| Dukedom of Gloucester | |
| Creation Date: | 31 March 1928 |
| Creation: | Fifth |
| First Holder: | Thomas of Woodstock |
| Remainder To: | the 1st Duke's heirs male of the body lawfully begotten |
| Status: | Extant |
| Former Seat: | Barnwell Manor |
Duke of Gloucester is a British royal title (after Gloucester), often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; the current creation carries with it the subsidiary titles of Earl of Ulster and Baron Culloden.
The title was first conferred on Thomas of Woodstock, the thirteenth child of King Edward III. The title became extinct at his death, as it did upon the death of the duke of the second creation, Humphrey of Lancaster, fourth son of King Henry IV.
The title was next conferred on Richard, brother to King Edward IV. When Richard himself became king, the dukedom merged into the crown. After Richard's 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, son of the future Queen Anne, was styled "Duke of Gloucester" for his whole life (1689–1700), but was never formally created duke. Frederick, Prince of Wales, was styled "Duke of Gloucester" from 1718–1726, but was then created Duke of Edinburgh rather than of Gloucester.
There was next a creation of a double dukedom (not two dukedoms) for the brother of King George III, Prince William Henry, his proper title becoming "Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh".
The fifth and most recent creation was for Prince Henry, third son of King George V, styled as His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester. Upon Prince Henry's death, the dukedom was inherited by his only surviving son Prince Richard, who still holds the title. The heir-apparent to the title is Alexander Windsor, styled Earl of Ulster. The next in the line of succession is the Earl of Ulster's son Xan Windsor, known by his grandfather's third title of Lord Culloden.The royal dukedom will devolve into an ordinary one when inherited by Alexander Windsor; as a great-grandson of a sovereign he is not entitled to royal style, and will be styled as His Grace The Duke of Gloucester.
| Duke | Portrait | Birth | Marriage(s) | Death | Arms | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas of Woodstock House of Plantagenet 1385–1397 | 7 January 1355 Woodstock Palace son of Edward III of England and Queen Philippa | Eleanor de Bohun 1376 5 children | 8 September 1397 Calais aged 42 | |||
| Thomas of Woodstock's son died two years after his father, but never succeeded to his titles except that of Earl of Buckingham. At the time of Thomas's death, he was regarded as a traitor and thus his titles were forfeit after his murder (except Earl of Buckingham). His son had no issue and his male line died out in 1399. | ||||||
| Duke | Portrait | Birth | Marriage(s) | Death | Arms | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humphrey of Lancaster House of Lancaster 1414–1447 | 3 October 1390 Lancaster Castle son of Henry IV of England and Mary de Bohun | Jacqueline, Countess of Hainaut 1422–1428 (annulled) 1 child (stillborn) Eleanor de Cobham 1428–1441 (annulled) 2 children | 23 February 1447 Bury St Edmunds aged 56 | |||
| Before marrying Humphrey, Eleanor de Cobham was his mistress. At the time of Humphrey's 1447 death, he had two children, Arthur and Antigone. However, both children were born before his marriage to Eleanor and were thus illegitimate and could not succeed to his titles; so, accordingly, all his titles became extinct on his death. | ||||||
| Duke | Portrait | Birth | Marriage(s) | Death | Arms | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Plantagenet House of York 1461–1483 | 2 October 1452 Fotheringhay Castle, Oundle son of Richard, Duke of York and Cecily Neville | Anne Neville 1472–1485 (her death) 1 child | 22 August 1485 Bosworth Field aged 32 | |||
| Richard succeeded as Richard III in 1483 upon his nephew's disappearance, and his titles merged with the crown. | ||||||
| Duke | Portrait | Birth | Marriage(s) | Death | Arms | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Stuart House of Stuart 1659–1660 | 8 July 1640 Oatlands Palace, Oatlands son of King Charles I and Queen Henrietta Maria | Never married | 18 September 1660 Whitehall, London aged 20 | |||
| Henry Stuart had no children and all his titles became extinct on his death. | ||||||
Also: Earl of Ulster and Baron Culloden (1928)[1]
| Duke | Portrait | Birth | Marriage(s) | Death | Arms | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prince Henry House of Windsor 1928–1974 | 31 March 1900 York Cottage, Sandringham son of King George V and Queen Mary | Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott 6 November 1935 2 children | 10 June 1974 Barnwell Manor, Barnwell aged 74 | |||
| Prince Richard House of Windsor 1974–present | 26 August 1944 St. Matthew's Nursing Home, Northampton son of Prince Henry and Princess Alice | Birgitte van Deurs Henriksen 8 June 1972 3 children | now old |