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Duke of Fife is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom that has been created twice, in both cases for the Earl of Fife. In 1889, Lord Fife married Princess Louise, the eldest daughter of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) and a granddaughter of Queen Victoria.

Alexander Duff (1849–1912) was the eldest son of the 5th Earl Fife (1814–1879). Upon his father’s death on 7 August 1879, he succeeded as the 6th Earl Fife. With this, he inherited the titles Baron Braco (created in 1735), Earl Fife and Viscount Macduff (both created in 1759), all in the Peerage of Ireland (and created for Scottish nobleman William Duff, 1696–1763), and Baron Skene in the Peerage of the United Kingdom (created in 1857 for his father The 5th Earl Fife; a title which gave him a seat in the House of Lords). In 1885, Queen Victoria created for Alexander Duff the title Earl of Fife in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.^[1]

On Saturday, 27 July 1889, Alexander, 1st Earl of Fife and 6th Earl Fife, married Princess Louise, the third child and eldest daughter of the then-Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII) and his wife Princess Alexandra, in the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace. The couple were third cousins in descent from King George III. The wedding marked the second time a descendant of Queen Victoria married a British subject.^[2] Two days after the wedding, the Queen elevated Alexander, Lord Fife, to the dignities of Marquess of Macduff, in the County of Banff, and Duke of Fife, both in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.^[3] Queen Victoria‘s Letters Patent of 29 June 1889 creating these titles contained the standard remainder to “heirs male of his body”.

On 24 April 1900, Queen Victoria issued another letters patent by which she created for the 1st Duke of Fife the further dignities of Duke of Fife and Earl of Macduff, both in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, and both with a special remainder that allowed these titles to pass to his daughters by Princess Louise, in default of a son, and then to the male heirs of those daughters.^[4] On 9 November 1905, King Edward VII granted to Alexander Duff‘s two daughters Lady Alexandra (1891–1959) and Lady Maud (1893–1945), the styles of Highness and Princess.

Upon the death of the 1st Duke of Fife in January 1912, the peerages created in 1889 (the dukedom of Fife of 1889 and the marquessate of Macduff) and all the older (as previously mentioned) peerages held by the Duff family (the barony of Braco of 1735, viscountcy of Macduff of 1759, earldom Fife of 1759, barony of Skene of 1857, earldom of Fife of 1885) became extinct, while the peerages created in 1900 (the dukedom of Fife of 1900 and the earldom of Macduff) passed to his elder daughter, Princess Alexandra.^{[citation needed]}

On 15 October 1913, the 2nd Duchess of Fife married Prince Arthur of Connaught, the only son of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, third son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and thus a younger brother of her maternal grandfather King Edward VII. As such, Arthur and Alexandra were first cousins once removed. Their only son, Alastair, died in 1943. ^[5]

When the 2nd Duchess of Fife died in 1959, her hereditary peerages passed to her nephew James Carnegie (1929–2015), eldest son of her sister Maud and her husband Charles Carnegie, 11th Earl of Southesk (1893–1992). Thirty-three years later, in 1992, The 3rd Duke of Fife also succeeded his father as 12th Earl of Southesk and chief of the Clan Carnegie. As consequence, the following peerage titles became therefore subsidiary to that of the dukedom: Lord Carnegie of Kinnaird in the Peerage of Scotland (created in 1616), Earl of Southesk and Lord Carnegie in the Peerage of Scotland (both created in 1633), Baron Balinhard in the Peerage of the United Kingdom (created in 1869; all previous mentioned titles awarded to Sir David Carnegie (1575–1658), an Extraordinary Lord of Session), and the Carnegie Baronetcy in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia (created in 1641 for David Carnegie of Pitcarrow (died 1708), a Scottish politician). Upon his death in 2015, he was succeeded in the Fife and Carnegie titles by his son, David Charles Carnegie (born 1961). The 4th Duke of Fife’s heir apparent is his son Charles Duff Carnegie (born 1989), who uses the courtesy title Earl of Southesk. The hypothetical grandson of the duke and heir-to-heir apparent would be styled instead Lord Carnegie. ^[6]

The Duke of Fife tartan, first designed to celebrate the marriage of Louise, daughter of Edward VII, to Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife.^[7]

The current Duke of Fife’s main residence is Kinnaird Castle near the town of Brechin in Angus, Scotland. Another seat is Elsick House near the town of Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, within the watershed of the Burn of Elsick.

