This is a list of the 30 present dukes in the peerages of the Kingdom of England, Kingdom of Scotland, Kingdom of Great Britain, Kingdom of Ireland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 1927 and after. For a more complete historical listing, including extinct, dormant, abeyant, forfeit dukedoms in addition to these extant ones, see List of dukedoms in the peerages of Britain and Ireland.
History In the Peerage of England, the title of duke was created 74 times (using 40 different titles: the rest were recreations). Out of the 74 times, 37 titles are now extinct (including the two women's), 16 titles were forfeit or surrendered, 10 were merged with the Crown, and 11 are extant (see list below). The first, Cornwall, is a title that automatically goes to the heir apparent (if and only if he is also the eldest living son of the Sovereign). One of the duchies that was merged into the Crown, Lancaster, still provides income to the sovereign. All but three of the non-royal ducal titles which became extinct did so before the 20th century (the Duke of Leeds became extinct in 1964, the Duke of Newcastle in 1988, and the Duke of Portland in 1990). The last English dukedom to be forfeit became so in 1715. The last British dukedom to become extinct was the title of Duke of Portland in 1990.
Three times a woman was created a duchess in her own right: Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland, chief mistress of Charles II of England; Anne Scott, 1st Duchess of Buccleuch, wife of Charles II's eldest illegitimate son, the Duke of Monmouth; and Cecilia Underwood, Duchess of Inverness, wife of Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, whose marriage was in contravention of the Royal Marriages Act 1772 and therefore she was not allowed to share her husband's rank. In addition, the Dukedom of Marlborough was once inherited by a woman, the 2nd Duchess of Marlborough, through a special remainder, as happened to the Dukedom of Hamilton when it was inherited by Anne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton and also the royal Dukedom of Fife, which was created for the Earl Fife by Queen Victoria, on the occasion of his marriage to Louise, Princess Royal (eldest daughter of the future King Edward VII). A second dukedom of Fife was created in 1900 that could pass through the female line; this was eventually inherited by Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife.
The oldest six titles—each created between 1337 and 1386—were Duke of Cornwall (1337), Duke of Lancaster (1351), Duke of Clarence (1362), Duke of York (1385), Duke of Gloucester (1385), and Duke of Ireland (1386). The Duke of Ireland was a title used for only two years and is somewhat confusing since only a small portion of Ireland was really under the control of England in 1386; it is not to be confused with the dukedoms of the Peerage of Ireland. Clarence has not been used since 1478, when George (the brother of Edward IV) was executed for treason. (However, Clarence has since been used as half of a double title, most recently until 1892 when Victoria's grandson (and son of the Prince of Wales), the Duke of Clarence and Avondale, died at the age of 28.) The titles of Duke of York and the Duke of Gloucester have both become extinct more than once and both have been re-created as titles within the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Both titles are reserved for princes (and their descendants). The Duke of Lancaster has merged with the Crown and so is held by the monarch; the duchy of Lancaster provides a large private income to the monarch, in much the same way as the duchy of Cornwall does to the Prince (or Princess) of Wales.
Besides the dukedoms of Cornwall and Lancaster, the oldest extant title is that of Duke of Norfolk, dating from 1483 (the title was first created in 1397). The Duke of Norfolk is considered the premier duke of England. The premier duke of Scotland is the Duke of Hamilton and Brandon. The premier duke of Ireland is the Duke of Leinster.
Order of precedence
The general order of precedence among dukes is: Dukes in the Peerage of England, in order of creation Dukes in the Peerage of Scotland, in order of creation Dukes in the Peerage of Great Britain, in order of creation Dukes in the Peerage of Ireland created before 1801, in order of creation Dukes in the Peerage of the United Kingdom and dukes in the Peerage of Ireland created after 1801, in order of creation
Whilst the general order of precedence is set according to the age of the peerage, the sovereign's grace may accord any peer higher precedence than the date of ducal creation would warrant. The royal dukes are dukes of the United Kingdom, but rank higher in the order of precedence than the age of their titles warrants, due to their close relationships to the monarch. The Duke of Cornwall holds precedence above all dukes, royal and non-royal; he is concurrently the Prince of Wales, and the Duke of Rothesay, and of Cambridge.
