In the United Kingdom, what is an Earl (please read discription)?

Question

Is an Earl next in line for a Dukedom?

for example:

In England, Queen Elizabeth II has a cousin named Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester. He has a son, and on the wikipedia for him it says:

heir apparent: Alexander, Earl of Ulster, and if you click on him it says next in line for the Dukedom of Gloucester. Please, help a kid out and give me some answers

Please && Thank you

Alex, Geek of European Monarchy

Answer 1

Well, not being a subject of the crown myself, I can give you an example.  Princess Diana's father was the Earl Spencer, when he died her brother took over the title of the Earl.  

One can assume that an Earl is down the ladder from Dukedom, since the Earl of Ulster is heir apparent to the Duke of Gloucester.

Answer 2

A Count

Answer 3

No, an Earl is next in line to a Marquess (which is next in line for to a Duke)

Answer 4

An earl is a peer of the realm,an aristocrat. There are several grades of titled  non-royal gentry, in order of precedence they are:

Duke/Duchess

Marquess/Marchioness

Earl/Countess

Viscount/Viscountess

Baron/Baroness

To answer your question is an earl next in line for the Dukedom...it depends if the earl is the heir apparent to the Duke.In the case of HRH,the Duke of Gloucester,his eldest son,Alexander,upon birth assumed the next title down that his father possesses,which was Earl of Ulster.Since Alexander is the heir apparent to his father,this particular earl will become a duke. To fully understand the procedure read on.

Many peers hold more than one title. For example The Duke of Suffield can also be Marquess of Uckfield,Earl of Broughton,Viscount Linseed,Baron Robin.

Many of these titles were given for service to the monarchy a long,long time ago.These titles often came with lands,income generated from the lands,and some political power,to be used to run the lands in order to serve the monarch.

When a child is born,the eldest son often assumes the next title down that his father possess. Let's say the Duke Uckfield,Marquess Littleton,Earl of Snow,Viscount harrold,Baron Robert and his wife have children.The eldest son will become Marquess Littleton upon birth.Other children become Lords and Ladies.

And to add more,Royals can also bear these titles,but they are higher in precedence thatn the non-royal version.

A good example is Charles,Prince of Wales,Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick and Baron Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland.

Answer 5

There is only two ways to get a Duchy title by inheritance or by royal birth. Its eldest son may inherit any Duchy title, if the Duke passed away without issue, it will reverse back to the crown. Sons of Dukes are usually given the next title(s) down which are "Marquesses", "Earl", "Viscount" or any other subsidiary titles that the Duke was bestowed upon that he could pass onto his son(s). However, only the eldest son will inherit the duchy title of its father and title of "Earl" at the time of his birth, and the rest of the sons will remain with the title given at birth (Viscounts, Barons). If the eldest son passed away without issue, that will title will go to his first younger brother and so forth.

So in this case, Alexander Windsor is the only son of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. As the eldest son and heir of the Duke of Gloucester he is styled Earl of Ulster. Alexander's first-born son Xan Richard Anders is designated to inherit the title of Duke of Gloucester after his father and grandfather, and he will in return pass this title onto this eldest born son when that time comes.

Duchy title can also be inherited by royal birth, for example, the monarch may also bestowed upon its sons the title of a Royal Duke. In the United Kingdom, ducal titles which have been given within the royal family include Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Lancaster, Duke of Clarence, Duke of York, Duke of Gloucester, Duke of Bedford, Duke of Cumberland, Duke of Cambridge, Duke of Rothesay, Duke of Albany, Duke of Ross, Duke of Edinburgh, Duke of Kent, Duke of Sussex, and Duke of Connaught and Strathearn.

A Royal Duke is a duke who is a member of the British Royal Family, entitled to the style of "His Royal Highness". The current Royal Dukedoms are Cornwall and Rothesay (both held by the Prince of Wales), York, Edinburgh, Gloucester and Kent.