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Duke of Connaught and Strathearn

"Duke of Connaught" redirects here. For ships with this name, see SS Duke of Connaught.

Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom that was granted on 24 May 1874 by Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to her third son, Prince Arthur.[1] At the same time, he was also granted the subsidiary title of Earl of Sussex.

Dukedom of Connaught
and Strathearn
Arms of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (version used from 1874 to 1917)
Creation date24 May 1874
Created byQueen Victoria
PeeragePeerage of the United Kingdom
First holderPrince Arthur
Last holderAlastair Windsor
Remainder tothe 1st Duke's heirs male of the body lawfully begotten
Subsidiary titlesEarl of Sussex
StatusExtinct
Extinction date26 April 1943

History

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Memorial in Winchester Cathedral to the 1st Duke of Connaught and Strathearn

By tradition, members of the sovereign's family received titles associated with England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, the four Home Nations that made up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The Dukedom of Connaught and Strathearn was named after one of the four provinces of Ireland, now known by its modern Irish language-based spelling of Connacht. It was seen as the title that, if available, would henceforth be awarded to the British monarch's third son. The first son is the Duke of Cornwall (in England) and Duke of Rothesay (in Scotland), and would be made Prince of Wales at some point, while the second son would often become Duke of York, if the title was available.

The title Strathearn referred to the strath (valley) of the River Earn in Scotland; the ancient title Earl/Mormaer of Strathearn died out in the 15th century.[2]

Since the exit of the Irish Free State from the United Kingdom in 1922, titles related to locations in the Free State (and later the Republic of Ireland) have not been awarded (though Prince Edward, Prince of Wales—in 1936 briefly King Edward VIII—was made a Knight of the Order of St Patrick). However, territorial titles relating to Northern Ireland have continued to be awarded.

After Prince Arthur's death in 1942, the title was inherited by his grandson, Alastair. In the absence of any male heirs, the dukedom became extinct when Alastair died, 15 months after his grandfather.

A Canadian military regiment, The British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught's Own), is a Canadian armoured regiment in the 1st Duke's name. A British Indian Army cavalry regiment, the 6th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers (Watson's Horse), was also named for the 1st Duke.

Dukes of Connaught and Strathearn (1874)

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# Name Portrait Birth Death Spouse Term as Duke Other titles Coat of Arms
1 The Prince Arthur   1 May 1850
Buckingham Palace, London
son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha		 16 January 1942
at Bagshot Park,
aged 91		 Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia
(married 13 March 1879)
3 children		 1874–1942 Earl of Sussex (1874)  
2 Alastair Windsor   9 August 1914
Mayfair, London
son of Prince Arthur of Connaught and Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife		 26 April 1943
in Ottawa,
aged 28		 Never married 1942–1943 Earl of Sussex (1874)  
Alastair Windsor had no children and all his titles became extinct on his death.

Family trees

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Family tree showing the interrelation of the dukedom of Connaught & Strathearn with the dukedom of Fife

Possible future creations

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The Dukedom is currently vacant. While there were some speculations that it was one of the options available for Prince Harry upon his wedding with Meghan Markle, press reports have also noted that Connaught is now part of the Republic of Ireland, as well as the supposed manner in which the last Duke of Connaught and Strathearn died, thus making it unsuitable.[3][4]

Strathearn is a subsidiary Earldom in the Dukedom of Cambridge.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "No. 24098". The London Gazette. 26 May 1874. p. 2779.
  2. ^ "Strath Earn from The Gazetteer for Scotland". www.scottish-places.info. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  3. ^ Scotti, Monique (19 May 2018). "A look at Harry and Meghan's new titles: Duke and Duchess of Sussex". Global News. Retrieved 19 May 2018. Connaught isn't much better. With its close ties to the Republic of Ireland, it wouldn't have made the best choice. The last holder, Alastair, Duke of Connaught, died in 1943 while stationed in Canada with the British army, which seems like it might be a good fit considering Harry's ties to the military. But Alastair froze to death after falling out a window while drunk.
  4. ^ Davies, Caroline (19 May 2018). "Harry and Meghan to be Duke and Duchess of Sussex". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 May 2018. Other available dukedoms had limitations. Connaught is now in the Irish Republic...
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