Thursday 30 November 2017

Possible Dukedoms for Prince Harry & Meghan Markle

This list includes previous Royal Dukedoms, Non-royal dukedoms, things people suggested, etc. The Dukedoms in each section are alphabetized. This isn't a complete list of options, but I think it has all the likely titles. If you have anything you want to suggest, see a mistake, want to voice your preference, etc. leave a comment below.

Of the "Possible Titles," the two sections are both pretty equal in terms of likelihood. I just wanted to give a little commentary about my thoughts and preference. Harry & Meghan's title could very likely be from the list of "Possible Titles -  I don't like."

In addition to a Dukedom, Prince Harry will likely be made an Earl and Baron. This list just covers possible dukedoms.

Dukedoms that would be created for the 1st time are marked with a *

Possible Titles - I don't have a problem with
  • Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven
  • Duke of Kendal
  • Duke of Leeds
  • Duke of Newcastle
  • Duke of Ross
    • There is currently an Earl of Rosse, it a different title, but obviously very similar. 
  • Create a new Dukedom*
  • Elevate an open Earldom*
Possible Titles - I don't like
  • Duke of Buckingham
    • Easily confused with Buckingham Palace, which is both the name of a Royal Residence and Queen's Household
  • Duke of Clarence/ Duke of Clarence and St Andrews/ Duke of Clarence and Avondale
    • Easily confused with Clarence House, which is both the name of a Royal Residence and Charles & Camilla's office.
    • The Dukedom of Albany has a subsidiary title, Earl of Clarence. The title Duke of Albany was suspended during WWI when the family sided with Germany, but could be reclaimed by the descendants.
  • Duke of Cleveland
    • There is a famous USA city called Cleveland, in Ohio. As well as less famous Clevelands in 21 other USA States. I don't think a title with a strong association to the USA would be good.
  • Duke of London*
    • Never created, it was proposed for Winston Churchill
  • Duke of Montagu
    • Spain has it's own Duke of Montagu.
    • Too similar to the Montague family in Romeo and Juliet, who were Italian.
  • Duke of Sussex
    • A press favourite, but too similar to Wessex, easily confused.
  • Duke of Windsor
    • Was created for King Edward VIII (Queen's Uncle), after he abdicated.
    • The Royal Family is already called Windsor.
Not Possible/ Not likely
  • Duke of Albany
    • Suspended during WWI, when the family sided with Germany but could be reclaimed by the descendants 
  • Duke of Albemarle/ Aumale
    • Named after an area of Normandy, France, which was once controlled by the British
    • There is already an Earl of Albemarle
  •  Duke of Bolton
    • There is currently a Baron Bolton
  • Duke of Connaught/ Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
    • Connaught is part of the Republic of Ireland 
    • Prince William is the Earl of Strathearn
  • Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdal
    • Suspended during WWI, when the family sided with Germany but could be reclaimed by the descendants 
  • Duke of Exeter
    • There is already an Earl of Exeter
  • Duke of Hereford
    • There is already an Earl of Hereford
  • Duke of Inverness
    • Prince Andrew is the Earl of Inverness
  • Duke of Ireland
    • This title is from a time when Ireland was under English rule, before the Kingdom of Ireland, and before the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland split.
  • Duke of Kensington*
    • Never created. There is a Baron of Kensington.
    • Easily confused with Kensington Palace, which is the name of a Royal Residence (Cambs, Harry, Queen's cousins, etc), Cambs+Harry+Meghan's office, a Royal Museum, etc.
      • Plus Harry & Meghan may not always live or have their office at Kensington Palace.
  • Duke of Kintyre and Lorne
    • There is already a Marquess of Kintyre and Lorne
  • Duke of Lancaster
    • Informally used by the Queen, who owns the Duchy of Lancaster
  • Duke of Monmouth
    • The 1st & only Duke of Monmouth was an illegitimate son of Charles II and tried to overthrow the King James II
  • Duke of Mountbatten*
    • Mountbatten was Prince Philip's family name from his mother's side. The name is the English translation of Battenburg in Germany. 
    • There is already an Earl Mountbatten of Burma (extended family on Prince Philip's side)
  • Duke of Normandy
    • Britain gave up its claim to Normandy, but the title is still informally used on the British Channel Islands, which were formerly apart of the Duchy of Normandy
  • Duke of Portland
    • There is currently an Earl of Portland
  • Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha*
    • Never a British title, although the British Royal Family is related to the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
    • Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was a Dutchy in Germany
  • Duke of St. Andrew*
    •  The Duke of Kent is the Earl of St. Andrews 
    • *Never a solo Dukedom, previously Duke of Clarence and St Andrews
  • Duke of Strathearn*
    • Prince William is the Earl of Strathearn
    • *Never a solo Dukedom, previously: 
      • Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn
      • Duke of Kent and Strathearn
      • Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
  • Duke of Surrey
    • There is already an Earl of Surrey
Dukedoms Currently Taken
  • Duke of Abercorn
  • Duke of Atholl
  • Duke of Beaufort
  • Duke of Bedford
  • Duke of Brandon
  • Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry
  • Duke of Cambridge
  • Duke of Cornwall
    • Title belongs to the heir to the throne
  • Duke of Devonshire
  • Duke of Edinburgh
    • Is expected to be passed down to Prince Edward upon Prince Philip's passing
  • Duke of Fife
  • Duke of Gloucester
  • Duke of Grafton
  • Duke of Hamilton
  • Duke of Kent
  • Duke of Leinster
  • Duke of Lennox
  • Duke of Manchester
  • Duke of Marlborough
  • Duke of Montrose
  • Duke of Norfolk
  • Duke of Northumberland
  • Duke of Richmond
  • Duke of Rothesay 
    • Title belongs to the heir to the throne
  • Duke of Roxburghe
  • Duke of Rutland
  • Duke of Somerset
  • Duke of St Albans
  • Duke of Sutherland
  • Duke of Wellington
  • Duke of Westminster
  • Duke of York
    • The title is reserved to the 2nd son of the Monarch. (Although could be given to 2nd child in the future, because of the succession change, if they start giving women Dukedoms.)
    • Only one Duke of York allowed at a time and the title doesn't go away when the monarchy passes and you are no longer the 2nd son. It is not automatic. So even if Andrew passed away during Charles's reign, the title would likely be kept for William's kids.  
Back to Royal Wedding 2018 - Main Page

