the choices weren’t easy to make: sergi felt the need to prioritize old noble families from catalonia that likely had some sort of title few centuries back yet he was set on keeping the nobility fresh and young, easier to align with his ideals and obviously pick people who had a history with politics, which isn’t too hard to find among catalans. only took him almost three years to finalize the list of new dukes and duchesses. needless to say he also decided to go with people he already knew and trusted. the grand duchesses of lleida and girona had been allies of his for almost a decade, known figures in catalonia’s independence movement. as for barcelona it was only right that it was reigned by a d’aragó, thankfully sergi’s cousin was more than up and prepared for the job. and he couldn’t help but restore what his oldest friend could’ve had had history been different.
THE GRAND DUCHIES:
grand duke of barcelona: ricard d’aragó. ( jamie dornan )
grand duchess of girona: ivet albareda. ( mandy moore )
grand duchess of lleida: jana montserrat ( rebecca ferguson )
grand duke of tarragona: andrés d’moncada. ( chris evans )
as a consitutional monarchy, the nobles serve more as a liaison between japan’s 47 prefectures (organized by region into 8 duchies) and the royal governance. the chief executive of each prefecture is a directly elected governor, but it is the emperor or empress who selects the nobles at their leisure. by practice, the title is usually passed down generations with the previous duke or duchess advising the best selection among their children. aside from the royal family, most nobility generate their own wealth from corporate interests or inheritances. it is also the duty of noble families to represent japanese tradition and culture, including preservation of historical sites.
the northern duchies.
DUKE OF HOKKAIDO, 67 ( watanabe ken ) - traditional, rigid, very loyal to the royal family. primary ambassador to russia. served in japanese defense forces prior to taking on the responsibilities of hokkaido.
DUKE OF TOHOKU, 65 ( sanada hiroyuki ) - dear friend of the empress, and deeply fond of the princesses since he has no daughters of his own. hoping for a match between his eldest son and princess tamiko.
DUCHESS OF KANTO, now 33 ( fumiko ) - the duchy of kanto falls under the crown heir’s responsibilities.
DUCHESS OF CHUBU, 30 ( arai nanao ) - her family owns many, many resorts and is deeply involved in the tourism industry. the duchess’ father retired just a few months ago, making her the newest member of the nobility. sly, and more focused on her business than the duchy.
the southern duchies.
DUKE OF KANSAI, 33 ( minamoto daisuke ) - the duchy of kansai is traditionally held by relations of the royal family, as that is where the old capital and many of the other royal residences are located.
DUKE OF CHUGOKO, 28 ( masaki suda ) - the youngest noble, he inherited after his father’s unexpected death seven years ago. relies deeply on the duke of kansai and looks to him for direction. a follower, but well intentioned.
DUCHESS OF SHIKOKU, 41 ( eleanor matsuura white ) - was not a popular choice for duchess a decade ago due to spending most of her childhood with her mother’s family in france, but used her family’s deep pockets to improve quality of life for her duchy. well respected.
DUKE OF KYUSHU, 32 ( machida keita ) - an incurable flirt and two time winner of hottest man in japan. ex-surfer, quit after an injury and focused on learning the family business and how to run a duchy. ego still stings after being rejected by princess fumiko upon her return to japan some years ago.
The island micronation of Iceland consists of eleven duchies - four of them awarded to various members of the royal family, the remaining seven belonging to pillars of the communities they represent. They non-royal duchies are divided into Northern and Southern duchies respectively, with no overarching “grand duchy” system, as is seen in the nobility of other countries.
Iceland’s nobility system is unique to any other - it’s novel due to it’s completely elective system of succession - wherein most dukes or duchesses will retire at a regular age (sixty-seven is the traditional age for retirement in Iceland) and will choose their successor. In some cases, the duchy remains in a traditional family line - in others, the heir is chosen at the will of the sitting duke or duchess.
