Duchess of Gloucester

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Duchess of Gloucester
Coat of Arms of Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester (Order of the Garter).svg
First holder Eleanor de Bohun
Present holder Birgitte van Deurs Henriksen
StatusCurrent

Duchess of Gloucester is the principal courtesy title used by the wife of the Duke of Gloucester. There have been five titles referring to Gloucester since the 14th century. The current duchess is Birgitte, the wife of Prince Richard. He inherited the dukedom on 10 June 1974 upon the death of his father, Prince Henry, the third son of George V.

Contents

History

When Thomas of Woodstock, youngest son of Edward III and Philippa of Hainault, was created duke of Gloucester around 1385, his wife Eleanor de Bohun, daughter of Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford, and Joan Fitzalan, became duchess of Gloucester. [1] Thomas was stripped of his dukedom after being declared guilty of treason in 1397. Their son Humphrey, 2nd Earl of Buckingham, did not inherit. Thomas died in 1397 and his duchess, Eleanor in 1399.[ citation needed ]

The next duchess was Jacqueline, Countess of Hainaut, daughter of William II, Duke of Bavaria, and Margaret of Burgundy, the wife of Humphrey of Lancaster, Duke of Gloucester, who had been created duke in 1414. They married in 1422 but the marriage was annulled in 1428. [2] Humphrey then married his mistress, Eleanor Cobham, of the Cobham family, after the annulment of his marriage of Jacqueline, but this married was also annulled. [3] Humphrey died in 1447 with no legitimate issue, thus the dukedom was extinct. [ citation needed ]

Anne, Dowager Princess of Wales, widow of Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales, married Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who had been made duke in 1461, in 1472. The dukedom merged with the crown upon his accession to the throne in 1483 and Anne became queen consort. [4]

The next dukes of Gloucester, Henry Stuart, died unmarried. The next two, Prince William and Prince Frederick, were only styled as Duke of Gloucester and died unmarried or were unmarried during their time styled as duke.[ citation needed ]

The next iteration of the title was as the joint dukedom of Gloucester and Edinburgh, created in 1764 for Prince William Henry, younger brother of George III. Prince William Henry married Maria Waldegrave, Dowager Countess Waldegrave, the illegitimate daughter of Sir Edward Walpole, in 1766, thus making her the first Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh. [5] Prince William Henry died in 1805. His son and successor, Prince William Frederick, married his first cousin Princess Mary in 1816. They had no children and Prince William Frederick died in 1834, the dukedom becoming extinct on his death. [6]

George V created his third son Prince Henry duke of Gloucester in 1928. When he married Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott in 1935, she became his duchess. [7] They had two sons, Prince William and Prince Richard. Prince Henry died in 1974, Prince William predeceased him and he was thus succeeded by his second son Prince Richard, whose wife, Birgitte van Deurs Henriksen, whom he had married in 1972, became duchess and has remained so since. [8]

List of titleholders

Duchess of Gloucester (England, 1385–1397)

Other titles: Duchess of Aumale, Countess of Buckingham, Countess of Essex

DuchessPortraitBirthMarriage(s)Death
Eleanor de Bohun
Bohun family
1385–1397
Arms of the House of de Bohun.svg c.1366

daughter of Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford, and Joan Fitzalan
1376
Thomas of Woodstock
5 children
3 October 1399
aged 32 or 33

Duchess of Gloucester (England, 1414–1447)

Other titles: Countess of Pembroke

DuchessPortraitBirthMarriage(s)Death
Jacqueline, Countess of Hainaut
House of Wittelsbach
1422–1428
Jan van Eyck 097.jpg 15 July 1401
Le Quesnoy, County of Hainaut

daughter of William II, Duke of Bavaria, and Margaret of Burgundy
1422–1428 (annulled)
Humphrey of Lancaster
1 child (stillborn)
8 October 1436
aged 35
Eleanor Cobham
Cobham family
1428–1441
Humphrey & Eleanor.jpg c.1400
Starborough Castle, Surrey

daughter of Reynold Cobham, 3rd Baron Cobham, and Eleanor Culpeper
1428–1441 (annulled)
Humphrey of Lancaster
2 children
7 July 1452
aged 51 or 52

Duchess of Gloucester (England, 1461–1483)

DuchessPortraitBirthMarriage(s)Death
Anne, Dowager Princess of Wales
House of Neville
1472–1483
AnneNevilleRous.jpg 11 June 1456
Warwick Castle, Warwickshire

daughter of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, and Anne Beauchamp
1472
Richard, Duke of Gloucester
1 child
16 March 1485
aged 28

Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh (Great Britain, 1764–1834)

