Prince William’s Predecessors in Cambridge, Strathearn, and Carrickfergus

Prince William got a bevy of titles as a gift from Queen Elizabeth II for his marriage to Catherine (or Kate) Middleton. The titles mostly come with quite a baggage of history, some quite recent, some more ancient. 

HRH Prince William

The Duchy of Cambridge is neither new nor very inventive. James II styled his first son Charles (born 1660, died 1661) as Duke of Cambridge; he tried again with his second son Charles, whom he created Duke of Cambridge in 1664 (1663 to 1667). Subsequently, he created his fourth son Edgar Duke of Cambridge in 1667 (1667 to 1671), and styled his fifth son Charles as such as well (1677 to 1677). The difference between created and styled, by the way, lies in the fact that in a created title the paperwork has been done while in styled it hasn’t.

The third creation of the duchy was in 1706 for George, Hereditary Prince Elector of Hanover. His grandmother Sophia was named as heir to the British throne with the Act of Settlement in 1701, and his father George pushed through the naturalization of the Hanoverian family as British citizens which he perceived (rightly) as a crucial step in securing the succession. As part of the organization of the succession over the heads of Catholic relatives, the Duchy of Cambridge was one of many honors conferred into the Hanoverian line of future kings. With the accession of George as King George II, the duchy merged with the crown.

The duchy found its fourth creation in 1801, when the seventh son of King George III Prince Adolphus was created Duke of Cambridge; his son Prince George would follow him as second Duke while his daughter Princess Mary Adelaide married Prince Francis of Teck (later created Duke of Teck). George’s most memorable quote was ‘arranged marriages are doomed to failure’. Accordingly, he married a commoner without consent from the monarch and their children were excluded from succession to the title.

When King George V renounced all German titles for the Royal Family in 1917, he also renounced the titles of his brother-in-law the second Duke of Teck. Consequently, he created him Marquess of Cambridge. His son the second Marquess died without male issue in 1981.

The title Earl of Strathearn is an ancient one; the Mormaer of Strathearn was first mentioned in a document of 1115; the rulers of Strathearn were subsequently named as Earls of Strathearn. The title lapsed for a short time after Maol Íosa V became Earl of Orkney in 1334. Maurice of Moravia held the title and the lands from 1343 to 1346. Robert Stewart (later King Robert II) held the title from 1357 and it remained active under Stewarts until 1437. The title of Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn was created in 1766 for Prince Henry (1745 to 1790) who died without issue. The title Duke of Kent and Strathearn was created for Prince Edward Augustus, the father of Queen Victoria. The title of Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was created for Prince Arthur, third son of Queen Victoria. The title lapsed with the (mysterious) death of Prince Arthur’s grandson Alastair in Ottawa in 1943.

The barony of Carrickfergus is in Antrim, Northern Ireland. The title of Baron of Ennishowen and Carrickfergus was created in 1841 for George Chichester to get him into the House of Lords after he failed to win one of the two seats for Belfast in the elections. He succeeded his father as third Marquess of Donegall three years later. 


Further reading
Prince George Duke of Cambridge
How Royal Succession Works in the United Kingdom
Princes: Not All That Glitters

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