In Iceland, in a situation in which a conflict arises between two prospective heirs - the decision between the two fall to the duchies. This tradition of duchies “voting” in support of their preferred heir was set in 1605 after King Jon III killed his elder brother, Prince Karl IV, in a duel over the throne and held the title of king for five years before being overthrown by his cousin.
READ MORE HERE.
THE CAST:
Kit Haringon as Aleksander Magnusson, The Duke of Reykjavik.
Alicia Vikander as Natasja Magnusdottir, The Duchess of Keflavik.
Brie Larson as Talia Kristinsdottir, The Duchess of Kopavogur.
Jade Bird as Randi Egillssdottir, The Duchess of Husavik.
Maya Hawke as Ripley Egillssdottir, The Duchess of Akureyri .
Rahul Kohli as Jon Guðmundursson, The Duke of Hofsós.
Edward Bluemel as Ólafur Petursson, The Duke of Súðavík.
Kylie Bunbury as Ásta Liljasdottir, The Duchess of Akranes.
Tom Ellis as Einar Stefánsson, The Duke of Egilsstaðir.
Chris McNally as Ragnar Karlsson, The Duke of Selfoss.
in the united states, a governor serves as the chief executive officer and commander-in-chief in each of the fifty states, functioning as both head of state and head of government therein. as such, governors are responsible for implementing state laws and overseeing the operation of the state executive branch. as state leaders, governors advance and pursue new and revised policies and programs using a variety of tools, among them executive orders, executive budgets, and legislative proposals and vetoes. governors carry out their management and leadership responsibilities and objectives with the support and assistance of department and agency heads, many of whom they are empowered to appoint. a majority of governors have the authority to appoint state court judges as well, in most cases from a list of names submitted by a nominations committee.
the NORTHEASTERN UNITED STATES is a geographical region of the united states. its divisions are new england ( connecticut, maine, massachusetts, new hampshire, rhode island, and vermont ) and the mid-atlantic ( new jersey, new york, and pennsylvania ). although it lacks a unified cultural identity, the northeastern region is the nation's most economically developed, densely populated, and culturally diverse region. of the nation's four census regions, the northeast has the second-largest percentage of residents living in an urban setting ( with 85 percent ) and is home to the nation's largest metropolitan area ( new york city ).
NEW ENGLAND.
CONNECTICUT : laura wilmer ( cate blanchett ), republican, since 2011
MAINE : caitlin westcott ( ellen pompeo ), republican, since 2019
MASSACHUSETTS : felicity benson ( rashida jones ), democrat, since 2015
NEW HAMPSHIRE : christi goode ( reese witherspoon ), democrat, since 2017
RHODE ISLAND : adela sebti ( emmanuelle chriqui ), democrat, since 2015
VERMONT : derick han ( john cho ), democrat, since 2017
MID-ATLANTIC STATES.
NEW JERSEY : shaun russell ( laurence fishburne ), democrat, since 2018
NEW YORK : isabelle andrews ( zoe saldana ), democrat, since 2021
PENNSYLVANIA : violet beck ( rooney mara ), republican, since 2015
the MIDWESTERN UNITED STATES is one of four census regions of the united states census bureau, occupying the north central part of the united states. its divisions are east north central ( illinois, indiana, michigan, ohio, and wisconsin ) and west north central ( iowa, kansas, minnesota, missouri, nebraska, north dakota, and south dakota) ). chicago is the most populous city in the american midwest and the third most populous in the entire country. chicago and its suburbs, called chicagoland, form the region’s largest metropolitan area with 10 million people.
EAST NORTH CENTRAL STATES.
ILLINOIS : tracey marsh ( sally hawkins ), republican, since 2019
INDIANA : garth butler ( justin chambers ), republican, since 2017
MICHIGAN : donna randall ( viola davis ), democrat, since 2019
OHIO : philip tirrell ( donald glover ), democrat, since 2019
WISCONSIN : percy hewitt ( john mulaney ), democrat, since 2019
WEST NORTH CENTRAL STATES.