Monday 27 November 2017

Meghan's 2017 "Official" Engagements

Meghan's current count is 8 engagements for 2017. 


May (2)
Saturday 6th 
  • Attend Audi Polo Challenge Match, in support of Sentebale and WellChild 
Sunday 7th 
  • Attend Audi Polo Challenge Match, in support of the Royal Marsden and Tusk Trust
September (3)
Saturday 23rd
  • Attend Invictus Games Toronto 2017 Opening Ceremony
Monday 25th 
  • Attend Invictus Games Toronto 2017 
Sunday 30th 
  • Attend Invictus Games Toronto 2017 Closing Ceremony
November (0)

(Monday 27th: Announce engagement, Photocall, Interview)

December (3)
Friday 1st
  • Civic welcome at National Justice Museum
    • Walkabout
  • Visit Nottingham Contemporary which will be hosting a Terrence Higgins Trust World AIDS Day charity fair.
  • Visit Nottingham Academy where they will meet head teachers from the Academy and local primary schools as well Full Effect staff and mentors. (Royal Foundation)

Duchess Meghan - Official Engagements (2018)

Meghan's current count is 126 engagements for 2018.
(25 of those were Pre-wedding) 
(74 + Tour of AUS, NZ, Fiji & Tonga (52))

(Unconfirmed) - Not officially confirmed/ announced, yet, but expected
(Possible) -  Not confirmed or 100% expected, but possible due to past appearances or reports of their attendance


