View source for Duke of Cambridge

{{Short description|Title in the peerage of the United Kingdom}}
{{about|the title|the current holder of the title|William, Prince of Wales}}
{{Redirect|Duchess of Cambridge|the current holder of that title|Catherine, Princess of Wales}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox nobility title
| name              = Dukedom of Cambridge 
| image             = [[File:Coat of Arms of William, Duke of Cambridge.svg|180px]] 
| image_size        =  
| alt               =  
| caption           = 
| creation_date     = 29 April 2011 (announced)<ref name="titles"/><br />26 May 2011 (Letters Patent)<ref name="gazette2011">{{London Gazette |issue=59798 |date=1 June 2011 |page=10297}}</ref> 
| creation          = Fifth 
| monarch           = [[Elizabeth II]]
| peerage           = [[Peerage of the United Kingdom]] 
| baronetage        =  
| first_holder      =  [[Charles Stuart, Duke of Cambridge (1660–1661)|Charles Stuart]]
| last_holder       =  
| present_holder    = [[William, Prince of Wales]] 
| heir_apparent     = [[Prince George of Wales|Prince George]] 
| heir_presumptive  =  
| remainder_to      = the 1st Duke's [[heirs male]] [[heirs of the body|of the body]] lawfully begotten<ref name="gazette2011"/> 
| subsidiary_titles = [[Earl of Strathearn]]<br />[[Baron Carrickfergus]] 
| status            = Extant 
| extinction_date   =  
| motto             =  
| footnotes         =  
}}
'''Duke of Cambridge''' is a [[hereditary title]] of nobility in the [[British royal family]], one of several [[royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom]]. The title is named after the city<ref name="british-history-66605">{{cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=66605 |title=The city of Cambridge&nbsp;– Modern history &#124; A History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely: Volume 3: The City and University of Cambridge (1959) |pages=15–29 |year=1959 |access-date=26 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120612160851/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=66605 |archive-date=12 June 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> of [[Cambridge]] in [[England]]. It is heritable by [[agnatic|male descendants]] by [[primogeniture]], and has been conferred upon various members of the British royal family several times throughout history.

The title of Duke of Cambridge, first created in 1660, superseded an earlier title of [[Earl of Cambridge]]. The title became extinct several times before being revived in 2011, when Queen [[Elizabeth II]] bestowed it on her grandson [[William, Prince of Wales|Prince William]] on 29 April 2011 upon his marriage to [[Catherine Middleton]]. Catherine became known as the Duchess of Cambridge.

==History==
The title was first granted in 1660 by [[Charles II of England]] (immediately following the [[Stuart Restoration|Restoration of the monarchy]]) to his infant eldest nephew [[Charles Stuart, Duke of Cambridge (1660–1661)|Charles Stuart]] (1660–1661), the first son of the Duke of York (later [[King James II]]), though he was never formally created Duke of Cambridge as he died at the age of six months. The first officially recognised creation of the dukedom was in the [[Peerage of England]] in 1664, when King Charles II granted the title to his next eldest surviving nephew [[James Stuart, Duke of Cambridge|James Stuart]], the infant second son of the Duke of York, who died early in 1667 at the age of three, when the title again became extinct. The title was then granted later that year by King Charles II to his next eldest surviving nephew [[Edgar Stuart, Duke of Cambridge|Edgar Stuart]], the third son of the Duke of York, who also died in infancy, in 1671 at the age of three, when the title became extinct the third time. The Duke of York's fourth son [[Charles Stuart, Duke of Cambridge (1677)|Charles]] (his eldest son by his second wife) was also styled Duke of Cambridge in 1677, but died when about a month old, not having lived long enough to be formally created duke.