IOWA : kelly grant ( rachel weisz ), democrat, since 2017
KANSAS : dale garner ( clancy brown ), republican, since 2019
MINNESOTA : sadie lawrence ( winona ryder ), democrat, since 2019
MISSOURI : andrea miller ( michele dockery ), republican, since 2018
NEBRASKA : silas nelson ( sam elliott ), republican, since 2015
NORTH DAKOTA : samuel fulton ( daveed diggs ), democrat, since 2016
SOUTH DAKOTA : alicia atkins ( aja naomi king ), democrat, since 2019
the SOUTHERN UNITED STATES is is a geographic and cultural region of the united states. its divisions are the south atlantic ( delaware, florida, georgia, maryland, north carolina, south carolina, virginia, and west virginia ), east south central ( alabama, kentucky, mississippi, and tennessee ), and west south central ( arkansas, louisiana, oklahoma, and texas ). the south does not precisely coincide with the geographic south of the united states but is commonly defined as including the states that fought for the confederate states of america in the american civil war. the deep south lies entirely within the southeastern corner. the region is known for its culture and history, having developed its own customs, musical styles, and cuisines, which have distinguished it in some ways from the rest of the united states. the southern ethnic heritage is diverse and includes strong european ( mostly english, scotch-irish, scottish, irish, and french ), african, and some native american components.
SOUTH ATLANTIC STATES.
DELAWARE : cornelius bancroft ( michael shannon ), republican, since 2017
FLORIDA : angela valdes ( gina torres ), democrat, since 2019
GEORGIA : gabrielle shaw ( octavia spencer ), democrat, since 2019
MARYLAND : damien park ( daniel dae kim ), democrat, since 2015
NORTH CAROLINA : artie barnes ( sam richardson ), democrat, since 2017
SOUTH CAROLINA : shannon todd ( leslie mann ), republican, since 2017
VIRGINIA : rebekah milton ( julianne moore ), republican, since 2018
WEST VIRGINIA : lori taylor ( helen mccrory ), republican, since 2017
EAST SOUTH CENTRAL STATES.
ALABAMA : maynard gardner ( richard jenkins ), republican, since 2011
KENTUCKY : wilson beaumont ( kevin costner ), republican, since 2019
MISSISSIPPI : julianne hargrave ( amy adams ), republican, since 2012
TENNESSEE : shane montgomery ( andrew lincoln ), republican, since 2019
WEST SOUTH CENTRAL STATES.
ARKANSAS : jason wickham ( eddie redmayne ), republican, since 2015
LOUISIANA : christine robson ( antonia thomas ), republican, since 2016
OKLAHOMA : michele abrams ( lea thompson ), republican, since 2019
TEXAS : lorraine crawford ( kelly reilly ), republican, since 2015
the WESTERN UNITED STATES is the region comprising the westernmost states of the united states. its divisions are the mountain states ( arizona, colorado, idaho, montana, nevada, new mexico, utah, and wyoming ) and the pacific states ( alaska, california, hawaii, oregon, and washington ). as american settlement in the united states expanded westward, the meaning of the term “the west” changed. before about 1800, the crest of the appalachian mountains was seen as the western frontier. the frontier moved westward and eventually the lands west of the mississippi river were considered “the west.” the west contains several major biomes, including arid and semi-arid plateaus and plains, particularly in the american southwest; forested mountains, including two major ranges, the american sierra nevada and rocky mountains; the long coastal shoreline of the american pacific coast; and the rainforests of the pacific northwest.
MOUNTAIN STATES.
ARIZONA : daniel rivera ( alfonso herrera ), democrat, since 2019
COLORADO : wyatt harvey ( forest whitaker ), democrat, since 2015
IDAHO : malcolm jackson ( michael fassbender ), republican, since 2019
MONTANA : omar faraj ( marwan kenzari ), democrat, since 2021
NEVADA : noelle bloomfield ( maya rudolph ), democrat, since 2019
NEW MEXICO : oscar méndez ( diego luna ), democrat, since 2019
UTAH : william daniels ( seth meyers ), republican, since 2021
WYOMING : colleen leighton ( felicity jones ), republican, since 2019
PACIFIC STATES.
ALASKA : veronica filippova ( mila kunis ), republican, since 2018
CALIFORNIA : maria reyes ( salma hayek ), democrat, since 2019
HAWAII : makaio kekoa ( keanu reeves ), democrat, since 2014
OREGON : isadora tyler ( susan sarandon ), democrat, since 2015
WASHINGTON : felix kessler ( jeff goldblum ), democrat, since 2013
England is divided into 48 duchies. Each duke and duke has some power over taxation inside their duchy. Duchies have their own armies though they aren’t very big due to the small size of the duchies.
Currently the duchies have chosen to either support King Arthur (red) or Bruce Macalpin and the Parliament (blue). Some duchies are undecided or have chosen to stay neutral (white). The duchy of Greater London is traditionally ruled by the Monarch.
THE EAST ANGLIAN BIG FOUR
NORFOLK: Nicole de Marquis, 46, Jennifer Connelly
SUFFOLK: Alistair Honsby, 61, Hugh Grant
CAMBRIDGESHIRE: Ida Lennsworth, 45, Carice Van Houtenc
ESSEX: Laurence Kiff, 74, Ben Kingsley
East Anglia is a red region. They are loud with their support for King Arthur. East Anglia’s population is roughly 6 million, which makes it one of the most populous regions in England. The east has a lot of strength and their leadership consists of capable and cunning people. Considering the political climate in England, experience is more valuable than gold.
THE NORTH
NORTHUMBERLAND: Bruce Macalpin’s brother, 38ish, not Aleksander Skarsgård
NORTH YORKSHIRE: Julia Fawcett, 54, Helen McCrory
With strong ties to Scotland, the northern part of England has sided strongly with Macalpin.
THE THREE CITIES
GREATER MACHESTER: Tabitha Pembey, 34, Ruth Negga
WEST YORKSHIRE: Amelia Emsworth, 33, Janet Montgomery
MERSEYSIDE: Julius Dalton, 50, Charles Venn
Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds. Not too far apart from each other, people and goods moving rapidly between the three cities. The duchess of Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire have decided to side with King Arthur after having been pressured to do so. The two duchesses are more concerned about keeping enemy forces out of their duchies than with anything else. Siding with the exiled king is economically beneficial for the two of them but the people of the duchies have been dissatisfied with the decision to go red. The duke of Merseyside sided with Macalpin almost immediately. With the whole support of Liverpool behind his back, he isn’t concerned about being surrounded by loyalist duchies.
MIDLANDS
WEST MIDLANDS: Ryker Abbott, 29, Jeremy Irvine
LINCOLNSHIRE: Rose James, 38, Charlotte Riley
The duchess of Lincolnshire is a sensible woman who’s been hard at work trying to get her neighbours to go blue. Rose James is a likable person but she isn’t very intimidating, which worries her allies. It is uncertain if she will be able to make a difficult decision if it ever comes to it. The duke of West Midlands is young and reckless. Birmingham is the second biggest city in England, which means that Ryker Abbott has a considerable amount of power. It’s an open secret that he is being controlled by the dukes and duchesses around him.
