Duke of Connaught and Strathearn


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

History

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 and Duke of Rothesay, 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.
Since the exit of the Irish Free State from the United Kingdom in 1922, titles related to locations in the Free State have not been awarded. 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, 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, was also named for the 1st Duke.

Dukes of Connaught and Strathearn (1874)

Family tree

Possible future creations

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.
Strathearn is a subsidiary Earldom in the Dukedom of Cambridge.