Lord Nicholas Windsor
Encyclopedia
The Lord Nicholas Windsor (Nicholas Charles Edward Jonathan Windsor; born 25 July 1970) is the youngest child of the Duke
and Duchess of Kent, a great-grandson of King George V of the United Kingdom
, and a first cousin once removed of Queen Elizabeth II.
, London, and was the first member of the British Royal Family to be born in a hospital. He was styled as the younger son of a duke
from birth, like all great-grandsons of British sovereigns
in the male line. He has an older brother, the Earl of St Andrews
, and a sister, Lady Helen Taylor
. He was baptised on 11 September 1970 at Windsor Castle
. His godparents included Charles, Prince of Wales
and Donald Coggan
, at the time Archbishop of York
and later Archbishop of Canterbury
.
Lord Nicholas was educated at Westminster School
and then Harrow School
. He later attended Harris Manchester College, Oxford
where he studied theology.
to the British throne. The Act of Settlement
bars past or present Roman Catholics, and those who marry Roman Catholics, from the succession. In 2001 Lord Nicholas Windsor became the first male blood Royal to convert to Catholicism since Charles II on his deathbed in 1685. A number of members of Parliament welcomed Lord Nicholas' marriage in 2006 as "the first legal and public marriage within the rites of the Roman Catholic Church of a member of the Royal Family since 1554 and the marriage of Queen Mary I to Philip II of Spain" and then later proposed a further Early Day Motion welcoming the Baptism of his first son Albert noting "that he was the first member of the Royal Family to be Baptised a Catholic since 1688 and the so-called Glorious Revolution when James II was chased away from his Crown and country on account of the Baptism of his son, the Old Pretender."
On 14 July 2011, he became an Honorary Vice-President of the Friends of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham
.
, at a party in New York City in 1999 to mark the Millenium. He became engaged to Paola Doimi de Lupis Frankopan
in July 2006. They married on 4 November 2006 in the Church of Santo Stefano degli Abissini
in the Vatican
following a civil ceremony on 19 October 2006 in a London register office
and she became Lady Nicholas Windsor. This is the first time a member of the British Royal Family has married in the Vatican. As required by the Royal Marriages Act 1772
, the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
consented to the marriage.
, London. Albert is the eighth grandchild for the Duke and Duchess of Kent. The child is the first Windsor to carry the name Albert since King George VI
, but the couple has said he was actually named after Saint Albert the Great
, according to some reports, while his middle name Philip was given in honour of Saint Philip Neri
. The names Louis and Edward are after his maternal and paternal grandfathers, respectively. Lady Nicholas gave birth to the couple's second child, Leopold Ernest Augustus Guelph Windsor, on 8 September 2009 at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
Albert and his younger brother Leopold are given the courtesy title "The Honourable
" before their names in the line of succession on the official Web site of the British Monarchy. Normally, the sons of a younger son of a Duke would not be accorded this courtesy title.
Both Albert and Leopold were baptised as Roman Catholics. Albert was baptised in the Queen's Chapel in St. James's Palace and Leopold was baptised by Angelo Cardinal Comastri
in St. Peter's in the Vatican on 29 May 2010. Their elder cousins, Edward Windsor, Lord Downpatrick and Lady Marina-Charlotte Windsor
, children of Lord Nicholas's elder brother, George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews
, were also listed in the line of succession until they were confirmed as Roman Catholics when they were teenagers.
Lord Nicholas and his sons are still in the line of succession to the Dukedom of Kent, the descent of which is not regulated by the Act of Settlement
.
Lord Nicholas has worked for the Refugee Council in London, the DePaul Trust for the homeless and in a school for autistic children. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Centre in Washington DC at the invitation of George Weigel in 2008. He is a Trustee of the Catholic National Library and The Right to Life Charitable Trust, an educational body whose goal is the full protection of the unborn child.
He wrote for the American journal 'First Things' on the subject of abortion, an article which was entered into the United States Congressional Record by Congressman Chris Smith.
In 2011 Lord Nicholas was appointed to the Pontifical Academy for Life
. He is co-signatory of the San José Articles considering protection of the unborn child. He was rumoured to be considered for the post of UK Ambassador to the Holy See in 2010.
Lord Nicholas has also recently been appointed Director of the Rome-based Dignitatis Humanae Institute.
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent
The Duke of Kent graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on 29 July 1955 as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Scots Greys, the beginning of a military career that would last over 20 years. He was promoted to captain on 29 July 1961. The Duke of Kent saw service in Hong Kong from 1962–63...
and Duchess of Kent, a great-grandson of King George V of the United Kingdom
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
, and a first cousin once removed of Queen Elizabeth II.