Kent and Surrey are some of the most populous duchies in England. Their proximity to London makes them special. The duchies were expected to support Bruce but have remained neutral since the beginning. It’s been rumoured that the duchies decided to remain neutral due to the fact that they are surrounded by loyalist duchies.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Lord Rupert Seymor, Duke of Somerset, loyalist, originally supported Macalpin and the Parliament but has since became Arthur’s supporter
Lady Rosalind Cranfield, Duchess of Dorset, legitimist
Lord Hugo Douglas, Duke of Wiltshire, legitimist
Lord Cecil Blymuth, Duke of Oxfordshire, neutral
Lady Deidre Maxwell, Duchess of Buckinghamshire, neutral
Lady Xanthe Bennet, Duchess of Devon, neutral
Lord Bertram Orwell, Duke of Cornwall, neutral
Lady Anne Dingley, Duchess of Hampshire, neutral
Lord George Islington, Duke of Lancashire, loyalist
Lord Richard Worthinton, Duke of Northamptonshire, legitimist
Lord Alistar Beaufort, Duke of Worcestershire, neutral, grandfather of HRH Andrew
Lady Georgina Hewitt, Duchess of Cheshire, neutral
Lord Robert Arlington, Duke of Shropshire, loyalist
After regaining their power, the Chinese imperial family reformed the system quite drastically just to make sure that any future attempts to overthrow the family would fail. china has six grand duchies and thirty-four duchies. The system is slightly more complex than in Europe.
THE SYSTEM ; GRAND DUCHIES
All grand dukes and duchesses are members of the imperial family. Whenever a grand duke or a duchess passes away, the grand duchy goes to the closest relative of the emperor. For example, Xue’s aunt and uncle are a grand duchess and a grand duke but their children will not inherit the titles because the late emperor had his own children. Everyone except the youngest of the family has a grand duchy.
Xiuying is the newest grand duchess: when their father passed away and the emperor inherited the throne, he had to give away his duchy. The grand duchy of North China is usually the crown prince’s. It’s the heart of China, the home of Beijing. Since the current emperor has no children of his own, it had to be passed down to the closest sibling who did not have a grand duchy, in this case Xiuying. Per tradition, the emperor does not hold onto his grand duchy when he ascends the throne.
THE SYSTEM ; DUCHIES
The imperial family can sleep rather soundly knowing that their family holds the most powerful positions in China. They can sleep perfectly soundly knowing that it’s very unlikely a duke or a duchess will manage to stab them in the back: the duchies in China do not have only one duke or a duchess. They have three. Three families hold the ducal title in each duchy. They have to practice one form of democracy while ruling their duchy. But why three?
Three because it is an uneven number so there will never be a situation where the votes will be split evenly. Three and not one because it is much more unlikely for three people to betray the imperial family. If someone wanted to rebel, first they would have to convince at least one person to join them. If someone wanted to join forces with another duchy, they would have to convince not one but five people. The imperial family makes sure that at least one of the ducal families in each of the duchies is in their pocket. Loyal and trustworthy. When the imperial family regained their power they had a lot of people to reward. The titles were an easy way to honor the people who had helped the imperial family.
It isn’t exactly forbidden for the ducal families to join together in marriage but it is a sure way to fall out of the imperial family’s favour. The oldest child always inherits the title.
SMALL FACTS
The late emperor’s younger sister is the grand duchess of Northwest China, the biggest grand duchy in China. ( FC: Michelle Yeoh )
The late emperor’s younger brother is the grand duke of South Central China. ( FC: Donnie Yen )
HSHQ TASK thirty six —– NOBILITY.
the current members of scottish senior nobility
after the restoration of house stuart by the papacy in 1760, the borders were redrawn to consolidate land that were taken apart by the years of joint rule between england and scotland. scottish noble houses were upheld, and the parliament was renewed with vigour. everyone was determined to show the world that scotland was stronger and better without being attached to england, and thus began the nobles tireless support of house stuart. now centuries later, some support had waned with time, and the queen ruled with the delicate balance of power intact; 9 out of 21 duchies held by the crown and various family members, while the rest ruled by ancient families with varying degrees of loyalty. it was up to the monarch to keep firm control, and such lessons are viewed one of the most important in a future monarch’s upbringing.
duchy titles are hereditary, and follows the act of succession of 1970 citing absolute primogeniture. dukes and duchesses are responsible for the managing of their territories although they have been without personal/territorial armies since the fifteenth century, and they are the last hereditary political positions after the crown. marquesses, earls, and viscounts act as landowners whose only political powers laid upon their inclusion to the house of lords, with the chance of becoming promoted into the queen’s privy council. dukes and duchesses hold subsidiary titles that are used as courtesy titles for their children.
