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Who are the royal dukes whose role at the Coronation have been abolished after centuries?

By
22nd January 2023

The Coronation of King Charles III will include many ancient rituals. However one will be changed. The start of 2023, Coronation year, brought the news that the royal dukes will not pay homage to His Majesty at Westminster Abbey.

Homage is an ancient ritual and involves a pledge to always serve the Monarch. It was an integral part of feudal monarchy. Its inclusion in the ceremony now is symbolic.

There are currently four royal dukes who, until 2023, would have been expected to pay homage at the Coronation. The only person to pledge themselves as liege man of life and limb to His Majesty will be his elder son, the Prince of Wales.

The eldest and longest serving of the quarter is the Duke of Kent. Prince Edward has been a royal duke for eight decades. He succeeded to the title in August 1942 on the death of his father, Prince George. Edward was just six years old at the time he became Duke of Kent.

His cousin, Prince Richard, also inherited a title given by their grandfather, King George V. He became Duke of Gloucester in 1974 on the death of George’s third son, Prince Henry.

King Charles III’s brother, Prince Andrew, also retains a royal dukedom. On his wedding day, July 23 1986, he was given the title traditionally reserved for second sons of a Monarch and became Duke of York.

The most recent creation is the Duke of Sussex. Prince Harry received the title on his marriage to Meghan Markle on May 19th 2018.

The Prince of Wales also holds the Dukedom of Cambridge, given to him on his marriage to Catherine Middleton in 2011. At the moment of his father’s accession as King Charles, Prince William became Duke of Cornwall, the title traditionally held by the heir to the English throne. He was known for less than 24 hours as the Duke of Cornwall and of Cambridge before his father created him Prince of Wales on September 9th 2022, one of the first acts of his reign.

King Charles III’s youngest sibling, Prince Edward, is widely expected to become a royal duke. At the time of his marriage to Sophie Rhys Jones, in 1999, it was announced that Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip wanted their son to, one day, be created Duke of Edinburgh. Until that happens, Prince Edward remains Earl of Wessex. As an earl, he would not be called upon to pay homage individually to The King at the Coronation. Even if he is made Duke of Edinburgh before May 6th 2023, the new decision means that he, too, would not make a personal act of homage to the Monarch.

The Coronation of King Charles III takes place on May 6th 2023.

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About author

Lydia Starbuck is Jubilee and Associate Editor at Royal Central and the main producer and presenter of the Royal Central Podcast and Royal Central Extra. Lydia is also a pen name of June Woolerton who is a journalist and writer with over twenty years experience in TV, radio, print and online. Her latest book, A History of British Royal Jubilees, is out now. Her new book, The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr, will be published in March 2024. June is an award winning reporter, producer and editor. She's appeared on outlets including BBC 5 Live, BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Local Radio and has also helped set up a commercial radio station. June is also an accomplished writer with a wide range of material published online and in print. She is the author of two novels, published as e-books. She is also a marriage registrar and ceremony celebrant.