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34-517: In the United Kingdom, there is nothing intrinsic to any dukedom that makes it "royal". Rather, these peerages are called royal dukedoms because they are created for, and held by, members of the royal family who are entitled to the titular dignity of prince and the style Royal Highness . Although the term "royal duke", therefore, has no official meaning per se , the category "Duke of the Blood Royal "

68-439: A coronet of eight strawberry leaves, to bear at a coronation and on his coat of arms , royal dukes are entitled to princely coronets (four cross pattées alternating with four strawberry leaves). The coronets of the royal family are dictated by letters patent. The Dukes of Sussex, of York and of Edinburgh bear by letters patent the coronet of a child of the sovereign (four crosses patées alternating with four fleurs-de-lis), while

102-441: A "formal colony" or "junior ally" might also be regarded as a vassal state in terms of international relations, analogous to a domestic "fief-holder" or "trustee". The concept of a vassal state uses the concept of personal vassalry to theorize formally hegemonic relationships between states – even those using non-personal forms of rule. Imperial states to which this terminology has been applied include, for instance: Ancient Rome ,

136-551: A monarch. In fully developed vassalage, the lord and the vassal would take part in a commendation ceremony composed of two parts, the homage and the fealty , including the use of Christian sacraments to show its sacred importance. According to Eginhard 's brief description, the commendatio made to Pippin the Younger in 757 by Tassilo III, Duke of Bavaria , involved the relics of Saints Denis, Rusticus, Éleuthère , Martin , and Germain – apparently assembled at Compiegne for

170-534: A monarch. In certain monarchies where voluntary abdication is the norm, such as the Netherlands , a royal family may also include one or more former monarchs. In certain instances, such as in Canada, the royal family is defined by who holds the styles Majesty and Royal Highness . There is often a distinction between persons of the blood royal and those that marry into the royal family. Under most systems, only persons in

204-426: A royal family perform certain public, social, or ceremonial functions, but refrain from any involvement in electoral politics or the actual governance of the country. The specific composition of royal families varies from country to country, as do the titles and royal and noble styles held by members of the family. The composition of the royal family may be regulated by statute enacted by the legislature (e.g., Spain,

238-583: A royal family vary depending on whether the polity in question is an absolute monarchy , a constitutional monarchy , or somewhere in between. In certain monarchies, such as that found in Saudi Arabia or Kuwait , or in political systems where the monarch actually exercises executive power, such as in Jordan , it is not uncommon for the members of a royal family to hold important government posts or military commands. In most constitutional monarchies, however, members of

272-410: A subordinate state (such as a dependency , residency , client state or protectorate ) has retained internal autonomy, but has lost independence in foreign policy, while also, in many instances, paying formal tribute , or providing troops when requested. This is a similar relationship to vassals, but vassals hold fiefdoms which are present in the actual territory of the monarch. In this framework,

306-637: A surname or dynastic name (see Royal House ). In a constitutional monarchy, when the monarch dies, there is always a law or tradition of succession to the throne that either specifies a formula for identifying the precise order of succession among family members in line to the throne or specifies a process by which a family member is chosen to inherit the crown. Usually in the former case the exact line of hereditary succession among royal individuals may be identified at any given moment during prior reigns (e.g. United Kingdom , Sark , Nizari Ismailis , Japan , Balobedus , Sweden , Kingdom of Benin ) whereas in

340-413: A vassal are called vassalage , while the rights and obligations of a suzerain are called suzerainty . The obligations of a vassal often included military support by knights in exchange for certain privileges, usually including land held as a tenant or fief . The term is also applied to similar arrangements in other feudal societies. In contrast, fealty ( fidelitas ) was sworn, unconditional loyalty to

374-591: Is a king or queen, the associated royal families, with the notable exception of the British royal family , are non-notable ordinary citizens who may bear a title but are not involved in public affairs. A royal family typically includes the spouse of the reigning monarch, surviving spouses of a deceased monarch, the children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, and paternal cousins of the reigning monarch, as well as their spouses. In some cases, royal family membership may extend to great grandchildren and more distant descendants of

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408-408: Is also customary in some circles to refer to the extended relations of a deposed monarch and their descendants as a royal family. A dynasty is sometimes referred to as the "House of ...". In July 2013 there were 26 active sovereign dynasties in the world that ruled or reigned over 43 monarchies. As of 2021 , while there are several European countries whose nominal head of state, by long tradition,