January (4)
Tuesday 9th 
  • Visit Reprezent 107.3FM in Brixton, to see their work supporting young people through creative training in radio and broadcasting
    • With Harry
Wednesday 17th
  • Joined the Endeavour Fund Awards Ceremony Judging Panel at Kensington Palace
    • With Harry
Thursday 18th  - Cardiff, Wales
  • Visit Cardiff Castle for Welsh Culture festival
    • With Harry
  • Visit Star Hub, a community and leisure centre in the Tremorfa to see how sport is being used to engage young people and aid social development. 
    • Hear about the work of  StreetGames which helping to make sport accessible to all young people, regardless of their social circumstances
    • With Harry
February (6)
Thursday 1st 
  • Attend the annual Endeavour Fund Awards
    • With Harry
Thursday 8th
  • Visited Transition Intervention and Liaison Service at the Lakes Mental Health Hospital in Colchester
    • With Harry
Tuesday 13th - Edinburgh, Scotland
  • Visit Edinburgh Castle
    • With Harry
  • Visit  Social Bite, a social business and cafĂ©
    • With Harry
  • Attend a reception at the Palace of Holyroodhouse to celebrate youth achievements, marking Scotland’s Year of Young People 2018
    • With Harry
Wednesday 28th 
  • Take part in the first annual Royal Foundation Forum showcasing the programmes run or initiated by The Royal Foundation
    • with William, Harry & Meghan 
March (7)
Thursday 8th 
  • Visit Millennium Point to celebrate International Women's Day, which aims to inspire the next generation of young women to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM)
    • With Harry
  • Visit Nechells Wellbeing Centre to join Birmingham's Coach Core apprentices as they take part in a training masterclass led by Create Development
    • With Harry
Monday 12th
  • Attend Commonwealth Day Observance service at Westminster Abbey 
    • With Queen and Royal Family
Friday 23rd - Belfast, Northern Ireland
  • Visit Eikon Centre and attend an event for ‘Amazing the Space’, a youth-led peace-building initiative
  • Visit The Crown Liquor Saloon, one of Belfast's oldest buildings, and learn about it's history from the National Trust
    • Private Lunch
    • Walkabout on Great Victoria Street
  • Visit Catalyst Inc., a next-generation science park,  to meet some of Northern Ireland's brightest young entrepreneurs and innovators
  • Visit Titanic Belfast, and tour the galleries
April (7)
Friday 6th 
  • Attend the UK team trials for Sydney Invictus Games at the University of Bath Sports Training Village
    • With Harry
Wednesday 18th 
  • Attend Reception and closing session for the Commonwealth Youth Forum
    • With Harry
Thursday 19th 
  • Attend CHOGM Women's Empowerment reception at the Royal Aeronautical Society
    • With Harry 
Saturday 21st
  • Attend a reception celebrating the forthcoming Invictus Games Sydney 2018 
    • With Harry
  • "Queen's Birthday Party" Concert at Royal Albert Hall  
    • With Queen, Harry & Royal Family
Monday 23rd
  • Attend the 25th Anniversary Memorial Service to celebrate the life and legacy of Stephen Lawrence (18 yr old black man murdered in racially motivated attack)
    • With Harry
Wednesday 25th 
  • Attend Anzac Day Celebrations
    • Dawn Service at Wellington Arch 
      • With Harry
    • Service of Commemoration at Westminster Abbey
      • With Harry & William
May (1)
(19th: Prince Harry's wedding to Meghan Markle at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle!!!!!)
Tuesday 22nd 
  • Garden Party for Prince Charles' patronages in honor of the Prince's 70th birthday 
    • With Charles, Camilla & Harry
June (7)
Saturday 9th 
  • Trooping the Colours - Queen's Official Birthday 
    • The 1st. Battalion Irish Guards will be trooping
Thursday 14th - Cheshire
  • Open the Mersey Gateway Bridge, at Catalyst Science Discovery Centre
    • with the Queen
  • Open the Storyhouse Theatre
    • with the Queen
  • Attend a lunch at Chester Town Hall
    • with the Queen
Tuesday 19th
  • Attend Royal Ascot
    • Present St. James’ Palace Stakes
Tuesday 26th
  • Attend a Reception for The Queen's Young Leaders at Buckingham Palace
  • Attend Board meeting with the Royal Foundation
    • With Harry
July (13)
    Thursday 5th 
    • Attend the ‘Your Commonwealth’ Youth Challenge Reception at Marlborough House in London
      • With Harry
    (9th: Attend Prince Louis' christening at St. James Palace)