The title was recreated by Queen Anne in 1706 who granted it to [[George II of Great Britain|George Augustus]] (later King George II), son of the Elector of Hanover (later [[George I of Great Britain|King George I]]), her distant cousin (both being descended from King James I). When the title was created George Augustus was third in line to the throne, after his grandmother [[Sophia of Hanover|Sophia]] and his father. When he ascended to the throne as King George II in 1727, the dukedom merged with the Crown.<ref name="titles">{{cite web|url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/LatestNewsandDiary/Pressreleases/2011/Announcementoftitles29April2011.aspx |title=Announcement of Titles: Statement issued by the press secretary to The Queen |publisher=The Royal Household |date=29 April 2011 |access-date=2012-04-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430090334/http://www.royal.gov.uk/LatestNewsandDiary/Pressreleases/2011/Announcementoftitles29April2011.aspx |archive-date=30 April 2011}}</ref>

The title was again recreated in the [[peerage of the United Kingdom]] and was granted in 1801 by [[King George III]] to his seventh son [[Prince Adolphus]] (1774–1850), then aged 27.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=15429 |page=1403 |date=21 November 1801 |nolink=yes}}</ref> Following his death in 1850 the title was inherited by his only son [[Prince George, Duke of Cambridge|Prince George, 2nd Duke of Cambridge]], whose three sons were barred from inheriting the title as his marriage had been in violation of the [[Royal Marriages Act 1772]]. Thus on the death of the 2nd Duke in 1904 the title again became extinct.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/8138271/Could-William-and-Kate-be-the-next-Duke-and-Duchess-of-Cambridge.html|title=Could William and Kate be the next Duke and Duchess of Cambridge?|author=Tim Ross|date=16 November 2010|work=The Telegraph|access-date=11 February 2012|archive-date=18 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190518102522/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/8138271/Could-William-and-Kate-be-the-next-Duke-and-Duchess-of-Cambridge.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

During the period leading up to the [[Wedding of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, and Sophie Rhys-Jones|1999 wedding]] of [[Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex|Prince Edward]], the youngest son of [[Queen Elizabeth II]], some people speculated that the Dukedom of Cambridge or [[Duke of Sussex|Sussex]] were the most likely to be granted to him, and ''[[The Sunday Telegraph]]'' later reported that Prince Edward was at one point set to be titled Duke of Cambridge.<ref name="telegraph">{{cite news|url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/royal-wedding/8196402/Royal-wedding-Prince-William-asks-the-Queen-not-to-make-him-a-duke.html|title= Royal wedding: Prince William asks the Queen not to make him a duke|author= Richard Eden|date= 12 December 2010|work= The Telegraph|access-date= 12 December 2010|archive-date= 12 January 2022|archive-url= https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/royal-wedding/8196402/Royal-wedding-Prince-William-asks-the-Queen-not-to-make-him-a-duke.html|url-status= live}}</ref> Instead, Prince Edward was created [[Earl of Wessex]], and it was announced that he would eventually be created the next [[Duke of Edinburgh]] after [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|his father]].<ref name="wessex">{{cite web| title=The Earl of Wessex-Styles and Titles| url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/ThecurrentRoyalFamily/TheEarlofWessex/Stylesandtitles.aspx| publisher=The Royal Household| access-date=2012-04-30| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303202843/http://www.royal.gov.uk/ThecurrentRoyalFamily/TheEarlofWessex/Stylesandtitles.aspx| archive-date=3 March 2016| url-status=dead}}</ref>

On 29 April 2011, the day of [[Wedding of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine Middleton|his wedding]], it was announced that Queen Elizabeth II had created her grandson Prince William<!-- William is no longer "of Wales". --> Duke of Cambridge, [[Earl of Strathearn]] and [[Baron Carrickfergus]],<ref name="titles"/> titles relating respectively to places in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, three of the [[constituent countries of the United Kingdom]]. The [[letters patent]] granting these titles received the [[Great Seal of the Realm|great seal]] on 26 May 2011.<ref name="gazette2011"/>

Following the [[Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II|death of Queen Elizabeth II]] in 2022, William and Catherine gained the titles of Prince and Princess of Wales in addition to their titles as Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. They have henceforth been primarily referred to as the Prince and Princess of Wales.<ref>{{cite web |last=Bulbul |first=Nuray |date=15 May 2024 |title=What titles does Prince William have and what do they mean? |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/prince-william-titles-military-meaning-royal-family-b1157881.html |website=The Standard |access-date=7 April 2025}}</ref>

