Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo
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(Spanish Heraldry)
The Spanish hereditary ducal title of Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo (Duque de Ciudad Rodrigo), with accompanying dignity Grandee of Spain 1st Class (Grandeza de España), was conferred on the British General Arthur Wellesley, then 1st Viscount Wellington, later 1st Duke of Wellington, in January 1812, after his important victory at the Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo that same year, as a victory title.
Historically, this Spanish dukedom is held by the descendants of the 1st Duke of Wellington holding the title of Duke of Wellington. However, until the 2006 Spanish changes to nobility succession, the Spanish title passed to male-preference heirs general, while the British title passed to heirs male. Due to this difference, the titles have separated on one occasion: the Dukedom of Ciudad Rodrigo passed to the 7th Duchess of Ciudad Rodrigo (Anne Maud Rhys) and the Dukedom of Wellington passed to her uncle (Gerald Wellesley, 7th Duke of Wellington). Anne Maud Rhys subsequently ceded her Spanish title to the 7th Duke of Wellington; the result is that the 7th and 8th Dukes of Wellington also held the title of Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo. This changed in 2010 for reasons set out in the following paragraph.
In 2010, the 8th Duke of Wellington & 9th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo ceded the Spanish dukedom to his eldest child, Charles Wellesley, Marquess of Douro, and in accordance with Spanish procedure, the Marquess made formal claim to the title with the Spanish authorities on March 10, 2010.[1] King Juan Carlos of Spain, through his minister, granted the succession of the dukedom to the Marquess of Douro by Royal Decree of May 21, 2010 as confirmed by the notice in the Official Bulletin of State dated June 12, 2010.[2] As a result, the Marquess of Douro is now the 10th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo and also remains the heir apparent to the Duke of Wellington title.
Following the Royal Decree of May 21, 2010, the heir apparent to the Dukedom of Ciudad Rodrigo is the 10th Duke's eldest child, Arthur Wellesley, Earl of Mornington. Lord Mornington has twins: a girl, Lady Mae Madeleine Wellesley, and a boy, Arthur Darcy Wellesley, Viscount Wellesley. The Cortes Generales (Spanish Parliament) passed in 2006 an act which changed the succession from the traditional male-preference cognatic primogeniture to full cognatic primogeniture.[3] As a result, the first born of his twins is Lord Mornington's heir apparent to the Ciudad Rodrigo title regardless of sex.
Dukes of Ciudad Rodrigo (1812–present)
- Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo (1769–1852) since 1812
- Arthur Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo (1807–1884) since 1852
- Henry Wellesley, 3rd Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo (1846–1900) since 1884
- Arthur Wellesley, 4th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo (1849–1934) since 1900
- Arthur (Charlie) Wellesley, 5th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo (1876–1941) since 1934
- Henry (Morney) Wellesley, 6th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo (1912–1943) Upon his death in 1943, the title went to his sister Anne. He'd held the title since 1941.
- Anne Rhys, 7th Duchess of Ciudad Rodrigo (1910–1998) since 1943, ceded the title to her uncle in 1949
- Gerald (Gerry) Wellesley, 8th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo (1885–1972) since 1949, ceded the title to his son 1968
- Valerian Wellesley, 9th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo (b. 1915) since 1972, ceded the title to his son 2010
- Charles Wellesley, 10th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo (b. 1945) since 2010