    Tuesday 10th 
    • Attend 100th Anniversary celebration at Westminister Abbey for Royal Air Force
      • View Flypast from Buckingham Palace Balcony, before attending a reception. 
    • Called upon Mr. Leo Varadkar (Taoiseach) at Government Buildings in Ireland
    • Attended a Reception given by Her Majesty's Ambassador to Ireland at the Residence in Dublin
    Wednesday 11th 
    • Received by The President of Ireland and Mrs. Higgins at Aras an Uachtarain.
    • Visited a Gaelic sports festival at Croke Park Stadium.
    • Viewed the Book of Kells at Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin.
    • Visited the Famine Memorial by the Liffey River.
    • Visited EPIC the Irish Emigration Museum, Custom House Quay.
    • Attended demonstrations of computer programming projects at Dogpatch Labs, Custom House Quay.
      Saturday 14th
      • Attend the Championships, Wimbledon at All England Club
      Tuesday 17th 
      • Visit the Nelson Mandela Centenary Exhibition at South Bank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall
        • With Harry
      Wednesday 25th 
      • Received Mr. Edward Lane Fox & Harry invested him with the Insignia of a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order
        • With Harry
      Thursday 26th 
      • Attend Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup at the Berkshire Polo Club in support of Sentebale
      August (1)
        (4th: 37th Birthday)
        Wednesday 29th
        • Attended gala performance of Hamilton in support of Sentebale at the Victoria Palace Theatre
          • With Harry
        September (6)
        Tuesday 4th
        Thursday 6th 
        • Attended the 100 Days to Peace Concert, a concert to mark the centenary of the First World War, at the Central Hall Westminster
          • With Harry
        Wednesday 12th 
        • Received Mr Edward Lane Fox upon relinquishing his appointment as Private Secretary to Their Royal Highnesses. 
          • With Harry
        Thursday 20th 
        • Host a reception to mark the launch of the "Together: Our Community Cookbook” which supports a community kitchen for Grenfell victims
          • With Harry, and Mum, Doria Ragland
        Monday 24th 
        • Join more than 200 young Coach Core apprentices for the Coach Core Awards at Loughborough University
          • With Harry 
        Tuesday 25th 
        •  Attended the opening of the Oceania Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts
        October (5 + Tour)
        Wednesday 3rd - Sussex
        • Visited Edes House
        • Officially opened the University of Chichester Engineering and Digital Technology Park
        • Visited the Royal Pavilion
        • Visited Survivors' Network
        • Visited Peacehaven Youth Centre
          (12th: Princess Eugenie's wedding to Jack Brooksbank)
            16th -31st (50 Joint + 2 solo)
            November (8)
            Saturday 10th 
            • Attend Festival of Remembrance at Royal Albert Hall
              • With Royal Family
            Sunday 11th 
            • Remembrance Sunday at Cenotaph in Whitehall, London 
              • With Royal Family
            • Attended a Service to mark the Centenary of the Signing of the Armistice at Westminster Abbey
              • With Royal Family
            Tuesday 13th 
            • Attended a Commemorative Dinner at Kensington Palace for African Parks
              • With Harry 
            Thursday 15th 
            • Attended a Mental Health Innovation volunteers' workshop at BBC Studioworks
              • With Harry 
            • Attended the Autumn Dinner for the Royal Foundation at Victoria House
              • With Harry, William & Kate
            Monday 17th 
            • Attend Royal Variety Performance
              • With Harry 
            Wednesday 21st
            • Opened the Hubb Community Kitchen
            December (8)
            Tuesday 4th 
            • Attend the Henry Van Straubenzee Memorial Fund annual carol service
              • With Harry
            Wednesday 5th 
            • Attended a Meeting of the Association of Commonwealth Universities at King’s College London
            Thursday 6th 
            •  Attended a Christmas Reception at 5 St Mary Abbots Place for the Royal Foundation
              • With Harry
            Monday 10th
            • Attended the British Fashion Council Awards at the Royal Albert Hall
            Tuesday 11th 
            •  Attended a Board Meeting for The Commonwealth Trust
              • With Harry 
            Wednesday 12th
            • Received Mr Rufus Norris (Artistic Director of the National Theatre)

            Tuesday 18th
            • Visit the Royal Variety residential care home Brinsworth House
            Thursday 20th 
            • Visit The Hubb Community Kitchen 
            Back to Harry & Meghan - Main Page

            2018 Royal Wedding Q&A

            This Special Q&A is to answer all your questions about the two British Royal Weddings this year. The Q&A will close shortly after Princess Eugenie and Jack's wedding. We will be updating the questions as more information is released.

            We've color coded the questions:
            • Harry & Meghan's Wedding
            • Eugenie & Jack's Wedding
            • General Royal Wedding/ Both Wedding
            For your non-Royal Wedding questions, check out this month's Q&A

            Question 1: Do you think Prince Philip will attend their weddings with the Queen, or will he not because he's retired. 

            Answer: I'm certain Prince Philip will be there. The only reason he would miss it is if he was in poor health. Being retired and not doing official duties anymore has nothing to do with attending your grandchildren's wedding. 

            Question 2: When will we see wedding website for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle? I do remember that there was a wedding website for Prince William and Duchess Kate before they got married in April. 

            Answer: Harry & Meghan's wedding is going to be a smaller, more private and personal event than William & Kate's wedding was. So we aren't going to necessarily see them do all the same things as Will & Kate. But their wedding is still going to be a big thing, with a lot of public interest, so I expect we will see an official wedding website. 

            With William and Kate's wedding, their official website was released about 2 months before their wedding, so we will probably see similar for Harry & Meghan's Wedding. Right now they have just been publishing updates on Royal.uk.

            Question 3: What engagements did Kate attend with William before the Wedding?


