THE DUCHESS OF KENT IS NOW THE FOURTH LADY IN THE LAND

Taranaki Daily News, 19 January 1935, Page 15 (Supplement)

THE DUCHESS OF KENT IS NOW THE FOURTH LADY IN THE LAND

B Y marrying an English Prince, Princess Marina relinquished her title of Princess of Greece and of Denmark, and will assume, by right of her marriage, the titles of Duchess of Kent,' Countess of St. Andrews, and Baroness Downpatrick (says Arthur G. M. Heribrige, editor of “Debretts Peerage,” in the “Daily Mail”). She will, in short, take her legal place among the royal family as she has already taken her established place in the hearts of their people. New and interesting questions of precedence and succession will thus be involved as a result of the brilliant scene at Westminster Abbey. The first and obvious point is that her Royal Highness now becomes the Fourth Lady of the Land. That is to say that henceforth she ranks as fourth in the scale of general precedence for ladies in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Her Majesty the Queen, as Consort of the Reigning Sovereign, is naturally the First Lady, while in the absence of a Princess of Wales the Princess Royal, as the King’s daughter, is Second.

Third comes the Duchess of York as wife of the next eldest son, and since the Duke of Gloucester is unmarried the new Duchess of Kent will be fourth.

It will be noticed that the Duchess takes precedence over her nieces, the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose, it being the custom fop daugh-ters-in-law of the King , to rank before his grandchildren. Indeed, it is understood that his Majesty has been pleased to issue an order to the

effect that the Duchess of Kent shall have precedence immediately after the Duchess of York. So much for questions of rank. No less intricate, however, than the Table of Precedence is the Line of Succession, This latter is regulated by the King in Parliament, or rather the King in Parliaments—if we may be permitted the phrase—since the

Settlement in 1701, which settled the Crown upon Anne, and failing her children on the Princess Sophia, Electress of Hanover (she was a granddaughter of James I), and the “heirs of her body,” provided they are Protestants. In other words, females were not excluded from the Succession, and the Salic Law, which still flourished on the Continent, was to have no place in England. First, of course, comes Prince of of Wales, who as Heir-Apparent to the Throne will naturally succeed. After him would come his children (first males, then females), if any; but since there are none, second would be the Duke of York as next heir-male. Then would follow his children —in this case making Princess Elizabeth third and Princess Margaret fourth in succession. Fifth would be the Duke of Gloucester, and, since he has no children, sixth is the Puke of Kent. Should he have any issue, they will come next, the males before the females. Seventh is the Princess Royal, and eighth and ninth are her children, Viscount. Lascelles and the Hon. Gerald Lascelles. Tenth is Princess Arthur of Connaught as the elder child of the late Princess Royal, Duchess of Fife, and eleventh is her son, the Earl of Macduff. And so it goes on—males first and then females—but always in direct line.

It thus becomes apparent that precedence and succession are by' no means the same thing. To avoid all confusion, it is convenient to tabulate them in the form adopted above. To summarise, we see that the

MALE PRECEDENCE 1 The King 2 The Prince of Wales 3 Duke of York 4 Duke of Gloucester 5 Duke of Kent 6 Viscount Lascelles 7 Hon. Gerald Lascelles

FEMALE PRECEDENCE 1 The Queen 2 The Princess Royal 3 Duchess of York 4 Duchess of Kent 5 Princess Elizabeth 6 Princess Margaret Rose 7 Princess Victoria

SUCCESSION 1 The Prince of Wales 2 The Duke of York 3 Princess Elizabeth 4 Princess Margaret Rose 5 Duke of Gloucester 6 Duke of Kent 7 The Princess Royal 8 Viscount Lascelles 9 Hon. Gerald Lascelles 10 Princess Arthur of Connaught

Duchess of Kent has precedence after both the Princess Royal and the Duchess of York, but any issue of her marriage will be in the line of succession below the children of the Duchess of York and above those of the Princess Royal.