Creation date 24 April 1799 First holder Prince Ernest Augustus | Monarch George III | |
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Peerage Peerage of Great Britain Last holder Prince Ernest Augustus II Remainder to the 1st Duke's heirs male of the body lawfully begotten | ||
Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain that was held by junior members of the British Royal Family, named after the county of Cumberland, England and after Teviotdale, Scotland. Held by the Hanoverian royals, it was suspended under the Titles Deprivation Act 1917, which revoked titles belonging to enemies of the United Kingdom during the Great War.
History
The title Duke of Cumberland had been created three times in the Peerages of England and Great Britain.
In 1799 the double dukedom of Cumberland and Teviotdale, in the Peerage of Great Britain, was bestowed on Ernest Augustus (later King of Hanover), fifth son of King George III of the United Kingdom. In 1837 Ernest became king of Hanover, and on his death in 1851 the title descended with the kingdom to his son King George V, and on George's death in 1878 to his grandson Ernest Augustus. In 1866 Hanover was annexed by Prussia, but King George died without renouncing his rights. His son Ernest, while maintaining his claim to the kingdom of Hanover, was generally known by his title of Duke of Cumberland.
The title was suspended for the Ernest's pro-German activities during World War I under the 1917 Titles Deprivation Act, as it was for his son. Under the Act the lineal male heirs of the 3rd Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale have the right to petition the British Crown for the restoration of his peerages. To date, none has done so. The present heir is Prince Ernst August of Hanover (born 26 February 1954), great grandson of the 3rd Duke and current head of the House of Hanover. He is the senior male-line descendant of George III of the United Kingdom.