Duke of Fife

Dukedom of Fife
Blazon	{{{blazon}}}
Creation date	29 June 1889
Created by	Victoria of the United Kingdom
Peerage	Peerage of Ireland
First holder	Alexander Duff, 6th Earl Fife
Last holder	Alexander Duff, 6th Earl Fife
Remainder to	heirs male of the body of the grantee
Subsidiary titles	Marquess of Macduff

Dukedom of Fife
Blazon	{{{blazon}}}
Creation date	24 April 1900
Created by	Victoria of the United Kingdom
Peerage	Peerage of the United Kingdom
First holder	Alexander Duff, 6th Earl Fife
Present holder	James Carnegie, 3rd Duke
Heir apparent	David Carnegie, Earl of Southesk
Remainder to	heirs male of the body of the grantee, his daughters and heirs male of the bodies of his daughters
Subsidiary titles	Earl of Macduff

Duke of Fife is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, named after Fife in Scotland. There have been two creations of the title, the first in 1889 and the second in 1900, both in favour of Alexander Duff, 6th Earl Fife in the Peerage of Ireland and 1st Earl of Fife in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The 1st Duke of Fife was the husband of Louise, Princess Royal, the third child and eldest daughter of King Edward VII and Alexandra of Denmark.

Queen Victoria's Letters Patent of 29 June 1889 contained the standard remainder "heirs male of his body." Letters Patent of 24 April 1900 granted a second Dukedom of Fife with a special remainder that allowed the title to pass to the daughters of the first Duke, in default of a son, and then to the male heirs of those daughters. The title passed to the first Duke's elder daughter, Princess Alexandra of Fife (née Lady Alexandra Duff). Since Princess Alexandra's only son, Alastair Windsor, 2nd Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, had predeceased her, the dukedom passed to her nephew, Lord Carnegie, the son of Charles Carnegie, 11th Earl of Southesk, and his wife, Princess Maud of Fife (née Lady Maud Duff). The present Duke of Fife is a female-line great grandson of Edward VII and a member of the extended British Royal Family. His heir apparent is David Charles Carnegie, Earl of Southesk.

The Dukedom of Fife was the last dukedom created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, except for those created for sons, grandsons or consorts of the Sovereign.

From 1790 until 1809 (extinct) and from 1827 until its extinction in 1857, the title Baron Fife (GB / UK) was held by the Earl Fife. In 1735 the title of Baron Braco (I) was created for the later 1st Earl Fife.

The titles Marquess of Macduff (created 1889), Earl Fife (1759), Earl of Fife (1885), Viscount Macduff (1759), Baron Braco (1735), and Baron Skene (1857) became extinct along with the first Dukedom of Fife. Marquess of Macduff, Earl of Fife, and Baron Skene are in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, all the others are in the Peerage of Ireland.

The subsidiary titles held by the present Duke are: Earl of Macduff (created 1900), Earl of Southesk (1633), Lord Carnegie of Kinnaird (1616), Lord Carnegie (1633) and Baron Balinhard (1869). Earl of Macduff and Baron Balinhard are in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, all the others are in the Peerage of Scotland. And all subsidiary titles but the Earl of Macduff have been subsidiary titles of the Earl of Southesk.

The family's current main residence is Elsick House near Stonehaven, The Mearns, within the watershed of the Burn of Elsick.

Lords Carnegie of Kinnaird (1616)

see Earl of Southesk

Earls of Southesk (1633)

see Earl of Southesk

Barons Braco (1735)

• William Duff, 1st Baron Braco (c. 1696–1763) was created Earl Fife in 1759

Earls Fife (1759)

Other titles: Viscount Macduff (Ir 1759) and Baron Braco, of Klbryde in the county of Cavan (Ir 1735)

• William Duff, 1st Earl Fife (c. 1696–1763) was a Whig MP

Other titles (2nd Earl): Baron Fife, of the county of Fife (GB 1790)