442-502: Is now enjoyed by royal dukes. But it placed junior "Dukes of the Blood Royal" above the most senior non-royal duke, junior "Earls of the Blood Royal" above the most senior non-royal earl ( cf. Earldom of Wessex ), etc. It did not matter how distantly related to the monarch the peers might be (presumably they ranked among each other in order of succession to the Crown). Although the 1520 order

476-828: Is theoretically still in effect, in fact the "Blood Royal" clause seems to have fallen into desuetude by 1917 when King George V limited the style of Royal Highness to children and male-line grandchildren of the sovereign. Thus peers of the blood royal who are neither sons nor grandsons of a sovereign are no longer accorded precedence above other peers. When the present Duke of Gloucester and Duke of Kent are successed by their heirs (currently Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster and George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews , respectively) their peerages (as created in 1928 and 1934) will cease to be royal dukedoms; instead their holders will become "ordinary" dukes. The third dukes of Gloucester and Kent will each be styled His Grace because, as great-grandsons of King George V (or more distant relations, if

510-488: The Netherlands , and Japan since 1947), the sovereign's prerogative and common law tradition (e.g., the United Kingdom), or a private house law (e.g., Liechtenstein , the former ruling houses of Bavaria , Prussia , Hanover , etc.). Public statutes, constitutional provisions, or conventions may also regulate the marriages, names, and personal titles of royal family members. The members of a royal family may or may not have

544-897: The Duke of Cornwall, Rothesay and Cambridge has use of the Prince of Wales' coronet , and the current dukes of Gloucester and of Kent, as grandsons of a sovereign bear the corresponding coronet of a royal duke. At coronations, apart from the differentiation of princely coronets from ducal coronets, a royal duke is also entitled to six rows of ermine spots on his mantle, as opposed to the four rows borne by an "ordinary" duke. Includes dukes of: Albany , Albemarle , Bedford , Cambridge , Clarence , Connaught and Strathearn , Cumberland , Edinburgh , Gloucester , Gloucester and Edinburgh , Hereford , Kent , Kintyre and Lorne , Norfolk , Ross , Somerset , Sussex , Windsor , and York , but only when royally. Non-royal dukes are not included; see Royal dukedoms in

578-509: The United Kingdom . Titles mandated for use by the heir apparent ( Duke of Rothesay and the 1337 creation of the Duke of Cornwall ) are also not included, see Princes of Wales family tree . Royal family Philosophers Works A royal family is the immediate family of kings / queens , emirs/emiras , sultans / sultanas , or raja / rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes

612-472: The certain houses within the former Holy Roman Empire are collectively called the Mediatized Houses . Vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch , in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe . While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain . The rights and obligations of

646-701: The death of the current Duke . The Dukedom of Edinburgh is the first dukedom created for life in the Royal Family since the granddaughter of Edward I of England , Margaret of Brotherton , was created the Duchess of Norfolk for life (in her own right) in 1397. By law the British monarch also holds, and is entitled to the revenues of, the Duchy of Lancaster . Within the borders of the County Palatine of Lancashire , therefore,

680-482: The event. Such refinements were not included from the outset when it was time of crisis, war, hunger, etc. Feudal society was increasingly based on the concept of "lordship" (French seigneur ), which was one of the distinguishing features of the Early Middle Ages and had evolved from times of Late Antiquity . In the time of Charlemagne (ruled 768–814), the connection slowly developed between vassalage and

714-462: The exceptions of the dukedoms of Cornwall and Rothesay (which can only be held by the eldest living son of the sovereign who is also the heir apparent), these dukedoms are hereditary according to the letters patent that created them. Those patents contain the standard remainder to "heirs male of his body", with the exception of the Dukedom of Edinburgh , which is a life peerage and will become extinct on

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748-519: The family of an emperor or empress , and the term papal family describes the family of a pope , while the terms baronial family , comital family , ducal family , archducal family , grand ducal family , or princely family are more appropriate to describe, respectively, the relatives of a reigning baron , count / earl , duke , archduke , grand duke , or prince . However, in common parlance members of any family which reigns by hereditary right are often referred to as royalty or "royals". It

