The Duchy of Lancaster is a private estate of the British sovereign. The estate has its origins in the lands held by the medieval Dukes of Lancaster, which came under the direct control of the monarch when Henry Bolingbroke, the then duke of Lancaster, ascended the throne in 1399. In 1461 King Edward IV confirmed that the Duchy would be inherited by the monarch, but held separately from the Crown Estate, the other assets which belong to the monarch.
The duchy of Lancaster headquarters office in Lancaster Place, London. It flies the duchy flag.
The dukedom of Lancaster is a former English peerage, created three times in the Middle Ages, which finally merged in the Crown when Henry V succeeded to the throne in 1413. Despite the extinction of the dukedom the title has continued to be used to refer to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom in relation to the County Palatine of Lancaster and the Duchy of Lancaster, an estate held separately from the Crown Estate for the benefit of the sovereign.
Image: Portrait of Henry, Duke of Lancaster William Bruges's Garter Book (c.1440 1450), f.8 BL Stowe MS 594 (cropped)
Image: Johnofgaunt
Image: Illumination of Henry IV (cropped)
Image: Henry 5