• James Duff, 2nd Earl Fife (1729–1809), eldest son of the 1st Earl, died without issue
• Alexander Duff, 3rd Earl Fife (1731–1811), second son of the 1st Earl

Other titles (4th Earl): Baron Fife, of the county of Fife (UK 1827)

• James Duff, 4th Earl Fife (1776–1857), elder son of the 3rd Earl, died without issue

Other titles (5th Earl onwards): Baron Skene, of Skene in the county of Aberdeen (UK 1857)

• James Duff, 5th Earl Fife (1814–1879), elder son of Gen Hon Alexander, himself younger son of the 3rd Earl
• Alexander Duff, 6th Earl Fife (1849–1912) was created Duke of Fife in 1889

Dukes of Fife, first Creation (1889)

Other titles: Marquess of Macduff (UK 1889), Earl Fife and Viscount Macduff (Ir 1759), Baron Braco, of Klbryde in the county of Cavan (Ir 1735) and Baron Skene, of Skene in the county of Aberdeen (UK 1857)

The Duke of Fife tartan, first designed to celebrate the marriage of Louise, daughter of Edward VII, to Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife.

• Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife (1849–1912) was created Duke of Fife again (with a different remainder) in 1900
  • Alastair Duff, Marquess of Macduff (stillborn 1890), only son of the 1st Duke

Dukes of Fife, second Creation (1900)

Other titles: Earl of Macduff, in the county of Banff (UK 1900)

Other titles (1st Duke): Duke of Fife and Marquess of Macduff (UK 1889), Earl Fife and Viscount Macduff (Ir 1759), Baron Braco, of Klbryde in the county of Cavan (Ir 1735) and Baron Skene, of Skene in the county of Aberdeen (UK 1857)

• Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife (1849–1912), only son of the 5th Earl
• Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife (1891–1959), elder daughter of the 1st Duke, married Prince Arthur of Connaught

Other titles (3rd Duke onwards): Earl of Southesk (Sc 1633), Earl of Macduff (UK 1900), Lord Carnegie of Kinnaird (Sc 1616), Lord Carnegie of Kinnaird and Leuchars (Sc 1633) and 4th Baron Balinhard, of Farnell in the county of Forfar (UK 1869)

• James Carnegie, 3rd Duke of Fife (b. 1929), only son of Princess Maud, Countess of Southesk, herself younger daughter of the 1st Duke
  • Heir-apparent: David Carnegie, Earl of Southesk (b. 1961), only son of the 3rd Duke
    • His heir-apparent: Charles Carnegie, Lord Carnegie (b. 1989), eldest son of Lord Southesk

Line of succession

1. David Carnegie, Earl of Southesk (b. 1961)
2. Charles Carnegie, Lord Carnegie (b. 1989)
3. Hon George Carnegie (b. 1991), second son of Lord Southesk
4. Hon Hugh Carnegie (b. 1993), third and youngest son of Lord Southesk

Family tree

Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife 1849–1912

Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife 1891–1959

Princess Maud, Countess of Southesk 1893-1945

Alastair Windsor, 2nd Duke of Connaught and Strathearn 1914–1943

James Carnegie, 3rd Duke of Fife b. 1929

David Carnegie, Earl of Southesk b. 1961

Charles Carnegie, Lord Carnegie b. 1989

Hon. George Carnegie b. 1991

Hon. Hugh Carnegie b. 1993

Coat of arms

• Shield:
• Crests:
• Supporters: Dexter a lion rampant guardant gules, armed and langued azure charged with a label of five points argent the points harged with two thistles between three crosses of St George gules; Sinister a talbot argent collared gules the collar charged with a label of three points argent
• Mottoes: (over the shield) Deo juvante; Dred God; Pro Patria; (under the shield) Virtute et opera

External links

• An Online Gotha — Fife
• Duke of Fife
• The Esoteric Curiosa, Relatively Royal On The Royal Fringe: Meet The Fife's