Mar Lodge, the 1st Duke of Fife’s residence to the west of Braemar in Aberdeenshire, was bequeathed by the 2nd Duchess to her nephew Alexander Ramsay of Mar, and subsequently sold. The first two holders of the dukedom are buried in St Ninian’s Chapel, Braemar.

In the months prior to his wedding to Princess Louise of Wales, Lord Fife purchased the lease of a London townhouse at No. 15 Portman Square, London in July 1889,^[8] which served as his London residence until his death in 1912; his widow Princess Louise continued to use the property as her London home until her own death in 1931, following which a large auction of the contents of the house was held in February 1932.^[9] The house, along with neighbouring properties at 16-18 Portman Square were demolished in 1935,^[10] and a large apartment building was constructed in their place by May 1936.^[11]

The first Duke’s successor Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife initially maintained a London residence at 54 Mount Street, Mayfair following her marriage to her cousin Prince Arthur of Connaught in 1913; the Prince had reportedly leased from Robert Windsor-Clive, 1st Earl of Plymouth,^[12][13] and house continued to be their London home until September 1916, when they took a new London residence at No. 17 Hill Street, Mayfair.^[14][15] By January 1920 Prince Arthur and Princess Alexander were residing at No. 42 Upper Grosvenor Street, Mayfair.^[16] Later in the same year they moved to 41 Belgrave Square, which Prince Arthur had reportedly purchased in 1920.^[17] Following Prince Arthur’s death in 1938 41 Belgrave Square was sold to Mrs Edward Baron in 1939.^[18]

In November 1938 Princess Alexandra purchased a newly-built house at 64 Avenue Road, St John’s Wood, London,^[19] where she continued to live until her death in 1959.^[20][21][22]

Created by Queen Victoria
#	Name	Period	Spouse	Notes	Other titles	Coat of arms
1	Alexander William George Duff (1849–1912)	1889–1912	Louise, Princess Royal	Grandson-in-law of Queen Victoria	1st Marquess of Macduff, 1st Earl of Fife, 6th Earl Fife, 6th Viscount Macduff, 6th Baron Braco, 2nd Baron Skene

Created by Queen Victoria
#	Name	Period	Spouse	Notes	Other titles	Coat of arms
1	Alexander William George Duff (1849–1912)	1900–1912	Louise, Princess Royal	Grandson-in-law of Queen Victoria	all titles associated with dukedom of Fife (1889) plus 1st Earl of Macduff (1900)
2	Princess Alexandra Victoria Alberta Edwina Louise (1891–1959)	1912–1959	Prince Arthur of Connaught	Granddaughter of King Edward VII and daughter of the 1st Duke	Countess of Macduff
3	James George Alexander Bannerman Carnegie (1929–2015)	1959–2015	The Hon. Caroline Dewar divorced	Nephew of the 2nd Duchess	Earl of Southesk, Earl of Macduff, Lord Carnegie of Kinnaird, Lord Carnegie of Kinnaird and Leuchars, Baron Balinhard, Baronet ‘of PitCarrow’	[23]
4	David Charles Carnegie (born 1961)	from 2015	Caroline Anne Bunting	Only surviving son of the 3rd Duke		[24]
						[25][26]

Family tree: Earls of Fife, Dukes of Fife, Earls of Southesk and Earls of Northesk

