 May 1661
Palace of Whitehall, Whitehall Palace, London
aged 6 months

First creation, 1664

, James Stuart, Duke of Cambridge, James Stuart
House of Stuart
1664–1667
''also:

and Baron of Dauntsey (1664)'' , James, Duke of Cambridge - Wright 1666-7

, 12 July 1663
St James's Palace, London
son of James II of England, James, Duke of York (later King James II) and Anne Hyde , not married , 20 June 1667
Richmond Palace, London
aged 3

Second creation, 1667

, Edgar Stuart, Duke of Cambridge, Edgar Stuart
House of Stuart
1667–1671
''also:

and Baron of Dauntsey (1667)'' , , 14 September 1667
St James's Palace, London
son of James II of England, James, Duke of York (later King James II) and Anne Hyde , not married , 8 June 1671
Richmond Palace, London
aged 3

''Styled'', 1677

, Charles Stuart, Duke of Cambridge (1677), Charles Stuart
House of Stuart
1677–1677 , , 7 November 1677
St James's Palace, London
son of James II of England, James, Duke of York (later King James II) and Mary of Modena , not married , 12 December 1677
St James's Palace, London
aged 35 days

Third creation, 1706

, George II of Great Britain, Prince George
House of Hanover
1706–1727
''also: Marquess of Cambridge, Earl of Milford Haven, Viscount Northallerton and Baron Tewkesbury (1706–1727);
Prince of Wales (1714), Duke of Cornwall (1337) and Duke of Rothesay (1398)'' ,

, 30 October / 9 November 1683
Herrenhausen, Hanover
son of George I of Great Britain, Prince George of Brunswick-Lüneburg (later King George I) and Sophia Dorothea of Celle , 22 August 1705
Caroline of Ansbach
10 children , 25 October 1760
Kensington Palace, London
aged 76 , - , colspan=5, ''Prince George succeeded as George II in 1727 upon George I of Great Britain, his father's death, and his titles merged with the crown.''

Fourth creation, 1801

, Prince Adolphus
House of Hanover
1801–1850
''also: Earl of Tipperary and Baron Culloden (1801)'' , Adolphus Frederick duke of Cambridge

, 24 February 1774
Buckingham Palace, London
son of King George III and Queen Charlotte , 18 June 1818
Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel
3 children , 8 July 1850
Cambridge House, London
aged 76 , - , Prince George, Duke of Cambridge, Prince George
House of Hanover
1850–1904
''also: Earl of Tipperary and Baron Culloden (1801)'' , George 2nd Cambridge

, 26 March 1819
Cambridge House, Hanover
son of Prince Adolphus and Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel, Princess Augusta , 8 January 1847
Sarah Fairbrother
3 children , 17 March 1904
London
aged 84 , - , colspan=5, ''Prince George's marriage to Sarah Fairbrother produced three sons. However, due to the Royal Marriages Act 1772, the marriage was invalid and all his titles became extinct on his death.''

Fifth creation, 2011

, William, Prince of Wales, Prince William
House of Windsor
2011–present
''also: Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus (2011); Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay and Prince of Wales (2022)'' , William Sumbarines Crop

, 21 June 1982
St Mary's Hospital, London
eldest son of Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales , 29 April 2011
Catherine Middleton
3 children , ''Living (age )''

Line of succession

If William becomes king, his titles, including the dukedom, will merge with the crown. However, if he dies before becoming king, then his sons are eligible to inherit the dukedom: * Coronet of the British Heir Apparent

William, Prince of Wales (born 1982) **(1) Coronet of a Grandchild of the Sovereign

Prince George of Wales (born 2013) ** (2) Coronet of a Grandchild of the Sovereign

Prince Louis of Wales (born 2018)

Family tree

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cambridge, Duke of 1660 establishments in England 1801 establishments in the United Kingdom Dukedoms in the Peerage of the United Kingdom 2011 establishments in the United Kingdom British and Irish peerages which merged in the Crown Noble titles created in 1664 Noble titles created in 1667 Noble titles created in 1706 Noble titles created in 1801 Noble titles created in 2011 Dukes of Cambridge, William, Prince of Wales