If we told you that the British royal family had a hierarchy system, you may think we were pointing out the obvious. However, the truth is that the structure of authority is a bit more complicated than that, with titles to denote the ranks within “the firm” and who stands in the line of succession. These titles all have different meanings, from the Prince of Wales on down to the Earls and Dukes that make up the rest of the family. Today, we’re going to do our best to explain each of the titles in the order of succession and a little about where that title originates.

Prince of Wales

Directly under the King, the title of Prince of Wales has been historically granted to the heir apparent of the Sovereign. Prior to the 13th Century, the title was an evolution of “King of the Britons,” which had been used by Celtic Britons, the ancestors of the Welsh. Various Welsh princes used the title Prince of Wales to unite their countrymen against the English. However, that came to an end when King Edward I defeated the Welsh forces, made the country a principality of England, and gave the title to his oldest son. Prince William currently holds the title.

Duke of Sussex

After Prince William and his children, the next in the line of succession is Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. While the Duke of Sussex may seem like a title specifically created for Harry, the first creation of the title occurred in 1801 when King George III created it for his son, Prince Augustus Frederick. The Dukedom died with him in 1843 and was not revived until Queen Elizabeth II bestowed it on Harry after his marriage to Meghan Markle.

Duke of York

Traditionally, the title of Duke of York has been bestowed upon the second son of the Sovereign but originated with the Viking Erik Bloodaxe, the last King of Jorvic (the Viking name for York). It was created as a peerage title for King Edward III’s son Edmund of Langley in 1385, then passed to his sons until his line died out. It was next created for Richard of Shrewsbury, the son of King Edward IV, who was one of the “Princes in the Tower”, then for Henry Tudor, son of King Henry VII, who eventually became King Henry VIII, and the title merged into the Crown. It was created several more times since, with the most recent title holder being Prince Andrew, who will surrender the title on his death as he has no legitimate sons.

Duke of Edinburgh

When people think of the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip is probably the first person who comes to mind. However, the title is much older than that and was created for Prince Frederick by his grandfather, King George I. The title then passed to Frederick’s son, Prince George, and it merged with the Crown when George became King George III. It was created again in 1866 and then in 1947, the latter time for Philip Mountbatten when he married Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II). After Philip’s death, the title reverted to Prince Charles and was not bestowed again until he ascended the throne and bestowed it upon his brother, Prince Edward, in 2023.

Earl of Wessex

Earl of Wessex is a title that’s only been created twice in British history, the first time being during the Anglo-Danish period when it was bestowed on Godwin by King Cnut around 1019 AD. The title passed to Godwin’s son Harold and extinguished with Harold’s death at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. It wasn’t created again until Prince Edward married in 1999, the tradition being to grant sons of the monarch titles upon being wed. As mentioned above, Edward was styled Duke of Edinburgh after his father’s death and brother becoming king, with the title Earl of Wessex passing to Edward’s son James.

Princess Royal

Princess Royal isn’t a dukedom or earldom but instead a title normally bestowed to the monarch’s eldest daughter. It was first created in the 17th Century when Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles I, wanted to mirror the French court from which she came by having a royal title for the eldest child. The title was subsequently bestowed upon her daughter, Princess Mary, and merged with the Crown when she became Queen Mary II. It has been held six times since, with the most recent holder being Princess Anne, who will relinquish it to the Crown on her death.

Earl of Snowdon

Earl of Snowdon is one of the only titles on this list that was created in the 20th Century. Before its creation, the title of Baron Snowdon was held by the aforementioned Prince Frederick and merged with the Crown when his son became King George III. The current title was bestowed upon Antony Armstrong-Jones by Queen Elizabeth II when he married Princess Margaret and, as a life peerage, remained with him after their divorce. On his death in 2017, his son with Princess Margaret, David Armstrong-Jones, inherited the title.

Duke of Gloucester

The title Duke of Gloucester was first conferred to Thomas of Woodstock, the thirteenth child of King Edward III. It was created several more times, with the most famous (or infamous) holder being Richard of York, the future King Richard III. Its last creation was for Prince Henry, the fourth child of King George V, who passed the title to his son, Prince Richard, who still holds it today.

Earl of Ulster

Earl of Ulster is a peerage title that was originally created by King Henry II after the Norman Invasion of Ireland. It was most recently created as another title for Prince Henry and then held by his son, Prince Richard, until Richard became Duke of Gloucester. The current title holder is Richard’s son, Alexander Windsor, who uses it as a courtesy title.

Duke of Kent

The Title Duke of Kent is another that was born out of the ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and was styled Earl of Kent as a subset of the Earls of Wessex. After the Norman Invasion, the title was bestowed upon several individuals until Henry Grey, the then-current earl, was styled Marquess of Kent and later elevated to Duke of Kent. It became extinct, was revived as an earldom, then went extinct again before King George V revived it for his fifth child and fourth son, Prince George, in 1934. The current title holder is his son, Prince Edward.