the highland duchies
28th duke of orkney, lord gavin st john ( william moseley )
rumour has it, gavin st john had been angling to marry the future duchess of shetland from childhood. what started off as a pragmatic grab for power had resulted in an actual teenage infatuation that annabelle somerville had entertained, even reciprocated! catherine had almost readied herself for a lovely wedding in the northern islands, but the entire thing was soon called off. gavin had found himself nursing a broken heart and retiring indefinitely to his islands, only flying down south for very important events, and staying clear out of annabelle’s way. may or may not have been catherine’s fwb during her ‘relationship’ with arthur because everyone has needs and he’s pretty desperate.
22nd duchess of shetland, lady annabelle somerville ( annabelle wallis )
all things considered, annabelle somerville was perfectly content with gavin’s plan. she knew she had to marry, and he was so completely in love with her in their youth that it sort of made sense. they grew up together, dreamt together, and it was so helplessly convenient that she didn’t think twice when he proposed in the young age of twenty-two. but what she wasn’t expecting was to fall in love with someone else entirely. bjarne selland was a norwegian phd student doing research in one of her smaller islands, and once they laid eyes on each other, annabelle knew that nothing with gavin could ever compare. she had no choice but to break his heart, and instead of preparing for the highland society wedding that she was going to have with gavin, annabelle decided upon a small ceremony with bjarne instead.
15th duke of sutherland, lord thomas maclaren ( george mackay )
good old tommy had always tried his very best, even when it wasn’t required of him. his older brother had been poised to take the duchy, but after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at age 31 the heartbroken family had to make preparations for the possibility that anthony maclaren might not ever succeed their father as duke. after living for twenty-five years and knowing his place as the support, thomas then had to step into her brother’s shoes, by age twenty-nine his brother had passed due to his illness and his father poised to take his long-needed retirement. soon thereafter, thomas maclaren became the fifteenth duke of sutherland and tried his best not to fade into the background.
the duchess of ross, princess euphemia stuart ( elle fannning )
the title of the duchy of ross had been created numerous times throughout the history of scotland, all of which was given to second-born sons. the last holder of the title was the sisters’ first cousin, twice removed prince david, son of their great granduncle, prince thomas. he passed in 2010, and the title was then conferred to princess euphemia on her twenty-first birthday.
the duke of albany, prince george stuart ( danny griffin )
the queen had thought long and hard about whether she should give duchies to all of her children. king william hadn’t, having held on to the titles that belonged to the crown except for the duchy of the rothesay to his eldest child. but it was with great ambition and the fact that she had already conferred the duchy of ross to euphemia that queen mary gave the responsibility of the duchy of albany to george on his twenty-first birthday.
8th duke of inverness, lord grant buchanan ( john stamos )
grant buchanan was the son of the late duke and a greek noblewoman, the daughter of a lesser noble who would not hold any title of her own. an eternal bachelor, the duke had been the top of the pack when it came to the most eligible bachelors of scotland. with an array of impressive castles and a winning smile, even catherine had a small crush on him during her childhood. he had been linked to numerous actors and royals alike, there was even a reality show pitched that would find him a wife, a la the bachelor. rumour has it, he’s been secretly dating the child of the earl of rothes and yet their parents refused to let the union actually happen.
19th duchess of montrose, lady cecilia graham ( carla gugino )
the duchess of montrose had been a society darling in her time, rivalling even princess isabel herself. the eldest daughter of the 18th duke of montrose and his italian-model wife, the lady cecilia had no problems with finding an appropriately untitled husband, although she really did take her time in doing so ( because she definitely could ). however, her lofty approach to marriage was soon dashed when she found herself unexpectedly pregnant with the child of a lowly earl’s second-born son. her ambitious parents were livid, and demanded their heir to deal with it appropriately. they were soon married, and lady cecilia found herself increasingly unhappy. it was with her second marriage that she found love and happiness, an older english gentleman that was neither titled nor important, who was the father of the rest of her five children. the youngest of whom became the communications secretary & spokesperson for the crown princess.
the west islands
the duchess of rothesay, the crown princess ( sasha luss )
the historic title of scottish heirs apparent is largely ceremonial, despite having corresponding land attached to its name. most of the management fall to the marquessate of bute, with assistance from the crown.
