View source for Duke of Rothesay

{{Short description|Dynastic title of heir apparent to British throne}}
{{Redirect|Duchess of Rothesay|the current holders of these titles|William, Prince of Wales|and|Catherine, Princess of Wales}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2017}}
{{More citations needed|date=July 2015}}
{{Infobox nobility title
| name              = Dukedom of Rothesay
| image             = [[File:Coat of Arms of the Duke of Rothesay.svg|180px]] 
| image_size        = 
| alt               = 
| caption           = Arms of [[Prince William, Duke of Rothesay]]
| creation_date     = 1398
| creation          = 
| monarch           = [[Robert III of Scotland|King Robert III]] 
| peerage           = [[Peerage of Scotland]] 
| baronetage        = 
| first_holder      = [[David Stewart, Duke of Rothesay|David, Duke of Rothesay]]
| last_holder       = 
| present_holder    = [[William, Prince of Wales]]
| heir_apparent     = <!--Prince George is not the heir apparent: if Prince William died today the dukedom would revert to the Crown-->
| remainder_to      = 
| subsidiary_titles = 
| status            = Extant 
| extinction_date   =  
| family_seat       = 
| former_seat       =  
| motto             =  
| footnotes         =  
}}
'''Duke of Rothesay''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=Rothesay.ogg|ˈ|r|ɒ|θ|s|i}} {{respell|ROTH|see}}; {{langx|gd|Diùc Baile Bhòid}}; {{langx|sco|Duik o Rothesay}})<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nQoHAAAAQAAJ&q=Duik+o+Rothesay&pg=PA638 |title=The Cronicles of Scotland |editor-first1=J. G. |editor-last1=Dalyell |author-first1=Robert |author-last1=Lindsay |page=638 |year=1814 |access-date=2016-07-29}}</ref> is the main [[Substantive title|dynastic title]] traditionally given to the male [[heir apparent]] to the [[List of Scottish monarchs|Scottish]] and, later, [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|British]] thrones. The dukedom was created in 1398 by [[Robert III of Scotland|King Robert III of Scotland]] for his eldest son.

Duke of Rothesay is the title mandated for use by the heir apparent when in [[Scotland]], in preference to the titles ''[[Prince of Wales]]'' and ''[[Duke of Cornwall]]'', which are used in the rest of the United Kingdom and overseas. The title is named after [[Rothesay, Argyll and Bute|Rothesay]] on the [[Isle of Bute]], but is not associated with any legal entity or landed property. The Duke of Rothesay also holds other Scottish titles, including [[Earl of Carrick]], [[Baron of Renfrew (title)|Baron of Renfrew]], [[Lord of the Isles]], and [[Prince and Great Steward of Scotland]].

The current holder of the title is [[William, Prince of Wales]], and his wife, [[Catherine, Princess of Wales|Catherine]], is the current Duchess of Rothesay.

==History==
[[File:Rothesay Castle - Gatehouse and Pigeon Tower 2016.jpg|thumb|The title derives from [[Rothesay Castle]], Bute.]]
[[David Stewart, Duke of Rothesay]], the son of [[Robert III of Scotland]], first held the dukedom from its creation in 1398. After his death, his brother [[James VI and I|James]], later King James I, received the dukedom. Thereafter, the heir apparent to the Scottish Crown held the dukedom; an Act of the [[Parliament of Scotland]] passed in 1469 confirmed this pattern of succession.

The [[Earl of Carrick|Earldom of Carrick]] existed as early as the 12th century. In 1306, Robert the Bruce, Earl of Carrick, became [[King Robert I of Scotland]], with the earldom merging in the Crown. In the following years, successive Kings of Scotland created several heirs apparent Earl of Carrick. The Act of 1469 finally settled the earldom on the eldest son of the Scottish monarch.

The office of the [[High Steward of Scotland|Great Steward of Scotland]] (also called High Steward or Lord High Steward) dates back to its first holder, [[Walter fitz Alan]], in the 12th century. The seventh Great Steward, Robert, ascended the Scottish throne as [[Robert II of Scotland|Robert II]] in 1371. Thereafter, only the heirs apparent to the Crown held the office. The 1469 Act also deals with this.

