Sovereign in right of the Bailiwick of Jersey

King in right of the Bailiwick of Jersey
Duke of Normandy Le Duc de Normandie
Incumbent
Charles III since 8 September 2022
Details
Style	His Majesty, The Duke
Heir apparent	William, Prince of Wales
Website	royal.uk

See also: Monarchy of the United Kingdom

King in right of the Bailiwick of Jersey is the formal style of the British Crown in Jersey, who reigns as sovereign and head of state of the crown dependency. They are the successors to the Dukes of Normandy.[1]

The current sovereign is Charles III.

History

Main articles: Duke of Normandy, Monarchy of the United Kingdom, and History of Jersey

Jersey was previously ruled over by the Duke of Normandy and was part of the Duchy of Normandy. In the 11th century William, Duke of Normandy, led the Norman Conquest of England; after defeating Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William was crowned King of England.[2]

From this point the title was held by William's successors as king of England, until in 1204 when the French seized mainland Normandy, with only the Channel Islands remaining under English rule. The title Duke of Normandy was then held by a number of French monarchs. The title was used once more in relation to a British monarch when James II and VII, then James, Duke of York, was referred to as Duke of Normandy by Louis XIV, following the Restoration of the Monarchy.[3]

In modern times the monarch is legally styled "King in right of the Bailiwick of Jersey"[4] on the island, as opposed to "King of the United Kingdom". This is due to Jersey being a crown dependency. However the monarch is still commonly referred to as the Duke of Normandy, or simply "Duke", throughout Jersey. (The style of Duke is used irrespective of gender.)[5]

Role

The king is the sovereign and head of State of Jersey and is represented on the island by a lieutenant governor, who is charged with carrying out the king's constitutional functions there.[6]

Style of Duke

The king is widely referred to on Jersey and the wider Channel Islands as Duke of Normandy. While the title is not used in a constitutional capacity, it is widely used in an official capacity to refer to the sovereign at official and state events on the island.

On the proclamation of Charles III in 2022, the Bailiff of Jersey said during his speech "His Majesty King Charles III sits on the throne and is our sovereign, our Duke."[7]

It is customary in the Loyal toast on the island to refer to "The Duke of Normandy, our King", or "The King, our Duke" rather than just "The King" as is customary in the United Kingdom and other Realms.[8]

List of Sovereigns

See also: List of British Monarchs and Duke of Normandy

References

1. "Crown Dependencies | The Royal Family". The Royal Family.
2. "What Happened at the Battle of Hastings". English Heritage.
3. Weir, Alison (1996). 258. Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy. Revised Edition. Random House, London. ISBN 0-7126-7448-9.
4. "Succession to the Crown (Jersey) Law 2013". www.jerseylaw.je.
5. "Why do Channel Islanders call the Queen the Duke of Normandy?". ITVNews. 2022-09-15.
6. "Role of the Lieutenant-Governor – Government House". Retrieved 2024-10-20.
7. "Bailiff's speech in the Royal Square on the Proclamation of the Accession" (PDF). www.gov.je. 2022-09-11.
8. "The Loyal Toast". Debrett's. 2016. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2016. In Jersey the toast of 'The Queen, our Duke' (i.e. Duke of Normandy) is local and unofficial, and used when only islanders are present. This toast is not used in the other Channel Islands.