Some folk histories of the British Isles, such asGeoffrey of Monmouth'sHistory of the Kings of Britain (1136), claim that the first leader ofCornwall wasCorineus, a Trojan warrior and ally ofBrutus of Troy, portrayed as the original settler of the British Isles. From then through the Arthurian period, suchlegendary dukes of Cornwall stood apart from thehigh king of Britain, while serving as his closest ally and, at times, as his protector (all per Monmouth's collected yarns). Notably in this tale,Gorlois, duke of Cornwall underKing Uther Pendragon, rebelled when the king became obsessed with Gorlois' wifeIgraine. Uther killed Gorlois and took Igraine: the son wasKing Arthur.[3]
Edward of Woodstock (widely known as 'The Black Prince'), the eldest son ofEdward III, was made the first duke of Cornwall in 1337, after Edward III claimed the title ofKing of France.[4] Cornwall was the first dukedom conferred within the Kingdom of England.[5]
The charter that established the estate on 17 March 1337 set out the rule that the duke and possessor of the estate would be the eldest son and heir apparent of the monarch.[2] There were some deviations from this rule until a legal case (the Prince's Case) in 1606, which held that the rule should be adhered to.[6]
When the estate is without a duke, the possessor is the monarch, even if the former duke left surviving descendants.[2] The monarch's grandson, even if he is theheir apparent, does not succeed to the dukedom. Similarly, no female may ever be duke of Cornwall, even if she isheir presumptive or heir apparent (this becoming a possibility after the commencement of theSuccession to the Crown Act 2013).
Under tradition, it is possible for an individual to bePrince of Wales, and heir apparent, without also holding the position of Duke of Cornwall. The title 'Prince of Wales' is the traditional title of the heir apparent to the throne, granted at the discretion of the sovereign, though not automatically, and is not restricted to the eldest son.
For example, after the death ofFrederick, Prince of Wales,George II's heir apparent was his grandson George (Frederick's eldest son and the futureGeorge III). The young Prince George was created Prince of Wales but did not become Duke of Cornwall because he was the king's grandson, rather than his son. When the sovereign has no legitimate son, or when the heir apparent is not the sovereign's son, the estates of the duchy revert to the Crown until a legitimate son is born or until the accession of a new monarch who has a son.
James Francis Edward Stuart, son ofJames II, was born Duke of Cornwall in 1688. Although his father lost the throne, James Francis Edward was not deprived of his own titles and honours as a result of his father's deposition. Instead, from the (prevailing)Hanoverian perspective, it was as a result of his claiming his father's lost thrones that James wasattainted for treason on 2 March 1702, and his titles were thus forfeited underEnglish law.[5] However, from the (minority)Jacobite perspective, on his father's death in 1701 the duchy was merged with the Crown.
The duchy includes over 220 square miles (570 square kilometres) of land, more than half of which lies inDevon. The duke has the right to the estates of all those who die without named heirs (bona vacantia) in Cornwall, and also appoints theHigh Sheriff of Cornwall; in most of England and Wales the Crown has these rights, the other exception being theDuchy of Lancaster, a private estate held in trust for the sovereign. The duke having these rights has contributed to the debate over theconstitutional status of Cornwall.
In 2013, the duchy had a revenue surplus of £19 million, a sum that was exempt fromincome tax, though Prince Charles, the duke, chose to pay the tax voluntarily.[7][8] Until 2011, if there was no Duke of Cornwall the income of the duchy went to the Crown. Under theSovereign Grant Act 2011, revenues of the duchy now pass to the heir to the throne regardless of whether or not they are Duke of Cornwall. When the heir is a minor, 10% of revenues pass to them, with the balance passing to the Crown; the Sovereign Grant is reduced by the same amount.[9]
Thecoat of arms of the duke of Cornwall isblazoned assable, fifteenbezants, that is, a black field bearing fifteen golden discs. The arms are now used as abadge by the prince of Wales, and they appear below the shield in his coat of arms, along with his other badges.
The arms were adopted late in the 15th century, based on the arms ofRichard, Earl of Cornwall. The bezants in Richard's arms were intended to represent peas, known in French aspois, as a punning reference to the French region ofPoitou, of which he was count.[10]
All dukes of Cornwall who have been the eldest living son of the sovereign are generally considered to have held the samecreation of the dukedom. The following is a table of these dukes of Cornwall, with the processes by which they became duke and by which they ceased to hold the title:[16]
When his heir apparent,Edward the Black Prince, predeceased him,Edward III granted a new creation of the title 'duke of Cornwall' to his grandson,Richard. When he acceded to the throne as Richard II in 1377, this creation merged with the Crown.
Charles Edward Stuart ('The Young Pretender'), eldest son and heir apparent ofJames Francis Edward Stuart ('The Old Pretender'), was born in Rome on 31 December 1720, and shortly after his birth, he was declared prince of Wales, duke of Cornwall and earl of Chester in theJacobite succession. With the death of the Old Pretender on 1 January 1766, he acceded to his father's claim to be King of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland. He died on 31 January 1788.[17]
Edward of Westminster (1453–1471) Prince of Wales (1454–1471) Duke of Cornwall (1454–1471)
From the 1469 Act of Scottish Parliament, the Earldom of Carrick and the Dukedom of Rothesay was to be automatically held by the "first-born Prince of the King of Scots."
James (1473–1513) Duke of Rothesay (1473–1488) later King James IV of Scots
Italics: This title is held by a peer who holds another of higher precedence. *This title is no longer used due to the holder ceasing its use in October 2025
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