A duke, historically, is a noble person of the highest rank just below the King or Queen. The woman who holds the title in her own right is known as a duchess. A duke is formally addressed as “Your Grace” and referred to as “His Grace”.
Meaning of the title - Duke
The word, duke derives from the latin dux, which in the Roman times was a title awarded to a general commanding a military expedition or army. As the Roman Empire began to deplete so the meaning of the title began to change. In the Anglo-Saxon period a duke was the highest political division beneath the Kingdom. However, when Roman political factions began to dissipate, the title remained but the connotation had shifted away from the political or military sphere. At this time dukes became more synonymous with territorial rule.
Dukedom
In the United Kingdom a duke is awarded a dukedom. This position is inherited and refers to a region of the country over which the duke holds rights, privileges and dignities. Currently there are twenty-four dukes in Britain and twenty seven dukedoms. Traditionally, it is the royal house that awards dukedoms to the sons and daughters of their monarchy.
Today, such titles are still conferred to princes and princesses in Belgium, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Cornwall was the first dukedom ever to be conferred in England. Edward of Woodstock, the eldest son of Edward III was popularly known as the Black Prince. It was in 1337 that Edward of Woodstock became the first Duke of Cornwall.
Biographies
I've added a couple of selected biographies - I'll be adding more when I can.
The Duke of Westminster
The title Duke of Westminster was created by Queen Victoria in 1874.
Current Duke of Westminster
The current Duke of Westminster is Major-General Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor.
He is the 6th Duke of Westminster, KG, OBE, TD, DL
The Duke was born 22 December 1951 in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland,the son of Robert George Grosvenor, 5th Duke of Westminster, and his wife Hon. Viola Maud Lyttelton.
The Duke of Edinburgh
The Duke of Edinburgh is a dukedom associated with Edinburgh, Scotland. There have been three creations since 1726. The current holder is Prince Philip, the husband of and royal consort to Queen Elizabeth II.
HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (b. 1921)
The current Duke is the youngest child and only son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Princess Alice (of Battenberg). The Duke of Edinburgh undertakes many Royal duties. To date His Royal Highness has fulfilled over 18,567 official engagements excluding those accompanying The Queen, an average of 371 each year.
Care of the environment has long been one of The Duke of Edinburgh's greatest interests. He has visited WWF projects in over 40 countries on five continents.
Duke of Edinburgh and Tiddlywinks
Students at the University of Cambridge challenged Prince Philip to a tiddlywinks match in 1958. The Silver Wink has been awarded by the Duke since 1961 to the winner of the University Tiddlywinks Championships.
