Duke of Gloucester

Arms of Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester

**Duke of Gloucester** (<templatestyles src="IPA/styles.css"/>/ˈɡlɒstər<templatestyles src="IPA/styles.css"/>/

) 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 the Prince Henry, third son of King George V. Upon Prince Henry's death, the dukedom was inherited by his only surviving son Prince Richard, who still holds the title. The heir 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 lacks any royal style. Therefore, he will be styled as *His Grace The Duke of Gloucester*.

## Dukes of Gloucester

### Fifth creation, 1928

 **Prince Richard**House of Windsor1974–present*also: Earl of Ulster and Baron Culloden (1928)* |  | 26 August 1944St. Matthew's Nursing Home, Northamptonson of Prince Henry and Princess Alice | Birgitte van Deurs8 June 19723 children

## Line of succession

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* *Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester (1900–1974)*
	+ *Prince William of Gloucester (1941–1972)*
	+ Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester (born 1944)
		- **(1)** Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster (born 1974)
			* **(2)** Xan Windsor, Lord Culloden (born 2007)

## See also

* List of dukedoms by reign
* Earl of Gloucester

## External links

* Duke of Gloucester

Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). "Gloucester, Earls and Dukes of". *Encyclopædia Britannica*. **12** (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 128–129.

## References

1. ↑ London Gazette, Issue:33371,Page:2321[1]