Duke of Hamilton
| Dukedom of Hamilton | |
|---|---|
 
Quarterly, first and fourth grandquarters counterquartered, first and fourth gules, three cinquefoils ermine (for Hamilton); second and third argent, a lymphad with sails furled proper, flagged gules (for Arran); second and third grandquarters argent, a heart gules imperially crowned proper, on a chief azure three stars of the field (for Douglas).
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| Creation date | 12 April 1643 |
| Monarch | Charles I |
| Peerage | Peerage of Scotland |
| First holder | James Hamilton, 3rd Marquess of Hamilton |
| Present holder | Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, 16th Duke |
| Heir apparent | Douglas Charles Douglas-Hamilton, Marquess of Douglas and Clydesdale |
| Remainder to | heirs male of the body of the grantee; the grantee's brother; heirs male of the body of the grantee's brother; the grantee's eldest daughter, followed by her heirs male; nearest heirs whatsoever of the grantee |
| Subsidiary titles | Marquess of Douglas Marquess of Clydesdale Earl of Angus Earl of Lanark Earl of Arran and Cambridge Lord Abernethy and Jedburgh Forest Lord Machanshire and Polmont Lord Aven and Innerdale Baron Dutton |
| Seat(s) | Lennoxlove House |
| Former seat(s) |
Hamilton Palace Brodick Castle Dungavel House Kinneil House Cadzow Castle |
Duke of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in 1643. It is the senior dukedom in that Peerage (except for the Dukedom of Rothesay held by the Sovereign's eldest son), and as such its holder is the Premier Peer of Scotland, as well as being head of both the House of Hamilton and the House of Douglas. The title, the town of Hamilton in Lanarkshire, and many places around the world are named after members of the Hamilton family. The Ducal family's surname, originally "Hamilton", is now "Douglas-Hamilton". Since 1711, the Dukedom has been held together with the Dukedom of Brandon in the Peerage of Great Britain, and the Dukes since that time have been styled Duke of Hamilton and Brandon, along with several other subsidiary titles.
The titles held by the current Duke of Hamilton and Brandon are:
The Duke of Hamilton and Brandon is Hereditary Keeper of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official royal residence in Scotland, where he maintains large private quarters. He is also, as Lord Abernethy and in this respect successor to the Gaelic Earls of Fife, the Hereditary Bearer of the Crown of Scotland, a role which the 15th Duke performed at the inauguration of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, as did the 16th Duke at the State Opening of Parliament, 30 June 2011. Traditionally, the Duke of Hamilton enjoys the exclusive right to remove the Scottish Crown Jewels from the City of Edinburgh. He also regularly attends sittings in the Court of Lord Lyon as an hereditary assessor, sitting on the bench beside Lord Lyon.
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Wikipedia