Other titles: Countess of Connaught

DuchessPortraitBirthMarriage(s)Death
Maria Waldegrave, Dowager Countess Waldegrave
Walpole family
1766–1805
Maria, Duchess of Gloucester (1739-1807).jpg 10 July 1736
St James's, Westminster

daughter of Sir Edward Walpole and Dorothy Clement
6 September 1766
Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh
3 children
22 August 1807
aged 71
The Princess Mary
House of Hanover
1816–1834
Mary of Great Britain duchess of Gloucester.jpeg 25 April 1776
Buckingham House, London

daughter of George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
22 July 1816
Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh
No children
30 April 1857
aged 81

Duchess of Gloucester (United Kingdom, 1928–present)

Other titles: Countess of Ulster, Baroness Culloden

DuchessPortraitBirthMarriage(s)Death
Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott
Montagu Douglas Scott family
1935–1974
Princess Alice in King George VI's Coronation (cropped).jpg 25 December 1901
Montagu House, London

daughter of John Montagu Douglas Scott, 7th Duke of Buccleuch and 9th Duke of Queensberry, and Lady Margaret Bridgeman
6 November 1935
Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
2 children
29 October 2004
aged 102
Birgitte van Deurs Henriksen
Henriksen family
1974–present
Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester 2015.jpg 20 June 1946
Odense, Denmark

daughter of Asger Henriksen and Vivian van Deurs
8 July 1972
Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester
3 children
 
now 77 years, 311 days old

Possible future duchesses

Richard and Birgitte's only son Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster, married Claire Booth in 2002. They are currently known by the courtesy titles Earl and Countess of Ulster. As George is three generations removed from the crown he is not a prince. Upon his accession Claire would be styled Her Grace The Duchess of Gloucester.

Alexander and Claire’s only son Xan, born in 2007, is currently unmarried.

Arms

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester</span> British prince (born 1944)

Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester is a member of the British royal family. He is the second son of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, and the youngest of the nine grandchildren of King George V and Queen Mary. He is 31st in the line of succession to the British throne, and the highest person on the list who is not a descendant of George VI, who was his uncle. At the time of his birth, he was 5th in line to the throne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester</span> 14th-century English prince and nobleman

Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester was the fifth surviving son and youngest child of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester</span> Lord Protector of England from 1422 to 1437

Humphrey of Lancaster, Duke of Gloucester was an English prince, soldier and literary patron. He was "son, brother and uncle of kings", being the fourth and youngest son of Henry IV of England, the brother of Henry V, and the uncle of Henry VI. Gloucester fought in the Hundred Years' War and acted as Lord Protector of England during the minority of his nephew. A controversial figure, he has been characterised as reckless, unprincipled, and fractious, but is also noted for his intellectual activity and for being the first significant English patron of humanism, in the context of the Renaissance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duke of Gloucester</span> Aristocratic title

Duke of Gloucester is a British royal title, 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.

Duke of Buckingham, referring to Buckingham, is an extinct title that has been created several times in the peerages of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. There were creations of double dukedoms of Buckingham and Normanby and of Buckingham and Chandos. The last holder of the dukedom died in 1889.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duke of Clarence</span> Title traditionally awarded to members of the English and British Royal families

Duke of Clarence was a substantive title created three times in the Peerage of England. The title Duke of Clarence and St Andrews has also been created in the Peerage of Great Britain, and Duke of Clarence and Avondale and Earl of Clarence in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The titles have traditionally been awarded to junior members of the English and British royal family, and all are now extinct.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duke of Buccleuch</span> Scottish title of nobility

Duke of Buccleuch, formerly also spelt Duke of Buccleugh, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland created twice on 20 April 1663, first for James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, and second suo jure for his wife Anne Scott, 4th Countess of Buccleuch. Monmouth, the eldest illegitimate son of King Charles II, was attainted after rebelling against his uncle King James II and VII, but his wife's title was unaffected and passed on to their descendants, who have successively borne the surnames Scott, Montagu-Scott, Montagu Douglas Scott and Scott again. In 1810, the 3rd Duke of Buccleuch inherited the Dukedom of Queensberry, also in the Peerage of Scotland, thus separating that title from the Marquessate of Queensberry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duchess of Kent</span> Royal title

Duchess of Kent is the principal courtesy title used by the wife of the Duke of Kent. There have been four titles referring to Kent since the 18th century. The current duchess is Katharine, the wife of Prince Edward. He inherited the dukedom on 25 August 1942 upon the death of his father, Prince George, the fourth son of George V.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl of Ulster</span> Title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom

The title of Earl of Ulster has been created six times in the Peerage of Ireland and twice in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since 1928, the title has been held by the Duke of Gloucester and is used as a courtesy title by the Duke's eldest son, currently Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster. The wife of the Earl of Ulster is known as the Countess of Ulster. Ulster, one of the four traditional provinces of Ireland, consists of nine counties: six of these make up Northern Ireland; the remainder are in the Republic of Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford</span> English nobleman

Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford, 6th Earl of Essex, 2nd Earl of Northampton, KG was the son of William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton, and Elizabeth de Badlesmere, and grandson of Humphrey de Bohun, 3rd Earl of Hereford, by Elizabeth of Rhuddlan, daughter of King Edward I. He became heir to the Earldom of Hereford after the death of his childless uncle Humphrey de Bohun, 6th Earl of Hereford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne of Gloucester</span> Countess of Stafford

Anne of Gloucester, Countess of Stafford was the eldest daughter and eventually sole heiress of Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester, by his wife Eleanor de Bohun, one of the two daughters and co-heiresses of Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford, 6th Earl of Essex (1341–1373) of Pleshey Castle in Essex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Walpole</span> Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh

Maria, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh was a member of the British royal family. She was the Countess Waldegrave from 1759 to 1766, as a result of her first marriage to James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave. Her second husband was Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh, whom she married in 1766.

Edmund Stafford, 5th Earl of Stafford and 1st Baron Audley, KG, KB was the son of Hugh de Stafford, 2nd Earl of Stafford, and his wife Philippa de Beauchamp.

Alice de Warenne, Countess of Arundel was an English noblewoman and heir apparent to the Earldom of Surrey. In 1305, she married Edmund FitzAlan, 2nd Earl of Arundel.

Joan FitzAlan, Countess of Hereford, Countess of Essex and Countess of Northampton was the wife of the 7th Earl of Hereford, 6th Earl of Essex and 2nd Earl of Northampton. She was the mother of Mary de Bohun, the first wife of Henry of Bolingbroke who later reigned as King Henry IV, and Eleanor de Bohun, Duchess of Gloucester. She was the maternal grandmother of King Henry V.

Elizabeth Fitzalan, Countess of Arundel, Countess of Surrey, was a member of the Anglo-Norman Bohun family, which wielded much power in the Welsh Marches and the English government. She was the first wife of Richard FitzAlan, a powerful English nobleman and military commander in the reigns of Edward III and Richard II. She was the mother of seven of his children, and as the wife of one of the most powerful nobles in the realm, enjoyed much prestige and took precedence over most of the other peers' wives.

Eleanor de Braose was a Cambro-Norman noblewoman and a wealthy co-heiress of her father, who was the powerful Marcher lord William de Braose, and of her mother, Eva Marshal, a co-heiress of the Earls of Pembroke. Her husband was Humphrey de Bohun, heir of the 2nd Earl of Hereford, by whom she had children, including Humphrey de Bohun, 3rd Earl of Hereford and Gilbert de Bohun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bohun family</span> English noble family of the late Middle Ages

The de Bohun then Bohun family is an English noble family of Norman origin that played a prominent role in English political and military history during the Late Middle Ages. The swan used by the family and their descendants as a heraldic badge came to be called the Bohun swan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duchess of Edinburgh</span> Royal title

Duchess of Edinburgh is the principal courtesy title held by the wife of the Duke of Edinburgh. There have been five Duchesses of Edinburgh since the title's creation. Following the accession of Charles III in 2022, the 3rd creation of the Dukedom of Edinburgh merged in the Crown. Following his parents’ wishes, on 10 March 2023, Charles III conferred the title Duke of Edinburgh to his youngest brother, Prince Edward, and his wife, Sophie, became the Duchess of Edinburgh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlotte FitzRoy, Countess of Euston</span> English noblewoman (1761–1808)

Charlotte FitzRoy, Countess of Euston, was the wife of George FitzRoy, 4th Duke of Grafton. Although she is sometimes referred to as "Duchess of Grafton", her husband did not inherit the dukedom until 1811, after his wife's death.

References

  1. Ward, Jennifer C. (2013). English Noblewomen in the Later Middle Ages. Routledge. p. 133.
  2. Alison Weir: Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy, p. 128. [retrieved 19 June 2015].
  3. Moorhouse, Dan (31 December 2021). "Timeline of the Hundred Years War 1337–1453 | Eleanor Cobham". The Hundred Years War.
  4. Kendall P.M., Richard III, 1955. Reprinted: Kendall, Paul Murray (2002). Richard the Third. W.W. Norton. p. 608. ISBN   978-0393007855.
  5. "Berkshire History: Biographies: Maria Walpole, Duchess of Gloucester (1737–1807)". Archived from the original on 23 October 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2007.
  6. Purdue, A.W. (2004b). "William Frederick, Prince, second duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh (1776–1834)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/29457.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  7. Bowles, Hamish (18 May 2018). "The Royal Bride Who Wore Pink". Vogue. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  8. "The Duchess of Gloucester". The Royal Family. 13 November 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2017.