782-529: The first category are dynasts, that is, potential successors to the throne (unless the member of the latter category is also in line to the throne in their own right, a frequent occurrence in royal families which frequently intermarry). This is not always observed; some monarchies have operated by the principle of jure uxoris . In addition, certain relatives of the monarch (by blood or marriage) possess special privileges and are subject to certain statutes, conventions, or special common law. The precise functions of

816-514: The following dukedoms, who were simultaneously British princes and members of royal and princely families of Germany , were deprived of their British titles, having sided with Germany during the First World War . The Act provides that a successor of a person thus deprived of a peerage can petition the Crown for revival of the title. No such descendant has done so. While non-royal dukes are entitled to

850-424: The grant of land, the main form of wealth at that time. Contemporaneous social developments included agricultural " manorialism " and the social and legal structures labelled — but only since the 18th century — " feudalism ". These developments proceeded at different rates in various regions. In Merovingian times (5th century to 752), monarchs would reward only the greatest and most trusted vassals with lands. Even at

884-408: The inheritance of their benefice to the heirs of their family. A "lower" group consisted of landless knights attached to a count or duke . This social settling process also received impetus in fundamental changes in the conduct of warfare. As co-ordinated cavalry superseded disorganized infantry , armies became more expensive to maintain. A vassal needed economic resources to equip the cavalry he

918-449: The latter case the next sovereign may be selected (or changed) only during the reign or shortly after the demise of the immediately preceding monarch (e.g. Cambodia , KwaZulu Natal , Buganda , Saudi Arabia , Swaziland , Yorubaland , The Kingitanga ). Some monarchies employ a mix of these selection processes ( Malaysia , Monaco , Tonga , Jordan , Morocco ), providing for both an identifiable line of succession as well as authority for

952-469: The monarch is addressed as Duke of Normandy , but only in accordance with tradition. He or she does not hold the legal title of Duke of Normandy. The following is a list of dukedoms previously created for members of the royal family, but which have subsequently merged in the crown, become extinct or have otherwise ceased to be royal dukedoms. Under the Titles Deprivation Act 1917 the holders of

986-463: The monarch is hailed as "The King/Queen, The Duke of Lancaster" (even when the monarch is a queen regnant, by tradition she does not use the title Duchess ). However, legally the monarch is not the Duke of Lancaster: peerages are in origin held feudally of the sovereign who, as the fount of honour , cannot hold a peerage of him- or herself. The situation is similar in the Channel Islands , where

1020-451: The monarch, dynasty or other institution to alter the line in specific instances without changing the general law of succession. Some countries have abolished royalty altogether, as in post-revolutionary France (1870), post-revolutionary Russia (1917), Portugal (1910), post-war Germany (1918), post-war Italy (1946) and many ex European colonies. Whilst mediatization occurred in other countries such as France , Italy and Russia , only

1054-410: The most extreme devolution of any remnants of central power, in 10th-century France, the majority of vassals still had no fixed estates. The stratification of a fighting band of vassals into distinct groups might roughly correlate with the new term " fief " that had started to supersede "benefice" in the 9th century. An "upper" group comprised great territorial magnates, who were strong enough to ensure

Royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom - Misplaced Pages Continue

1088-601: The present Dukes outlive their sons), they are not princes and are not styled HRH . Similarly, upon the death of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (1850–1942) (the third son of Queen Victoria ), his only male-line grandson, Alastair, Earl of Macduff (1914–43), briefly succeeded to his peerages and was styled His Grace . Before the 1917 changes, his style had been His Highness Prince Alastair of Connaught. The current royal dukedoms, held as principal titles, in order of precedence , are: The following dukedoms are currently held by William, Prince of Wales : With

1122-535: Was acknowledged as a rank conferring special precedence at court in the unrevoked 20th clause of the Lord Chamberlain's order of 1520. This decree accorded precedence to any peer related by blood to the sovereign above all others of the same degree within the peerage. The order did not apply within Parliament , nor did it grant precedence above the archbishop of Canterbury or other Great Officers of State such as

1156-410: Was bound to contribute to his lord to fight his frequent wars. Such resources, in the absence of a money economy, came only from land and its associated assets, which included peasants as well as wood and water. Many empires have set up vassal states , based on tribes, kingdoms, or city-states, the subjects of which they wish to control without having to conquer or directly govern them. In these cases

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