Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk

His Grace The Duke of Norfolk DL
Portrait by Allan Warren in 2013
Earl Marshal
Incumbent
Assumed office 24 June 2002
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Preceded by	The 17th Duke of Norfolk
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
Incumbent
Assumed office 12 March 2003 Hereditary Peerage
Preceded by	The 17th Duke of Norfolk
Personal details
Born	(1956-12-02) 2 December 1956 (age 64)
Nationality	British
Spouse(s)	Georgina Gore ​ (m. 1987)​
Children	Henry Fitzalan-Howard, Earl of Arundel Lady Rachel Fitzalan-Howard Lord Thomas Fitzalan-Howard Lady Isabel Fitzalan-Howard Lord Philip Fitzalan-Howard
Parents	Miles Fitzalan-Howard, 17th Duke of Norfolk Anne Constable-Maxwell
Education	Ampleforth College
Alma mater	Lincoln College, Oxford
Title	Duke of Norfolk
Tenure	24 June 2002 – present
Predecessor	Miles Fitzalan-Howard, 17th Duke of Norfolk
Heir	Henry Fitzalan-Howard, Earl of Arundel

Edward William Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk, DL (born 2 December 1956), styled Earl of Arundel between 1975 and 2002, is a British peer who holds the hereditary office of Earl Marshal. As Duke of Norfolk, he is the most senior peer in the peerage of England.

Background and education[]

Norfolk is the son of Miles Francis Stapleton Fitzalan-Howard, 17th Duke of Norfolk, and his wife Anne Mary Teresa Constable-Maxwell.^[1] He was educated at Ampleforth College, a Roman Catholic independent school,^[1] and then attended Lincoln College, Oxford.^[1]

He has a brother, Lord Gerald, and three sisters, including the actress Marsha Fitzalan.

Career[]

Norfolk worked with various companies, and from 2000 to 2002 was Deputy Earl Marshal. Upon the death of his father in 2002, he inherited the late Duke of Norfolk's peerages and the position of Earl Marshal.^[2] He was a Cub Scout whilst at school at Ampleforth College and currently holds two appointments in the Scout Movement. He was until 2010 the President of 1st Arundel (Earl of Arundel's Own) Scout Group, and is still the president of the Arundel & Littlehampton District Scouts. He is also patron of West Sussex County Scouts. In June 2003 he was awarded the Medal of Merit for Services to the Scout Movement. He is an Honorary Fellow of St Edmund's College, Cambridge.^[3]

Personal life[]

The 18th Duke, outside Carlton Towers, by Allan Warren

He is a Roman Catholic. The Duke, then Earl of Arundel, married Georgina Susan Gore on 27 June 1987 at Arundel Cathedral.^[1] Together, they have three sons and two daughters:

• Henry Miles Fitzalan-Howard, Earl of Arundel (3 December 1987) who married Cecilia dei Conti Colacicchi on 16 July 2016. They have two daughters.
• Lady Rachel Fitzalan-Howard (10 June 1989)
• Lord Thomas Fitzalan-Howard (14 March 1992)
• Lady Isabel Fitzalan-Howard (7 February 1994)
• Lord Philip Fitzalan-Howard (14 July 1996)

Peerages[]

In 2002, he inherited the Dukedom of Norfolk, as well as a number of earldoms, baronies, hereditary offices, and titles attached to the Dukedom, from his father. His office of Earl Marshal, one of the Great Officers of State, makes him responsible for State occasions, such as coronations^[4][5] and the State Opening of Parliament. He is also, by virtue of this office, one of the hereditary judges of the Court of Chivalry and head of the College of Arms, responsible for heraldry in England and Wales as well as other parts of the Commonwealth of Nations.

List of peerages[]

• 18th Duke of Norfolk^[1] (Premier Duke of England)
• 36th Earl of Arundel^[1] (Premier Earl of England)
• 19th Earl of Surrey^[1]
• 16th Earl of Norfolk^[1]
• 13th Baron Beaumont^[1]
• 26th Baron Maltravers^[1]
• 16th Baron FitzAlan^[1]
• 16th ^[1]
• 16th Baron Oswaldestre^[1]
• 5th Baron Howard of Glossop^[1]

List of hereditary offices[]

• Earl Marshal^[1]
• Hereditary Marshal of England^[1]
• Chief Butler of England (One of three claimants to this office before the 1902 Court of Claims. The dispute was never resolved.)

Heraldic achievement (coat of arms)[]

Coat of arms of Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk hide

Adopted 1660 (by the 5th Duke of Norfolk) Coronet A Coronet of a Duke Crest 1st: Issuant from a Ducal Coronet Or a pair of Wings Gules each charged with a Bend between six Cross-crosslets fitchy Argent (Howard); 2nd: On a Chapeau Gules turned up Ermine a Lion statant gardant with tail extended Or gorged with a Ducal Coronet Argent (Thomas of Brotherton); 3rd: On a Mount Vert a Horse passant Argent holding in the mouth a Slip of Oak Vert fructed proper (Fitzalan). Escutcheon Quarterly, 1st: Gules on a Bend between six Cross-crosslets fitchy Argent an Escutcheon Or charged with a Demi-lion rampant pierced through the mouth by an arrow within a Double Tressure flory counterflory of the first (Howard); 2nd: Gules three Lions passant gardant in pale Or, Armed and Langued Azure, in chief a Label of three points Argent (Plantagenet of Norfolk); 3rd: Checky Or and Azure (Warenne); 4th: Gules a Lion rampant Or, Armed and Langued Azure (Fitzalan). Supporters Dexter a Lion, sinister a Horse both Argent the latter holding in the mouth a Slip of Oak Vert fructed proper. Motto Sola Virtus Invicta (Latin for "Virtue alone is unconquered"). Orders Often, the coat of arms of the Duke of Norfolk appears with the Garter circlet of the Order of the Garter surrounding the shield, as seen in the arms of the 17th Duke of Norfolk. However, this is not hereditary; the 17th Duke did not become a Knight of the Garter until 22 April 1983. The 18th Duke of Norfolk, as of 2017, had not been appointed to the Order of the Garter. Other elements Placed behind the shield are two gold batons in saltire enamelled at the ends in black, which represent the Duke of Norfolk's office as Earl Marshal and Hereditary Marshal of England. Symbolism The shield on the bend in the first quarter of the arms was granted as an augmentation of honour by Henry VIII to the 2nd Duke of Norfolk, to commemorate his victory at the Battle of Flodden. It is a modification of the Royal coat of arms of Scotland. Instead of its normal rampant position, the lion is shown cut in half with an arrow through its mouth, commemorating the death of King James IV at the battle.[6]

See also[]

• Dukes of Norfolk family tree

References[]

External links[]

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Duke of Norfolk
• Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk