Duke of Kent
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Duke of Kent is a title which has been created various times in the peerages of Great Britain and the United Kingdom, most recently as a royal dukedom for the fourth son of King George V of the United Kingdom.
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History
A title associated with Kent first appears anciently with the Kingdom of Kent (or Cantware), one of the seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms that later merged to form the Kingdom of England. The Kings of Cantware (or Kent) date back to about 449. In 825 the kingdom was taken over by Egbert, King of Wessex. After 1825, the Kingdom of Kent became a dependency of Wessex and was ruled by sub-kings, usually related to the Wessex rulers. The kingdom became something like the heir-apparent's title, as Aethelwulf, Egbert's son, became King in 825. By 860, Kent lost its status as a kingdom, becoming absorbed into Wessex. [[1] (http://www.kessler-web.co.uk/History/KingListsBritain/EnglandKent.htm)]
In the peerage of England, however, the first title of Kent was that of the Earl of Kent. After the death of his father, Godwin the Earl of Wessex, Leofwine (c1035-1066), sometime between 1056 and 1058, became Earl of Kent, a new earldom at the time. [[2] (http://www.geocities.com/egfrothos/Godwins.html)] It is possible that Godwin was the first Earl of Kent, since he ruled over that area as well as many others.
After Leofwine's death at Hastings in 1066, William the Conqueror named his half-brother, Odo of Bayeux (c1036-1097), who was also Bishop of Bayeux, the new Earl of Kent. However, Odo was twice removed from this title. The first occassion was in 1082, when he was imprissoned; the second was in 1088, after aiding in the Rebellion of 1088, afterwhich he fled England.
It wasn't until 1141 that the title returned, this time for William de Ipres; but he was deprived of the title in 1155. In 1227 it was revived for Hubert de Burgh, but became extinct with his death. In 1321, it was again revived for Edmund of Woodstock, and through the marriage of Joan Plantagenet to Thomas Holland, the title passed to the Holland family, which held the title until 1408. In 1461 it was revived for William Neville, and then in 1465 for Edmund Grey. The Grey family held the title until Henry Grey.
Henry Grey (1671-1740) succeeded his father, Anthony Grey, as the 12th Earl of Kent in 1702. In 1706, he was elevated to Marquess of Kent, along with Earl of Harold and Viscount Goderich. In 1710 he was elevated once again as Duke of Kent, and later Marquess Grey (1740). Henry had one son, George, who took the title Earl of Harold, and a daughter Lady Jemima. By the time of Henry's death in 1740, George, his only son, had died (in 1733), leaving the 1st Duke of Kent without a male heir. His daughter would inherit the title of Marquess Grey and Baron of Lucas, but all of Henry's other titles, particularly Duke of Kent, became extinct with his death. And for the next 59 years the title remained so.
On 23 April 1799, the duchy of Kent was, as a joint title with the duchy of Strathearn and the earldom of Dublin, given to King George III's fourth son, Prince Edward Augustus Hanover. Edward had only one, a daughter, Princess Alexandrina Victoria Hanover of Kent. Upon Edward's death in 1820, the dutchy of Kent became extinct, as he had no male heir and his daughter, in 1837, became Queen of England. A title associated with Kent would remain in abayence for the next 46 years.
The next creation of a title of Kent, was not that of Duke or Marquess, but rather that of Earl, with the creation of Prince Alfred of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1844-1900), the second son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, as Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Ulster, and of Kent in 1866. Prince Alfred had only one son, Prince Alfred, who would have probably inherited the title of Earl of Kent, among his father's other titles, had he not died before his father in 1899. With Prince Alfred's death in 1900, Kent's title once again became extinct.
In 1934, Prince George (1902-1942), the fourth son of King George V of the United Kingdom and Queen Mary, became Duke of Kent, along with Earl of St Andrews and Baron Downpatrick. Prince George had three children before his death in 1942: Prince Edward, Princess Alexandra, and Prince Michael. Prince Edward, upon his father's death, suceeded to his father's titles as 2nd Duke of Kent, Earl of St Andrews, and Baron Downpatrick. He is the current Duke of Kent.