Between the 1603 union of the crowns and [[Edward VII]]'s time as heir apparent, the style "Duke of Rothesay" appears to have dropped out of usage in favour of "Prince of Wales". [[Queen Victoria]] mandated the title for use to refer to the eldest son and heir apparent when in Scotland, and this usage has continued since. This may have been as a result, direct or indirect, of the 1822 [[visit of King George IV to Scotland]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}}

==Lord of the Isles==
[[File:Prince of Rothesay tartan (Vestiarium Scoticum).png|thumb|''Duke of Rothesay'' [[tartan]], from the ''[[Vestiarium Scoticum]]''.]]
Another of the non-peerage titles belonging to the heir apparent, that of ''[[Lord of the Isles]]'', merits special mention. The Lords of the Isles, of the MacDonald family, originally functioned as [[vassal]]s of the Scottish, or Norwegian, kings who ruled the [[Outer Hebrides|Western Isles]]. The ambitious John MacDonald II, fourth Lord of the Isles, made a secret treaty in 1462 with King [[Edward IV]] of England, by which he sought to make himself an independent ruler.

In 1475, [[James III of Scotland|James III]] discovered the Lord of the Isles' actions, and the Lordship became subject to forfeiture. MacDonald later regained his position, but [[James IV of Scotland|James IV]] again deprived him of his titles in 1493 after his nephew provoked a rebellion. In 1540 [[James V]] of Scotland granted the Lordship to the heirs apparent to the Crown.

==Legal basis==
[[File:Shield of Arms of Prince Edward, Duke of Rothesay (later King Edward VIII, of the United Kingdom).png|thumb|Arms of [[Edward VIII|Prince Edward (later Edward VIII)]] as Duke of Rothesay, with collar of the [[Order of the Thistle]] and [[coronet]] of the [[heir apparent]] to the British throne.]]
An Act of the [[Parliament of Scotland]] passed in 1469 governs the succession to most of these titles. It provides that "the first-born Prince of the King of Scots for ever" should hold the dukedom. If the firstborn Prince dies before the King, the title is not inherited by his heir – it is only for the firstborn son, like the [[Duke of Cornwall|Duchy of Cornwall]] – nor is either inherited by the deceased duke's next brother, unless that brother also becomes heir apparent. Though the Act specified "King", eldest sons of queens regnant subsequently also held the dukedom. The interpretation of the word ''Prince'', however, does not include women. Therefore, in the event of an [[Heir presumptive|heiress presumptive]] or heiress apparent (this becoming a possibility after the passage of the [[Succession to the Crown Act 2013]]), she cannot become Duchess of Rothesay. {{cn|date=April 2025}}

The eldest son of the British Sovereign, as Duke of Rothesay, had the right to vote in elections for [[List of Scottish representative peers|Scottish representative peer]]s from 1707. (The 1707 [[Acts of Union 1707|Acts of Union]] between the Parliament of Scotland and [[Parliament of England]] formally unified both kingdoms to create the [[Kingdom of Great Britain]].) This right continued until 1963, when the [[UK Parliament]] abolished the election of representative peers.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}