==Dukes of Cambridge==

===''Styled'', 1660===
{| class="wikitable"
!Duke
!Birth
!Marriage(s)
!Death
!Arms
|-
| '''[[Charles Stuart, Duke of Cambridge (1660–1661)|Charles Stuart]]'''<br>[[House of Stuart]]<br>1660–1661
| 22 October 1660<br>[[Worcester Park House|Worcester House]], [[London]]<br>son of [[James II of England|James, Duke of York]] (later King James II) and [[Anne Hyde]]
| not married
| 5 May 1661<br>[[Palace of Whitehall|Whitehall Palace]], [[London]]<br>aged 6 months
|[[File:Coat of arms of James, Duke of Cambridge (1664-1667).png|center|116x116px]]
|}

===First creation, 1664===
{{Nobility table header|name=Duke}}
''Also: [[Earl of Cambridge]] and [[Baron of Dauntsey]] (1664)''
| '''[[James Stuart, Duke of Cambridge|James Stuart]]'''<br>[[House of Stuart]]<br>1664–1667
| [[File:James, Duke of Cambridge - Wright 1666-7.jpg|100px|James Stuart]]
| 12 July 1663<br>[[St James's Palace]], [[London]]<br>son of [[James II of England|James, Duke of York]] (later King James II) and [[Anne Hyde]]
| not married
| 20 June 1667<br>[[Richmond Palace]], [[London]]<br>aged 3

|}

===Second creation, 1667===
{{Nobility table header|name=Duke}}
''Also: [[Earl of Cambridge]] and [[Baron of Dauntsey]] (1667)''
| '''[[Edgar Stuart, Duke of Cambridge|Edgar Stuart]]'''<br>[[House of Stuart]]<br>1667–1671
|
| 14 September 1667<br>[[St James's Palace]], [[London]]<br>son of [[James II of England|James, Duke of York]] (later King James II) and [[Anne Hyde]]
| not married
| 8 June 1671<br>[[Richmond Palace]], [[London]]<br>aged 3

|}

===''Styled'', 1677===
{{Nobility table header|name=Duke}}
| '''[[Charles Stuart, Duke of Cambridge (1677)|Charles Stuart]]'''<br>[[House of Stuart]]<br>1677–1677
| 
| 7 November 1677<br>[[St James's Palace]], [[London]]<br>son of [[James II of England|James, Duke of York]] (later King James II) and [[Mary of Modena]]
| not married
| 12 December 1677<br>[[St James's Palace]], [[London]]<br>aged 35 days

|}

===Third creation, 1706===
''Also: [[Marquess of Cambridge]], [[Earl of Milford Haven]], [[Viscount Northallerton]] and [[Baron Tewkesbury]] (1706)''
{| class="wikitable"
!Duke
!Portrait
!Birth
!Marriage(s)
!Death
!Arms
|-
| '''[[George II of Great Britain|Prince George]]'''<br>[[House of Hanover]]<br>1706–1727<br><small>''[[Prince of Wales]], [[Duke of Cornwall]] and [[Duke of Rothesay]] (1714)''</small>
| [[File:George II.jpg|100px|Prince George Augustus]]
| 30 October / 9 November 1683{{ref|dates|O.S./N.S.}}<br>[[Herrenhausen]], [[Hanover]]<br>son of [[George I of Great Britain|Prince George of Brunswick-Lüneburg]] (later King George I) and [[Sophia Dorothea of Celle]]
| 22 August 1705<br>[[Caroline of Ansbach]]<br>10 children
| 25 October 1760<br>[[Kensington Palace]], [[London]]<br>aged 76
|[[File:Coat of Arms of the Hanoverian Princes of Wales (1714-1760).svg|center|100x100px]]
|-
| colspan="6" |''Prince George succeeded as '''George II''' in 1727 upon [[George I of Great Britain|his father's]] death, and his titles merged with the crown.''
|}

