The Duke and Duchess of Hamilton cropped

Alexander Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 16th Duke of Hamilton, 13th Duke of Brandon (born 31 March 1978), styled Marquess of Douglas and Clydesdale until 2010, is a Scottish

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

and the premier peer of Scotland.

Early life

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

Dumbarton Dumbarton (; , or ; or , meaning 'fort of the Britons (historical), Britons') is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven, Dunbartonshire, River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. ...

, and

Gordonstoun Gordonstoun School ( ) is an elite co-educational Private school (United Kingdom), private school for boarding and day pupils in Moray, Scotland. Two generations of British royalty were educated at Gordonstoun, including Prince Philip, Duke of Ed ...

in Scotland."Hamilton, 16th Duke of, cr 1643 (Scot.), AND BRANDON, 13th Duke of, cr 1711 (GB) (Alexander Douglas-Hamilton)"
''

Who's Who A Who's Who (or Who Is Who) is a reference work consisting of biographical entries of notable people in a particular field. The oldest and best-known is the annual publication ''Who's Who (UK), Who's Who'', a reference work on contemporary promin ...

''. Online edition. Retrieved 12 August 2022.

Inheritance

Upon the death of his father on 5 June 2010, he became the 16th

Duke of Hamilton Duke of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in April 1643. It is the senior dukedom in that peerage (except for the Duke of Rothesay, Dukedom of Rothesay held by the sovereign's eldest son), and as such its holder is the pr ...

in the

Peerage of Scotland The Peerage of Scotland (; ) is one of the five divisions of peerages in the United Kingdom and for those peers created by the King of Scots before 1707. Following that year's Treaty of Union 1707, Treaty of Union, the Kingdom of Scots and the ...

and 13th Duke of Brandon in the

Peerage of Great Britain The Peerage of Great Britain comprises all extant peerages created in the Kingdom of Great Britain between the Acts of Union 1707 and the Acts of Union 1800. It replaced the Peerage of England and the Peerage of Scotland, but was itself repla ...

. He also inherited other Scottish peerages and titles, Marquess of Douglas, Marquess of Clydesdale,

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

, Earl of Lanark, Earl of Arran and Cambridge, Lord Abernethy and Jedburgh Forest, Lord Machanshyre and Polmont and Lord Aven and Innerdale, and the Barony of Dutton in the

peerage of Great Britain The Peerage of Great Britain comprises all extant peerages created in the Kingdom of Great Britain between the Acts of Union 1707 and the Acts of Union 1800. It replaced the Peerage of England and the Peerage of Scotland, but was itself repla ...

. The Duke is the Hereditary Keeper of the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Hereditary Bearer of the

Crown of Scotland The Crown of Scotland (, ) is the centrepiece of the Honours of Scotland. It is the crown that was used at the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland, and it is the oldest surviving crown in the British Isles and among the oldest in Europe. A ...

. In this role, he walks immediately before the monarch in the ancient ceremonial procession known as the Riding of Parliament. As Hereditary Bearer of the Crown of Scotland, he also placed the crown upon the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II during a service of remembrance in

St Giles' Cathedral St Giles' Cathedral (), or the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town of Edinburgh. The current building was begun in the 14th century and extended until the early 16th century; ...

on 12 September 2022."Crown of Scotland placed on Queen's coffin"
''

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

''. 12 September 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022. The seat of the Dukes of Hamilton is Lennoxlove House to the east of Edinburgh, replacing the now-demolished Hamilton Palace to the south of Glasgow. The Duke was appointed Honorary Air Commodore in No. 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force, for a three year term from 4 April 2025 until 4 April 2028.

Marriage and children

On 7 May 2011, he married Sophie Ann Rutherford (born 8 December 1976) in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

."Alexander Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 16th Duke of Hamilton"
''The Douglas Archives''. 26 March 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2013. The couple have three sons.

References

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