== List of dukes of Rothesay==
Holders of the Dukedom of Rothesay, with the processes by which they became dukes of Rothesay and by which they ceased to hold the title:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Duke of Rothesay!!Monarch!!From!!To!!Other title held while Duke
|-
|[[David Stewart, Duke of Rothesay|David]]||rowspan="2"|[[Robert III of Scotland|Robert III]]||1398 (created)||1402 (death)||[[Earl of Carrick]] and [[Earl of Atholl]] (1398), Baron Renfrew (?), [[Prince and Great Steward of Scotland]] (trad.)
|-
|[[James I of Scotland|James]]||1404 (created)||1406 (acceded as James I)||[[Earl of Carrick]] (1404), Baron/Lord Renfrew, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (1404)
|-
|[[Alexander Stewart, Duke of Rothesay|Alexander]]||rowspan="2"|[[James I of Scotland|James I]]||1430 (birth?)||1430 (death)||[[Earl of Carrick]] (1430), Baron/Lord Renfrew, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (1430)
|-
|[[James II of Scotland|James]]||1431 (created)||1437 (acceded as James II)||[[Earl of Carrick]] (1431), Baron/Lord Renfrew, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (1431)
|-
|[[James III of Scotland|James]]||[[James II of Scotland|James II]]||1452 (birth?)||1460 (acceded as James III)||[[Earl of Carrick]] (1452), Baron/Lord Renfrew, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (1452)
|-
|[[James IV of Scotland|James]]||[[James III of Scotland|James III]]||1473 (birth)||1488 (acceded as James IV)||Earl of Carrick and Baron/Lord Renfrew, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (1469)
|-
|James||rowspan="3"|[[James IV of Scotland|James IV]]||1507 (birth)||1508 (death)||Earl of Carrick and Baron/Lord Renfrew, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (1469)
|-
|Arthur||1509 (birth)||1510 (death)||[[Duke of Albany]] (1509), Earl of Carrick and Baron/Lord Renfrew, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (1469)
|-
|[[James V of Scotland|James]]||1512 (birth)||1513 (acceded as James V)||Earl of Carrick and Baron/Lord Renfrew, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (1469)
|-
|[[James, Duke of Rothesay (1540–1541)|James]]||[[James V of Scotland|James V]]||1540 (birth)||1541 (death)||Earl of Carrick and Baron/Lord Renfrew (1469), [[Lord of the Isles]] (1540), Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (1469)
|-
|[[James VI and I|James Charles]]||[[Mary, Queen of Scots|Mary]]||1566 (birth)||1567 (acceded as James VI)||Earl of Carrick and Baron/Lord Renfrew (1469), [[Lord of the Isles]] (1540), Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (1469)
|-
|[[Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales|Henry Frederick]]||rowspan="2"|[[James VI and I|James VI]]||1594 (birth)||1612 (death)||Prince of Wales and [[Earl of Chester]] (1610), [[Duke of Cornwall]] (1337), ''Earl of Carrick and Baron Renfrew (1469), Lord of the Isles (1540), Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (1469)'' (The italicised henceforth "Earl of Carrick, etc. 1469 & 1540)"
|-
|[[Charles I of England|Charles]]||1612 (death of brother Henry)||1625 (acceded as Charles I)||Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (1616), [[Duke of Cornwall]] (1337), [[Duke of Albany]] (1600), [[Duke of York]] (1605), [[Marquess of Ormond (Scotland)|Marquess of Ormond]] (1600), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540), [[Earl of Ross]], [[Lord Ardmannoch]] (1600)
|-
|Charles James||rowspan="2"|[[Charles I of England|Charles I]]||1629 (birth)||1629 (death)||[[Duke of Cornwall]] (1337), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540)
|-
|[[Charles II of England|Charles I]]||1630 (birth)||1649 (acceded as Charles II)||Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (1638), [[Duke of Cornwall]] (1337), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540)
|-
|[[James Francis Edward Stuart|James Francis Edward]]||[[James II of England|James VII]]||1688 (birth)||1702 (attainted)||Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (1688–1702), [[Duke of Cornwall]] (1337–1702), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540)
|-
|[[George II of Great Britain|George]]||[[George I of Great Britain|George I]]||1714 (father's accession)||1727 (acceded as George II)||Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (1714), Hereditary Prince [[Elector of Hanover|of Hanover]], [[Duke of Cornwall]] (1337), [[Duke of Cambridge]], Marquess of Cambridge (1706), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540), Earl of Milford Haven, Viscount Northallerton, Baron Tewkesbury (1706)
|-
|[[Frederick, Prince of Wales|Frederick]]||[[George II of Great Britain|George II]]||1727 (father's accession)||1751 (death)||Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (1729), [[Duke of Cornwall]] (1337), [[Duke of Edinburgh]], Marquess of Ely (1726), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540), Earl of Eltham, Viscount Launceston, Baron Snowdon (1726)
|-
|[[George IV|George]]||[[George III]]||1762 (birth)||1820 (acceded as George IV)||Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (1762), [[Duke of Cornwall]] (1337), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540)
|-
|[[Edward VII|Albert Edward]]||[[Queen Victoria|Victoria]]||1841 (birth)||1901 (acceded as Edward VII)||Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (1841), [[Duke of Cornwall]] (1337), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540), [[Earl of Dublin]] (1850)
|-
|[[George V|George]]||[[Edward VII]]||1901 (father's accession)||1910 (acceded as George V)||Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (1901), [[Duke of Cornwall]] (1337), Duke of York (1892), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540), Earl of Inverness, Baron Killarney (1892)
|-
|[[Edward VIII|Edward]]||[[George V]]||1910 (father's accession)||1936 (acceded as Edward VIII)||Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (1910), [[Duke of Cornwall]] (1337), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540)
|-
|[[Charles III|Charles]]||[[Elizabeth II]]||1952 (mother's accession)||2022 (acceded as Charles III)||Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (1958), [[Duke of Cornwall]] (1337), [[Duke of Edinburgh]] (1947), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540)
|-
|[[William, Prince of Wales|William]]||[[Charles III]]||2022 (father's accession)||Incumbent||Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (2022), [[Duke of Cornwall]] (1337), [[Duke of Cambridge]] (2011), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540)
|}

== Family tree ==
{{Dukes of Rothesay family tree}}

==Current holder==
Since 2022 [[William, Prince of Wales]], has held the title of Duke of Rothesay, and uses it when in Scotland. He has the formal Scottish [[style - Manner of Address|style]] of ''HRH The Prince William, Duke of Rothesay''.

The personal arms of the [[Charles III|preceding Duke]] were bestowed upon him in 1974 by the Queen. The [[Escutcheon (heraldry)|escutcheon]] honours [[Clan Stewart of Appin|Stewart of Appin]], ([[David Stewart, Duke of Rothesay|David Stewart]] being the first to hold the title), and features on the 1st and 4th quarters the arms of the [[Great Steward of Scotland]], with the 2nd and 3rd quarters featuring the arms of the [[Lord of the Isles]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/the-prince-of-wales/titles-and-heraldry/standards |title=Standards |publisher=The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall|access-date=2021-11-07|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121115235349/http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/the-prince-of-wales/titles-and-heraldry/standards|archive-date=15 November 2012}}</ref> The arms of the current Duke are distinguished from those of Clan Stewart of Appin through the addition of an [[inescutcheon]] displaying the arms of the [[heir apparent]] to the [[King of Scots]], namely the [[Royal coat of arms of Scotland|Royal arms of Scotland]] with a three-point [[Label (heraldry)|label]] [[azure (heraldry)|azure]] for [[difference (heraldry)|difference]]. The full [[Achievement (heraldry)|achievement]] of the current Duke's arms are a variation of the [[Royal coat of arms of Scotland|royal arms of Scotland]] used prior to the [[Union of the Crowns]] in 1603.

<gallery perrow="5">
File: Royal Standard of the Duke of Rothesay.svg|Royal Standard of the Duke of Rothesay, namely the [[Royal Banner of Scotland]] differenced with a plain blue label of three-points.
File: Shield of Arms of the Duke of Rothesay.svg|Personal arms of Prince William, Duke of Rothesay.
File: Personal Banner of the Duke of Rothesay.svg|Personal banner of Prince William, Duke of Rothesay.
File:Coat of Arms of the Duke of Rothesay.svg|Full [[Achievement (heraldry)|armorial achievement]] of His Royal Highness The Prince William, Duke of Rothesay, [[Earl of Carrick]], [[Baron of Renfrew]], [[Lord of the Isles]], [[Prince and Great Steward of Scotland]].
</gallery>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Dukes of Rothesay}}
{{British royal titles}}
{{Extant British dukedoms}}
{{William, Prince of Wales}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rothesay}}
[[Category:Dukes of Rothesay| ]]
[[Category:Dukedoms in the Peerage of Scotland]]
[[Category:Noble titles created in 1398]]
[[Category:Heirs to the throne]]
[[Category:Scottish monarchy]]
[[Category:Succession to the British crown]]
[[Category:Rothesay, Bute]]
[[Category:British and Irish peerages which merged in the Crown]]