===Fourth creation, 1801===
''Also: [[Earl of Tipperary]] and [[Baron Culloden]] (1801)''
{| class="wikitable"
!Duke
!Portrait
!Birth
!Marriage(s)
!Death
!Arms
|-
| '''[[Prince Adolphus]]'''<br>[[House of Hanover]]<br>1801–1850<br>
| [[File:Adolphus Frederick duke of Cambridge.jpg|100px|Prince Adolphus]]
| 24 February 1774<br>[[Buckingham Palace]], [[London]]<br>son of [[King George III]] and [[Queen Charlotte]]
| 18 June 1818<br>[[Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel]]<br>3 children
| 8 July 1850<br>[[Cambridge House]], [[London]]<br>aged 76
|[[File:Coat of Arms of Adolphus Frederick, Duke of Cambridge.svg|center|100x100px]]
|-
| '''[[Prince George, Duke of Cambridge|Prince George]]'''<br>[[House of Hanover]]<br>1850–1904
| [[File:George 2nd Cambridge.png|100px|Prince George]]
| 26 March 1819<br>Cambridge House, [[Hanover]]<br >son of [[Prince Adolphus]] and [[Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel|Princess Augusta]]
| 8 January 1847<br>[[Sarah Fairbrother]]<br>3 children
| 17 March 1904<br>[[London]]<br>aged 84
|
|-
| colspan="6" |''Prince George's marriage to [[Sarah Fairbrother]] produced three sons. However, due to the [[Royal Marriages Act 1772]], the marriage was invalid (he had not asked for Queen Victoria's approval to marry) and his children were thus illegitimate and could not succeed to his titles; so, accordingly, all his titles became extinct on his death.''
|}

===Fifth creation, 2011===
''Also: [[Earl of Strathearn]] and [[Baron Carrickfergus]] (2011)''
{| class="wikitable"
!Duke
!Portrait
!Birth
!Marriage(s)
!Death
!Arms
|-
| '''[[William, Prince of Wales|Prince William]]'''<br>[[House of Windsor]]<br>2011–present<br><small>''[[Prince of Wales]], [[Duke of Cornwall]] and [[Duke of Rothesay]] (2022)''</small>
| [[File:Prince of Wales in Normandy 2024.jpg|100px]]
| 21 June 1982<br>[[St Mary's Hospital, London]]<br>eldest son of [[Charles III|Charles, Prince of Wales]] (later King Charles III) and [[Diana, Princess of Wales]]
| 29 April 2011<br>[[Catherine Middleton]]<br>3 children
| ''Living (age {{age in years|1982|6|21}})''
|[[File:Coat of Arms of William, Duke of Cambridge.svg|center|100x100px]]
|}

==Line of succession==
If William becomes king, his titles, including the dukedom, will merge with the crown. However, if he dies before becoming king, then his sons are eligible to inherit the dukedom:
{{Tree list}}
*[[File:Coronet of the British Heir Apparent.svg|15px]] '''[[William, Prince of Wales]]''' (born 1982)
**'''(1)''' [[File:Coronet of a Child of the Heir Apparent.svg|15px]] [[Prince George of Wales]] (born 2013) 
** '''(2)''' [[File:Coronet of a Child of the Heir Apparent.svg|15px]] [[Prince Louis of Wales]] (born 2018)
{{Tree list/end}}

== Family tree ==
{{Dukes of Cambridge family tree}}
{{Royal dukes family tree}}

==See also==
*[[Duke of Cambridge's Personal Canadian Flag]]
*[[Marquess of Cambridge]]
*[[Earl of Cambridge]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Prince William, Duke of Cambridge}}
{{Dukes of Cambridge}}
{{British royal titles}}
{{Extant British dukedoms}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cambridge, Duke of}}
[[Category:1660 establishments in England]]
[[Category:1801 establishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Dukedoms in the Peerage of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:2011 establishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:British and Irish peerages which merged in the Crown]]
[[Category:Noble titles created in 1664]]
[[Category:Noble titles created in 1667]]
[[Category:Noble titles created in 1706]]
[[Category:Noble titles created in 1801]]
[[Category:Noble titles created in 2011]]
[[Category:Dukes of Cambridge| ]]