10th duke of argyll, sir walter scott ( peter capaldi )
the scott family had ruled argyll for centuries upon centuries, and have largely been content in almost absolute control of the west islands. the crown gives them space to exercise their influence, and in turn they have supplied the crown with unwavering support. it has been said that their relative closeness with generations of heirs apparent have become a source of pride for the family. sir walter scott was the queen mary’s godfather, and was described in catherine’s aunt’s all too truthful words: ‘will he ever die?’. the duke held steadfastly strong until this day, a close personal advisor to the queen. rumour has it, the close relationship between the duke and the dowager queen is more than just mere friendship, although catherine herself would never be impetuous enough to ask.
the central territories
5th duchess of fife, lady louisa carnegie ( tracee ellis ross )
technically, louisa carnegie is a member of the royal family, albeit very distantly. her great grandmother was the elder sister of crown prince james, and the eldest child of king james x. princess henrietta was created duchess of fife upon her marriage to a lesser member of scottish nobility, and thus took her husband’s name; carnegie. now three generations later, louisa carnegie remained close with her royal relatives, spending her summers running around the stuart siblings as a child. a strong supporter of the house, the duchess had provided monetary support for the naval bases within her territories. it was strange to think that in another life, louisa would have the weight of the scottish crown upon her brow, not catherine.
the duchess of lothian, queen mary iii ( gillian anderson )
the capital region boasts edinburgh, the political and economic centre of the country, it had always been in the position of the crown.
1st duke of falkirk, prince henry stuart ( kim bodnia )
king william iv’s younger brother, catherine’s great uncle, is a very interesting man. their father had died prematurely when prince henry was merely two years old, leaving his brother as king when their grandfather passed just two years after his son. they barely had a childhood, and prince henry suffered the most from being compared with the shining crown prince it was difficult to have a bond with someone who seemed larger than life. so prince henry left home as soon as he could, first to the army, and then to whichever country he could find some fame and adoration from those dying to be in the presence of a king. he made a morganatic marriage that should’ve stripped him of his title ( but king william didn’t, largely because he only had one living sibling ), to a beautiful english model, ella edwards, who thankfully fell in line. in recent times, prince henry had remarried five years after his first wife’s passing, to an italian-american actress: marcella massaro, who is 37 years his junior and 8 years younger than his eldest son.
12th duke of glasgow, sir george murray ( mark consuelos )
sir george murray had been prince james’ close friend ever since childhood, both of them getting into mayhem and trouble that had made their parents run after them, cleaning up their mess. now much older, lord george fancied himself the ‘fun uncle’ of the royal set, spoiling his best friend’s children; little princess marie-adelaide, princess ava, and prince edmund, as if they were his own. the duke is currently on his third marriage with a handful of children trailing in their wake, the youngest daughter of his first marriage is now married with the eldest son of the duke of queensberry and princess isabel, lord sebastian - the marquess of whithorn and the future duke of queenberry. as if george murray needed any more inclination to support the royal family, he had now become an extended member with unflinching loyalty.
16th duke of hamilton, lord hugo douglas-hamilton ( regé-jean page )
the dukedom fell upon lord hector far too soon. the 15th duke, hugo’s father, had just passed in a boating accident that left his young son in charge of the family affairs. hector had always been careless in his privilege, a spoiled son of an ancient house that sought a marriage that would put him in the duke of queensberry’s position, or even higher. he had been one of the front-runners of a public-based vote to who should be catherine’s prince consort, even though catherine never looked twice at him ( she was otherwise occupied during her early twenties ). now, the young duke sought after the next best thing, cajoling with the younger scottish princess in hopes of earning himself a spot in the royal family.