Dukes in the peerages of Britain and Ireland
#TitleCreationPeerageCurrent holderNotesDukeAgeAccession1Duke of Cornwall1337As the eldest son of the Sovereign, the Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay ranks higher in precedence than he would by virtue of the seniority of his dukedoms alone.England2022Also Duke of Rothesay in the Peerage of Scotland 1398 and Duke of Cambridge in the Peerage of the United Kingdom 2011 – see below2Duke of Norfolk1483England2002Hereditary Earl Marshal of England, responsible for royal ceremony.3Duke of Somerset1547England1984 4Duke of Richmond1675England2017Also Duke of Lennox in the Peerage of Scotland (1675) – see below5Duke of Grafton1675England2011 6Duke of Beaufort1682England2017 7Duke of St Albans1684England2026 8Duke of Bedford1694England2003 9Duke of Devonshire1694England2004 10Duke of Marlborough1702England2014 11Duke of Rutland1703England1999 —Duke of Rothesay1398Scotland2022Also Duke of Cornwall in the Peerage of England (1337) – see above12Duke of Hamilton1643Scotland2010Also Duke of Brandon in the Peerage of Great Britain (1711) – see below13Duke of Buccleuch1663Scotland2007Also Duke of Queensberry in the Peerage of the Scotland (1684) – see below—Duke of Lennox1675Scotland2017Also Duke of Richmond in the Peerage of England (1675) – see above—Duke of Queensberry1684Scotland2007Also Duke of Buccleuch in the Peerage of Scotland (1663) – see above14Duke of Argyll1701Scotland2001Also Duke of Argyll in the Peerage of the United Kingdom (1892) – see below15Duke of Atholl1703Scotland2012 16Duke of Montrose1707Scotland1992 17Duke of Roxburghe1707Scotland2019 —Duke of Brandon1711Great Britain2010Also Duke of Hamilton in the Peerage of Scotland (1643) – see above18Duke of Manchester1719Great Britain2002 19Duke of Northumberland1766Great Britain1995 20Duke of Leinster1766Ireland2004 21Duke of Wellington1814United Kingdom2014 22Duke of Sutherland1833United Kingdom2000 23Duke of Abercorn1868The Dukedom of Abercorn was created after the Acts of Union 1800. It takes precedence after earlier Dukedoms of the United Kingdom.Ireland1979 24Duke of Westminster1874United Kingdom2016 —Duke of Gordon1876United Kingdom2017Also Duke of Richmond in the Peerage of England (1675) and Duke of Lennox in the Peerage of Scotland (1675) - see above—Duke of Argyll1892United Kingdom2001Also Duke of Argyll in the Peerage of Scotland (1701) – see above25Duke of Fife1900United Kingdom2015 26Duke of Gloucester1928United Kingdom1974 27Duke of Kent1934United Kingdom1942 28Duke of York1986United Kingdom1986In 2025 Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was removed from the Roll of the Peerage. Although this did not revoke his peerage, he is no longer entitled to any place in the orders of precedence derived from it, and has ceased to be addressed or referred to by the title in official documents.—Duke of Cambridge2011United Kingdom2011Also Duke of Rothesay in the Peerage of Scotland (1398) and Duke of Cornwall in the Peerage of England (1337) – see above.29Duke of Sussex2018As members of the royal family, these dukes rank higher in precedence than they would by virtue of the seniority of their dukedoms alone.United Kingdom2018 30Duke of Edinburgh2023United Kingdom2023Life peerage
List of heirs of dukes in the peerages of the British Isles Heirs apparent
HeirDukedomRelationshipNotesRoyal dukedomsAlexander Windsor, Earl of UlsterGloucesterOnly sonGeorge Windsor, Earl of St AndrewsKentElder sonPrince George of WalesCambridgeElder sonNot styled Earl of StrathearnPrince Archie of SussexSussexOnly sonNot styled Earl of DumbartonPeerage of EnglandHenry Fitzalan-Howard, Earl of ArundelNorfolkEldest sonSebastian, Lord SeymourSomersetElder sonCharles Gordon-Lennox, Earl of March and KinraraRichmondEldest sonAlfred FitzRoy, Earl of EustonGraftonElder sonHenry FitzRoy Somerset, Marquess of WorcesterBeaufortElder sonJames Beauclerk, Earl of BurfordSt AlbansOnly sonHenry Russell, Marquess of TavistockBedfordOnly sonWilliam Cavendish, Earl of BurlingtonDevonshireOnly sonDoes not use Marquess of HartingtonGeorge Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of BlandfordMarlboroughElder sonCharles Manners, Marquess of GranbyRutlandElder sonPeerage of ScotlandDouglas Douglas-Hamilton, Marquess of Douglas and ClydesdaleHamiltonEldest sonWalter Scott, Earl of DalkeithBuccleuchElder sonCharles Gordon-Lennox, Earl of March and KinraraLennoxEldest sonSee Duke of RichmondWalter Scott, Earl of DalkeithQueensberryElder sonSee Duke of BuccleuchArchibald Campbell, Marquess of LorneArgyllElder sonMichael Murray, Marquess of TullibardineAthollElder sonJames Graham, Marquess of GrahamMontroseElder sonFrederick Innes-Ker, Marquess of Bowmont and CessfordRoxburgheOnly sonPeerage of Great BritainDouglas Douglas-Hamilton, Marquess of Douglas and ClydesdaleBrandonEldest sonSee Duke of Hamilton George Percy, Earl PercyNorthumberlandElder sonPeerage of the United KingdomArthur Wellesley, Earl of MorningtonWellingtonElder sonDoes not use Marquess of DouroJames Granville Egerton, Marquess of StaffordSutherlandElder sonJames Hamilton Marquess of HamiltonAbercornElder sonCharles Gordon-Lennox, Earl of March and KinraraGordonEldest sonSee Duke of RichmondCharles Duff Carnegie, Earl of SoutheskFifeEldest son
Heirs presumptive
HeirDukedomRelationshipNotesPeerage of Great BritainLord Kimble MontaguManchesterYounger brotherPeerage of IrelandEdward FitzGeraldLeinsterNephew
Dukes without heirs/life-only dukedoms
DukeNotesRoyal dukedomsDuke of YorkMarried with issue but no sons.Duke of EdinburghDukedom granted for life only.Peerage of the United KingdomDuke of WestminsterMarried with issue but no sons.Duke and Duchess of Westminster ‘thrilled’ at birth of daughter The telegraph
See also British nobility Dukes in the United Kingdom Duchies in England
Notes
References
Sources Burke′s Peerage and Gentry