It’s the title that an heir to the English throne receives before any other – but only if they are a prince. The Duchy of Cornwall was created in 1337 by King Edward III to provide an income for the first in line but, as he was very much a 14th century man, there was never any question of that number one being a woman. And that meant that one of the most famous monarchs in history, Elizabeth II, could never claim the duchy that belongs to the heir despite being first in line to the throne for 16 years.
What is the Duchy of Cornwall?
The Duchy of Cornwall is the estate that traditionally passes to the heir of a monarch. As soon as Elizabeth II died and her own son became King Charles III, his heir became Cornwall’s duke. In fact, within hours of the death of Elizabeth II being announced, Prince William was known as the Duke of Cornwall and of Cambridge. He was made Prince of Wales the following day, September 9th 2022.
The Duchy of Cornwall is famously wealthy. In fact, its holdings are in the spotlight again as a report by the Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches programme had analysed its wealth in depth, looking at all its revenue streams – which, for the record, have always been in the public domain but not usually looked at so forensically.
That’s not to say they haven’t caused debate before. In 1830, the Whigs asked for the money but lost the battle as they needed the then King, William IV, to support them for another policy. At that point, the heir to the throne was a certain Victoria who would go on to be a record breaking queen. However, like the great, great, great granddaughter who took the title of longest reigning monarch from her, Victoria was never Duchess of Cornwall.
(By Anefo, CC0, Wiki Commons)
It’s because the charter that established it says that the Duchy of Cornwall goes to the eldest surviving son of a monarch. Victoria was the niece of the monarch during her time as heir and Elizabeth II never met the criteria to hold the title or the estate as she was a girl.
In fact, it means that none of the six women to reign in England and, later Britain, have ever been Duchess of Cornwall. Mary I, Elizabeth I, Mary II and Queen Anne never took control of this wealthy duchy that was created to keep the heir.
When the Duchy isn’t held by anyone, it reverts to the Crown. And that means its substantial holdings also pass to the Crown rather than to an individual. The next heir to the throne will be Prince George but should he have a female heir, a rule change will be needed to allow her to take this very traditional title.