(Mormaers) Earls of Fife (Scot) Donnchad (Duncan) I 1113–1154 Earl of Fife Donnchad (Duncan/Dunecan) II d. 1204 Earl of Fife Máel Coluim (Maol Choluim, Malcolm) I 1204–1228 Earl of Fife Donnchadh Máel Coluim (Malcolm) II c. Early 13th century–1266 Earl of Fife Colban c. 1247–1253–1270/1272 Earl of Fife Donnchadh (Duncan) III 1270/1272–1288 Earl of Fife Robert II of Scotland 1316–1390 King of Scotland Donnchadh (Duncan) IV 1289–1353 Earl of Fife Robert III of Scotland c. 1337–1406 King of Scotland m1. Walter Stewart c. 1338–1362 Earl of Fife jure uxoris Isabella MacDuff c. 1320–1389 Countess of Fife suo jure Robert Stewart c. 1340–1420 Duke of Albany, Earl of Fife, Earl of Menteith, Earl of Buchan, Earl of Atholl m2. Thomas Bisset d. 1366 Earl of Fife jure uxoris m3. John Dunbar d. before 1371 Earl of Fife jure uxoris Murdoch Stewart 1362–1425 Earl of Fife Duke of Albany David Carnegie of Colluthie 1559–1598 Earl of Southesk, 1633 David Carnegie 1575–1658 1st Earl of Southesk Earl of Northesk, 1662 John Carnegie 1611–1667 1st Earl of Northesk James Carnegie before 1583–1669 2nd Earl of Southesk Alexander Carnegie d. 1681/82 David Carnegie d. 1669 2nd Earl of Northesk Robert Carnegie before 1649–1688 3rd Earl of Southesk David Carnegie d. 1708 1st Baronet David Carnegie 1643–1688 3rd Earl of Northesk Patrick Carnegie of Lour after 1643–1743 Charles Carnegie 1661–1699 4th Earl of Southesk James Carnegie 1673–1729 2nd Baronet David Carnegie 1675–1729 4th Earl of Northesk Patrick Carnegie of Lour 1684–1729 Viscount Macduff and Baron Braco, 1735 Earl Fife, 1759 William Duff 1697–1763 1st Earl Fife, etc. James Carnegie 1692–1730 5th Earl of Southesk James Carnegie 1716–1765 de jure 6th Earl of Southesk David Carnegie 1701–1741 5th Earl of Northesk George Carnegie 1716–1792 6th Earl of Northesk Patrick Carnegie of Lour 1720–1799 Earldom of Southesk attainted, 1716 Baron Fife (GB), 1790 James Duff 1729–1809 2nd Earl Fife, etc., Baron Fife (GB) Alexander Duff 1731–1811 3rd Earl Fife, etc. David Carnegie 1753–1805 de jure 7th Earl of Southesk William Carnegie 1756–1831 7th Earl of Northesk Patrick Carnegie of Lour 1757–1819 Baron Fife (GB) extinct, 1809 Baron Fife (UK), 1827 James Duff 1776–1857 4th Earl Fife, etc., Baron Fife (UK) Alexander Duff 1777–1851 James Carnegie 1799–1849 de jure 8th Earl of Southesk William Hopetoun Carnegie 1794–1878 8th Earl of Northesk Alexander Carnegie 1793–1862 Baron Fife (UK) extinct, 1809 Baron Skene, 1857 Southesk attainder reversed, 1855 Queen Victoria 1819–1901 James Duff 1814–1879 5th Earl Fife, etc., 1st Baron Skene James Carnegie 1827–1905 9th Earl of Southesk Alexander Carnegie 1829–1900 King Edward VII 1841–1910 Prince Arthur 1850–1942 Duke of Connaught and Strathearn George John Carnegie 1843–1891 9th Earl of Northesk Earl of Fife, 1885 Duke of Fife (Scotland), 1889 Duke of Fife (UK), Marquess of Macduff, and Earl of Macduff, 1900 King George V 1865–1936 Louise, Princess Royal 1867–1931 Duchess of Fife Alexander William George Duff 1849–1912 1st Duke of Fife (Scot) and Earl of Fife, 1st Duke of Fife (UK) and Earl of Macduff, Marquess of Macduff 6th Earl Fife, etc., 2nd Baron Skene Charles Noel Carnegie 1854–1941 10th Earl of Southesk David John Carnegie 1865–1921 10th Earl of Northesk Douglas George Carnegie 1870–1937 Charles Carnegie 1864–1928 Dukedom of Fife (Scot), Marquess of Macduff, Earldom Fife (1759), Viscountcy of Macduff, and Baronies of Braco and Skene extinct, 1912 Prince Arthur of Connaught 1883–1938 Princess Alexandra 1891–1959 2nd Duchess of Fife (UK), etc. suo jure Maud Carnegie 1893–1945 Countess of Southesk Charles Alexander Bannerman Carnegie 1893–1992 11th Earl of Southesk David Ludovic George Hopetoun Carnegie 1901–1963 11th Earl of Northesk John Douglas Carnegie 1895–1975 12th Earl of Northesk Patrick Carnegy 1893–1969 Prince Alastair Arthur (later Alistair Windsor) 1914–1943 Duke of Connaught and Strathearn James George Alexander Bannerman Carnegie 1929–2015 3rd Duke of Fife, etc., 12th Earl of Southesk Robert Andrew Carnegie 1926–1994 13th Earl of Northesk Patrick Charles Carnegy b. 1940 15th Earl of Northesk Colin Carnegy b. 1942 Heir presumptive to the Earldom of Northesk David Charles Carnegie b. 1961 4th Duke of Fife, etc., 13th Earl of Southesk David John MacRae Carnegie 1954–2010 14th Earl of Northesk Charles Carnegie b. 1989 styled Earl of Southesk George Carnegie b. 1991 Hugh Carnegie b. 1993 Heir apparent

• Duchess of Fife

• Duke of Fife