The future of the duchy of Kent seems quite secure, as Prince Edward has three children, two of which are sons, and all of which have children of their own. The current heir to the duchy of Kent is George Windsor (1962-), the Earl of St Andrews. George married in 1988, and has three children of his own, his heir being Edward Windsor, Baron Downpatrick (1988-).
Duties & Other Titles
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The current Duke of Kent carries out numerous duties for the monarchy, both military and civil. The present Duke of Kent has performed a number of state visits to Commonwealth nations on behalf of the Queen. He has also acted as Counsellor of State. His Royal Highness is the Grand Prior (or Grand Master) of the Order of St Michael and St George. He also attends the State Opening Parliament. He holds numerous other appointments in the military.
The Duke of Kent holds the following subsidiary titles:
As a curtisy title, the heir to the duchy takes the title of Earl of St Andrews. The son of the heir takes the title Baron Downpatrick.
Coat of Arms
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The coat of arms anciently associated with Kent is that of a white horse rampant upon a red field. This is primarily associated with the Kingdom of Kent and possibly the earldom as well. Today, this is seen on the Council of Kent's arms and flag. As a direct descendant of Queen Victoria, this is not the coat of arms of the present Duke of Kent. The coat of arms of the Duke of Kent consists of the following:
- Arms: those of the Royal Arms, differenced by a label of five points argent (white), the points charged with an anchor azure (blue) and a cross gules (red) alternately.
- Crest: On a coronet of four crosses-patées alternated with four strawberry leaves a lion statant guardant or (gold), crowned with the like coronet and differenced with a label as in the Arms.
- Supporters: The Royal Supporters differenced with the like coronet (as in the crest) and label as in the arms. [[3] (http://www.burkes-peerage.net/Sites/Peerage/SitePages/page62-6i.asp)]
The standard of the Duke of Kent is a flag version of his arms [[4] (http://flagspot.net/flags/gb-rooth.html)]. The personal badge the present Duke of York is 'E' encircled by the garter of the Order of the Garter, surmounted by a ducal coronet.
Residence
The only presently known residence of the Duke and Duchess of Kent is York House at St. James's Palace.
The Dukes of Kent
There have been three periods in which there has been a Duke of Kent, the first occuring in 1710, the second in 1799 as a joint duchy, and the third and present period in 1934. Prior to these, the title existed as an earldom. (See Earls of Kent.) The creation of the title in 1799 is not counted as the second creation because it was a joint title with another duchy, which is no longer associated with the duchy of Kent.
Dukes of Kent, First Creation (1710)
Dukes of Kent and Strathearn (1799)
Dukes of Kent, Second Creation (1934)
Future Dukes of Kent
- Heir Apparent to the present Duke of Kent: George Philip Nicholas Windsor, Earl of St Andrews (b June 26 1962)
- The Heir to the present Earl of St Andrews: Edward Edmund Maximilian George Windsor, Lord Downpatrick (b. December 2 1988)
Knights of the Garter
A number of the earls and dukes of Kent have also been knights of the Order of the Garter. The following shows both those earls that have been, as well as those dukes that have been.
Earls of Kent
- 1348 - Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent
- 1376 - Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent
- 1397 - Thomas Holland, 3rd Earl of Kent
- 1403 - Edmund Holland, 4th Earl of Kent
- 1439 - William Neville, 1st Earl of Kent
- 1505 - Richard Grey, 3rd Earl of Kent
Dukes of Kent
- 1713 - Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Kent (1671-1740)
- 1801 - Prince Edward, 1st Duke of Kent and Strathearn (1767-1820)
- 1923 - Prince George, 1st Duke of Kent (1902-1942)
- 1985 - Prince Edward, 2nd Duke of Kent (1935-)
See also: