Why is Meghan Markle called the Duchess of Sussex? And who was the controversial previous Duke?

Prince Harry is only the second-ever royal to be called the Duke of Sussex
Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will make their first visit to Sussex as Duke and Duchess this week.

The pair are expected to visit Chichester, Bognor, Brighton and Peacehaven on their tour, as well as visiting a charity that provides support to victims of rape and sexual assault.

Meghan and Harry were bestowed the titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex - which had been vacant - when they married in May this year.

A dukedom is the highest rank in British peerage.

Harry also received the Scottish and Northern Irish titles, becoming the Earl of of Dumbarton and Baron Kilkeel, making Meghan the Countess of Dumbarton and Baroness Kilkeel.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex: Prince Harry & Meghan Markle

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Prince Harry is just the second royal to be given this Dukedom title.

The previous holder of the title was Prince Augustus Frederick, the sixth son of King George III.

Who was Prince Augustus and why was there never a Duchess of Sussex?

Prince Augustus Frederick was born in 1773 and died 1843 - and lived in Kensington Palace, where Harry and Meghan have their home.

The first Duke of Sussex
Hulton Archive/Getty Images

He was musically gifted, had a fine singing voice, and amassed a huge library, a variety of singing birds and a large number of clocks.

Suffering from asthma, George III's sixth son was deemed too delicate to join the military - unlike Harry, who had a 10-year stint in the armed forces.

Augustus was sent abroad and married Lady Augusta Murray - whom he called "Goosy" - in secret in Rome in 1793, but the marriage was declared void by George III, who had not given his approval.

It was later annulled on the grounds that it contravened the Royal Marriages Act 1772.

The prince became the Duke of Sussex in 1801 but Lady Augusta, from whom he separated the same year, did not become the Duchess of Sussex.

She called herself princess and demanded a peerage, but never received one.

The duke's progressive political views - such as supporting the abolition of the slave trade, Catholic emancipation and political reform - sparked a rift between him and his father and brother, the Prince Regent.

Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The duke's second marriage was to his former mistress Lady Cecilia Buggin, who was also known as Lady Cecilia Underwood.

This was also deemed illegal because he did not seek permission from the king, so Lady Cecilia was not styled the Duchess of Sussex. She was later made the Duchess of Inverness by Queen Victoria instead.

The Duke of Sussex was Victoria's favourite uncle and he gave her away at her wedding to Prince Albert.

He was rather proud of his singing abilities, once proclaiming: "I have the most wonderful voice that was ever heard - three octaves - and I do understand music."

He was also Grand Master of the Freemasons' Premier Grand Lodge of England.

His children from his first marriage were not recognised so, when he died without a legitimate heir in 1843, this dukedom became extinct and has not been used since.

What about Sussex?

A title linked with Sussex first appeared with the Kingdom of Sussex, an Anglo-Saxon kingdom that was annexed by the Kingdom of Wessex around 827.

In charters, Sussex's monarchs were sometimes referred to as ealdormen, or “dux” in Latin, which is sometimes translated as "dukes".

The old English county of Sussex - now made up of East and West Sussex - is located predominantly on the south coast of England, with around 90 miles of shoreline from Camber in the east to Chichester Harbour Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the west.

Spanning 1,461 square miles, Sussex shares borders with Kent, Surrey and Hampshire.

Key locations include Brighton and Hove, Eastbourne, Worthing, Hastings, Crawley, the South Downs National Park, and the white cliffs at Beachy Head.

First recorded in 722 as "Suth Seaxe", the names comes from the Old English for the "territory of the South Saxons".

Although invaded by the Normans in 1066, many Sussex towns and villages still retain their original Anglo Saxon names.

Reviving the title

Speculation around bestowing of the title arose in 1999 before the wedding of Prince Edward, the Queen’s youngest son.

Instead he was created the Earl of Wessex and told he would eventually become the Duke of Edinburgh upon his father, Prince Philip’s, passing.

Before the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex was suggested as a potential title, but the pair were made the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Prince Harry was then – reportedly – promised that the Duke of Sussex title would be granted to him on his wedding day and the official announcement by the palace this morning has confirmed this speculation.

Where dukes rank in the standings

In the royal family, dukedoms hold a heavier weight in terms of title than Prince or Princess – unless you are Prince Charles, whose title as the Prince of Wales trumps a Dukedom.

This means that when Charles becomes King, Prince William and Kate will become the Prince and Princess of Wales – a title that would be considered higher on the hierarchy than the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

For Harry, as a prince he is still technically considered a commoner.

This is because only the Sovereign and peers of the realm, like Dukes, Marquess, Earls, Viscounts, and Barons aren’t considered commoners.

As he is unlikely to hold a higher title than Duke, this is why he and Meghan will be known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

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