            November 
             (Announce Engagement)
            December
            18th
            • Attended the Christmas Spectacular in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust at Thursford Collection, Thursford.
            January
            26th

            • Sign Book of Condolence at New Zealand Embassy for earthquake victims
              • (Not on the CC)
            February
            24th 
            • Named the lifeboat Hereford Endeavour at the Royal National Lifeboat Institution Station, in Anglesey 
            25th
            • Visit University of St. Andrews to launch their 600th Anniversary Appeal
            March
            8th 
            • Visited YouthAction Northern Ireland
            • Met representatives from Young Farmers' Clubs of Ulster at the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise at Greenmount Campus,
            April
            11th
            • Opened Darwen Aldridge Community Academy
            • Visited Witton Country Park, for Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge 
            (29th: Wedding at Westminister Abbey)

            Question 4: Since the Duchess of Cambridge is going to give birth in April is it a possibility that she won't attend Harry & Meghan's wedding?

            Answer: Kate will be there. They is no way she would miss it. She has plenty of time between the birth and the wedding. Although I could see her skipping out of the reception early to take care of the little one.

            Question 5: Do you think that Eugenie and Jack's wedding will get a CC mention in general, and if so, will it be more akin to Harry and Meghan's or more like, Today, the Duke of York attended the Wedding of HRH...


            Answer: I don't expect Eugenie's wedding to be mentioned in the CC. 


            Send Your Congratulations to Prince Harry & Meghan Markle

            If you would like to congratulate Prince Harry & Meghan Markle on their engagement you can write to them at:


            HRH Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle
            Clarence House 
            London SW1A 1BA
            UNITED KINGDOM


            Why Clarence House, not Kensington Palace?

            For more info on Writing to the Royals check out our helpful guide. It has everything you need to know. 

            I expect they would reply with their usual postcard sized photo with typed message on the back. Expect longer response times, as they will be getting a lot more mail than usual!

            Back to Royal Wedding 2018 - Main Page

            Wednesday 15 November 2017

            Prince William's Tour of Finland (2017)

            Prince William will go on a solo tour of Finland, November 29th-30th.

            Wednesday, November 29th 
            • (Arrive in Finland)
            • Meet with President Sauli Niinistö at the Presidential Palace
            • Visit an ice rink in Helsinki and learn about Icehearts, a team sports program for children who require long-term and professional support in their development.
            • Attend a reception hosted by Sarah Price, British Ambassador to Finland.
            • Attend banquet held by President Niinistö and the First Lady at their official residence in Mäntyniemi.
            Thursday, November 30th 
            • Visit the Slush startup and technology event and meet with Finnish and British companies
            • Visit a primary school in Helsinki to learn about their innovative learning environments and methods and the KiVa Koulu anti-bullying programme
            • Visit Helsinki Christmas Market in Esplanadi Park
            • Visit City Hall for a luncheon offered by the City of Helsinki
            • Presentation of the Finnish Air Force at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport
            • (Depart for UK)

            Wednesday 1 November 2017

            Christmas 2017 - Main Page

            Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year! And of course, it is a very exciting time for Royal Watchers. There is plenty going on with Speeches, Concerts, Holiday Events, Christmas Cards, Official Photos, etc. 


              2017 Christmas/New Years Speeches
              Most of European Monarchs give a speech sometime during the holiday season. We will link them here when they get posted, with English Translations, if they are not in English or subtitled. 

              (All times are Local/London.)
                Christmas Eve Speeches
                Christmas Day Speeches 
                New Years Eve Speeches

                November - December Q&A (2017)

                As always, post your Royal Questions & I will get to them as soon as possible.

                Please post your Cambridge Royal Baby 3 question on our Special Q&A.

                Question 1: Hi Gert! Have you ever sent the Queen and Phillip a wedding anniversary card? Have you gotten anything back from them? 

                Answer: I usually only write for milestone anniversaries. I started writing letters 4 years ago and since then the Queen & Philip haven't had a milestone anniversary. So, this will be my first time writing for their anniversary.

                I already sent my card. Normally I like to write a letter. But since the Queen sends out really nice messages for the couple's celebrating their 60th, 65th, 70th, etc. wedding anniversary, I thought I would mimic that. I send the Queen & Philip a card that had my photo on the front, and message similar to the one the Queen sends.

                Question 2: Is it ok to start sending Christmas cards to royals around now or is it too early? 

                Answer: Now is a good time. I think you usually want to aim to have your cards or letters arrive in December. So it's a little early, but since the Royals get so much mail you know they aren't going to get to your letter for a while anyway. I usually start about November 15th, and begin with the royals who I know don't reply or are slow about replying, so being a little early doesn't matter anyway.