Early years
Lord Nicholas Windsor was born in 1970 at University College HospitalUniversity College Hospital
University College Hospital is a teaching hospital located in London, United Kingdom. It is part of the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and is closely associated with University College London ....
, London, and was the first member of the British Royal Family to be born in a hospital. He was styled as the younger son of a duke
Duke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...
from birth, like all great-grandsons of British sovereigns
British monarchy
The monarchy of the United Kingdom is the constitutional monarchy of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories. The present monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has reigned since 6 February 1952. She and her immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial and representational duties...
in the male line. He has an older brother, the Earl of St Andrews
George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews
George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews is the son of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and his wife, Katharine, Duchess of Kent...
, and a sister, Lady Helen Taylor
Lady Helen Taylor
The Lady Helen Taylor A first cousin once removed of Queen Elizabeth II, she is a great-granddaughter of King George V of the United Kingdom and is in the line of succession to the British throne....
. He was baptised on 11 September 1970 at Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
. His godparents included Charles, Prince of Wales
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
and Donald Coggan
Donald Coggan
Frederick Donald Coggan, Baron Coggan, PC was the 101st Archbishop of Canterbury from 1974 to 1980, during which time he visited Rome and met the Pontiff, in company with Bishop Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, future Cardinal of England and Wales.-Background:Coggan was born in Highgate, London, England...
, at the time Archbishop of York
Archbishop of York
The Archbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and metropolitan of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England as well as the Isle of Man...
and later Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
.
Lord Nicholas was educated at Westminster School
Westminster School
The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...
and then Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
. He later attended Harris Manchester College, Oxford
Harris Manchester College, Oxford
Harris Manchester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Formerly known as Manchester College, it is listed in the University Statutes as Manchester Academy and Harris College, and at University ceremonies it is called Collegium de Harris et...
where he studied theology.
Religion
In a private ceremony in 2001 he was received into the Roman Catholic Church, and therefore forfeited his right of successionLine of succession to the British Throne
The line of succession to the British throne is the ordered sequence of those people eligible to succeed to the throne of the United Kingdom and the other 15 Commonwealth realms. By the terms of the Act of Settlement 1701, the succession is limited to the descendants of the Electress Sophia of...
to the British throne. The Act of Settlement
Act of Settlement 1701
The Act of Settlement is an act of the Parliament of England that was passed in 1701 to settle the succession to the English throne on the Electress Sophia of Hanover and her Protestant heirs. The act was later extended to Scotland, as a result of the Treaty of Union , enacted in the Acts of Union...
bars past or present Roman Catholics, and those who marry Roman Catholics, from the succession. In 2001 Lord Nicholas Windsor became the first male blood Royal to convert to Catholicism since Charles II on his deathbed in 1685. A number of members of Parliament welcomed Lord Nicholas' marriage in 2006 as "the first legal and public marriage within the rites of the Roman Catholic Church of a member of the Royal Family since 1554 and the marriage of Queen Mary I to Philip II of Spain" and then later proposed a further Early Day Motion welcoming the Baptism of his first son Albert noting "that he was the first member of the Royal Family to be Baptised a Catholic since 1688 and the so-called Glorious Revolution when James II was chased away from his Crown and country on account of the Baptism of his son, the Old Pretender."
On 14 July 2011, he became an Honorary Vice-President of the Friends of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham
Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham
The Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham is a personal ordinariate of the Roman Catholic Church within the territory of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, but immediately subject to the Holy See in Rome and encompassing Scotland...
.
Marriage
Lord Nicholas Windsor met his future wife, Paola Doimi de Lupis de FrankopanLady Nicholas Windsor
Lady Nicholas Windsor is the wife of Lord Nicholas Windsor, son of the Duke and Duchess of Kent.-Family History:...
, at a party in New York City in 1999 to mark the Millenium. He became engaged to Paola Doimi de Lupis Frankopan
Lady Nicholas Windsor
Lady Nicholas Windsor is the wife of Lord Nicholas Windsor, son of the Duke and Duchess of Kent.-Family History:...
in July 2006. They married on 4 November 2006 in the Church of Santo Stefano degli Abissini
Santo Stefano degli Abissini
Santo Stefano degli Abissini is a Roman Catholic church located in the Vatican City. The church dedicated to Stephen the Protomartyr is the national church of Ethiopia. The liturgy is celebrated according to the Alexandrine rite of the Ethiopian Catholic Church. It is the oldest surviving church...
in the Vatican
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
following a civil ceremony on 19 October 2006 in a London register office
Register office
A register office is a British term for a civil registry, a government office and depository where births, deaths and marriages are officially recorded and where you can get officially married, without a religious ceremony...
and she became Lady Nicholas Windsor. This is the first time a member of the British Royal Family has married in the Vatican. As required by the Royal Marriages Act 1772
Royal Marriages Act 1772
The Royal Marriages Act 1772 is an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain which prescribes the conditions under which members of the British Royal Family may contract a valid marriage, in order to guard against marriages that could diminish the status of the Royal House...
