Duke of Kent

Dukedom of Kent
Creation date	12 October 1934
Monarch	George V
Peerage	Peerage of the United Kingdom
First holder	HRH The Prince George, 1st Duke of Kent
Present holder	HRH Prince Edward, 2nd Duke of Kent
Heir apparent	George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews
Remainder to	the 1st Duke's heirs male of the body lawfully begotten
Subsidiary titles	Earl of St Andrews Baron Downpatrick

The title of Duke of Kent has been created several times in the peerages of Great Britain and the United Kingdom, most recently as a royal dukedom for the fourth son of King George V. Since 1942, the title has been held by Prince Edward, the Queen's cousin.

A title associated with Kent first appears anciently with the Kingdom of Kent (or Cantware), one of the seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms that later merged to form the Kingdom of England. The Kings of Cantware (or Kent) date back to about 449. After 825, when the Kingdom of Kent was taken over by Egbert, King of Wessex, Kent became a dependency of Wessex and was ruled by sub-kings, usually related to the Wessex rulers. The titular kingship became something like the heir-apparent's title, as Aethelwulf, Egbert's son, became King of Kent in 825. By 860, Kent lost its status as a kingdom, becoming absorbed into Wessex.

In the peerage of England the first title of Kent was that of the Earl of Kent. After the death of his father, Godwin the Earl of Wessex, Leofwine (c. 1035–1066), sometime between 1056 and 1058, became Earl of Kent, a new earldom at the time. It is possible that Godwin was the first Earl of Kent, since he ruled over that area as well as many others.

After Leofwine's death at Hastings in 1066, William the Conqueror named his half-brother, Odo of Bayeux (c. 1036–1097), who was also Bishop of Bayeux, the new Earl of Kent. However, Odo was twice removed from this title. The first occasion was in 1082, when he was imprisoned; the second was in 1088, after aiding in the Rebellion of 1088, after which he fled England.

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