Duke is the highest rank in the British peerage. Dukes take precedence over all except princes and princesses of royal blood and certain officials of the Crown. The first duke to be created in England was Edward the Black Prince, who was made Duke of Cornwall in 1337. The honour is rarely given in modern times except to princes of royal blood; and the duchy of Westminster, created in 1874, was the last to be given to anyone not of the royal family. The duke's mantle has four rows of ermine on the cape, and his coronet is formed of a circle of silver gilt, surmounted by eight strawberry leaves, with a cap of crimsonvelvet topped with a golden tassel, which is turned up with ermine. The oldest existing duchy in the United Kingdom is the dukedom of Norfolk, which was created in 1483. A letter to a duke should be addressed: To His Grace the Duke of -.
At various periods and in different continental countries the title duke (Herzog in Germany) has been given to the actual sovereigns of small states. The title 'grand-duke' and 'grand-duchess,' 'archduke' and ' archduchess,' were also in use on the European continent, the latter to distinguish the princes and princesses of the Austrian imperial family. Research Duke
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