Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo

Who is Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo?

The Spanish hereditary ducal title of Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo, with accompanying dignity Grandee of Spain 1st Class, was conferred on the British General Arthur Wellesley, then 1st Viscount Wellington, later 1st Duke of Wellington, in January 1812, after his important victory at the Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo that same year, as a victory title.

Historically, this Spanish dukedom is held by the descendants of the 1st Duke of Wellington holding the title of Duke of Wellington. However, until the 2006 Spanish changes to nobility succession, the Spanish title passed to male-preference heirs general, while the British title passed to heirs male. Due to this difference, the titles have separated on one occasion: the Dukedom of Ciudad Rodrigo passed to the 7th Duchess of Ciudad Rodrigo and the Dukedom of Wellington passed to her uncle. Anne Maud Rhys subsequently ceded her Spanish title to the 7th Duke of Wellington; the result is that the 7th and 8th Dukes of Wellington also held the title of Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo. This changed in 2010 for reasons set out in the following paragraph.

In 2010, the 8th Duke of Wellington & 9th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo ceded the Spanish dukedom to his eldest child, Charles Wellesley, Marquess of Douro, and in accordance with Spanish procedure, the Marquess made formal claim to the title with the Spanish authorities on March 10, 2010. King Juan Carlos of Spain, through his minister, granted the succession of the dukedom to the Marquess of Douro by Royal Decree of May 21, 2010 as confirmed by the notice in the Official Bulletin of State dated June 12, 2010. As a result, the Marquess of Douro is now the 10th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo and also remains the heir apparent to the Duke of Wellington title.