11th duchess of lennox, lady marion gordon-lennox ( bree kish )
the duchess’ ambitious mother had enrolled her to gordonstoun as soon as news of princess catherine’s enrolment found her ears. they quickly became friends, quite naturally despite the early meddling, and marnie soon proved her loyalty and usefulness as close advisor to the crown. with the death of her father came the avalanche of his debts, the family fortune was no more. it will be on marnie to uphold the family name, honour, and pride through any means necessary. find her @marnielennox !
2nd duchess of selkirk, lady vivienne malcolm ( charity wakefield )
the duchy of selkirk had been in the malcolm family for the short period of two generations. king william iv had given his best friend and right-hand man the duchy in a move that was largely considered ridiculous, especially since the highest noble titles were usually given to members of the royal family or its relatives. however, the late sir anthony malcolm was deeply thankful and became the most loyal of allies within the parliament, a sense of nationalism that is echoed by his daughter and heir. rumour has it, sir anthony and the late king william wanted nothing more than to pair prince james off with the duchess, to no avail.
the duchess of strathclyde, queen mary iii ( gillian anderson )
the biggest area in the midlands, the duchy was passed onto the crown after king james x’s ( catherine’s great, great grandfather ) nephew died without issue. since then, the crown had supported the local industry to its fullest ability, for it has the most agriculturally fertile land in all of scotland.
the border duchies
13th duke of queensberry, sir archibald douglas ( ewan mcgregor )
married to the queen’s sister, princess isabel, the duke of queensberry became a member of the royal family right before his ascent to his family’s ducal seat. he fell in love with princess isabel and had courted her as if his live dependent on it, at the time, the princess had a difficult time fending admirers off, left and right. when she finally caved and gave lord archie the time of day, she realised that the kind of love he gave her was the overwhelming kind that she could only dream of. they got married a month after their formal courtship, and sebastian, the marquess of whithorn was born not one year later. catherine loves her uncle very much, and secretly felt jealous at their bond. it was certainly different in seeing her parents’ formidable partnership and fondness, and compare it to her aunt and uncle’s actual love.
21st duke of dumfries, lord bruce macalpin ( alexander skarsgård )
house macalpin ruled scotland in the early 9th and 10th century, before fading in prominence to houses dunkeld and bruce, however, they still retained their familial seats right up on the scottish border with england. historically very wealthy landowners, the macalpins had always enjoyed favourable positions in the scottish court, many past dukes being the right hand advisor of the monarch. lord bruce macalpin was catherine’s godfather even in his young age ( the king and queen preferring to think much, much ahead ) and had been a second father to her when the princesses were growing up. when catherine felt it impossible to speak to her father for fear of him relaying the message to her mother, lord bruce was there to soothe and talk the ambitious little princess from letting her drive run herself – and her country – to the ground. as son of prince alice of england and duke cadman macalpin, his duchy borders his brothers’ to the south, the duchy of northumberland. currently, lord bruce had just been displaced as regent of england following king arthur’s return to the throne.
9th duchess of roxburghe, lady madeline innes-ker ( julianne moore )
a neighbour of the duchy of sutherland, the duchess shared the position of ‘the richest landowners in scotland’ with lord bruce macalpin. she had always been a shrewd capitalist, and had her hand in many, many businesses that had significantly enlarged her personal fortune as well as roxburghe as a whole. when catherine had her formal society début, lady madeline had given her shares to numerous fortune 500 companies in the world, amounting to a small fortune. at her behest, catherine hired a much recommended harvard-educated business manager, who had turned her small number of shares and personal fortune into something quite significant in the space of six years.
the duchess of berwick, queen mary iii ( gillian anderson )
the historical duchy of berwick will always be under the control of the crown, in the memory of the siege of berwick and the wars of scottish independence. it was also crucial for the crown to completely control 50% of the bordering duchies, in this case, berwick and queensberry ( through the marriage of princess isabel ).