, the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
consented to the marriage.
Family
Lord and Lady Nicholas Windsor had their first child, a son, Albert Louis Philip Edward Windsor, on 22 September 2007 at the Chelsea and Westminster HospitalChelsea and Westminster Hospital
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital is a public hospital located on Fulham Road, in the Chelsea area of London, England. It is managed by the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and opened in May 1993.-History:...
, London. Albert is the eighth grandchild for the Duke and Duchess of Kent. The child is the first Windsor to carry the name Albert since King George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
, but the couple has said he was actually named after Saint Albert the Great
Albertus Magnus
Albertus Magnus, O.P. , also known as Albert the Great and Albert of Cologne, is a Catholic saint. He was a German Dominican friar and a bishop, who achieved fame for his comprehensive knowledge of and advocacy for the peaceful coexistence of science and religion. Those such as James A. Weisheipl...
, according to some reports, while his middle name Philip was given in honour of Saint Philip Neri
Philip Neri
Saint Philip Romolo Neri , also known as Apostle of Rome, was an Italian priest, noted for founding a society of secular priests called the "Congregation of the Oratory".-Early life:...
. The names Louis and Edward are after his maternal and paternal grandfathers, respectively. Lady Nicholas gave birth to the couple's second child, Leopold Ernest Augustus Guelph Windsor, on 8 September 2009 at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
Albert and his younger brother Leopold are given the courtesy title "The Honourable
The Honourable
The prefix The Honourable or The Honorable is a style used before the names of certain classes of persons. It is considered an honorific styling.-International diplomacy:...
" before their names in the line of succession on the official Web site of the British Monarchy. Normally, the sons of a younger son of a Duke would not be accorded this courtesy title.
Both Albert and Leopold were baptised as Roman Catholics. Albert was baptised in the Queen's Chapel in St. James's Palace and Leopold was baptised by Angelo Cardinal Comastri
Angelo Comastri
Angelo Comastri is an Italian clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the current President of the Fabric of Saint Peter, Archpriest of St. Peter's Basilica, and Vicar General for the Vatican City State. He previously served as Bishop of Massa Marittima-Piombino and Territorial Prelate of...
in St. Peter's in the Vatican on 29 May 2010. Their elder cousins, Edward Windsor, Lord Downpatrick and Lady Marina-Charlotte Windsor
Lady Marina-Charlotte Windsor
The Lady Marina Charlotte Windsor is the elder daughter of George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews and Sylvana Windsor, Countess of St Andrews. She was born at the Rosie Hospital in Cambridge and named for her great-grandmother, Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent...
, children of Lord Nicholas's elder brother, George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews
George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews
George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews is the son of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and his wife, Katharine, Duchess of Kent...
, were also listed in the line of succession until they were confirmed as Roman Catholics when they were teenagers.
Lord Nicholas and his sons are still in the line of succession to the Dukedom of Kent, the descent of which is not regulated by the Act of Settlement
Act of Settlement
Act of Settlement may refer to:*Statute of Legal Settlement 1547, legislation regarding the settlement of the poor*Act for the Settlement of Ireland 1652, in response to the Irish Rebellion of 1641...
.
Ancestry
Work for Charity
In 2007 Lord Nicholas accepted the invitation to become Patron of Bromley Mind. The position is a public statement of his support for its work, and he makes a practical contribution from time to time by supporting special events and fundraising campaigns.Lord Nicholas has worked for the Refugee Council in London, the DePaul Trust for the homeless and in a school for autistic children. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Centre in Washington DC at the invitation of George Weigel in 2008. He is a Trustee of the Catholic National Library and The Right to Life Charitable Trust, an educational body whose goal is the full protection of the unborn child.
He wrote for the American journal 'First Things' on the subject of abortion, an article which was entered into the United States Congressional Record by Congressman Chris Smith.
In 2011 Lord Nicholas was appointed to the Pontifical Academy for Life
Pontifical Academy for Life
The Pontifical Academy for Life or Pontificia Accademia Pro Vita is a Pontifical Academy of the Roman Catholic Church dedicated to promoting the Church's consistent life ethic...
. He is co-signatory of the San José Articles considering protection of the unborn child. He was rumoured to be considered for the post of UK Ambassador to the Holy See in 2010.
Lord Nicholas has also recently been appointed Director of the Rome-based Dignitatis Humanae Institute.