The Grand Principality of Dutch-Kent

Ruling Family of Dutch-Kent

Due to the political circumstances that England found itself in, following the Treaty of Paris, the designation of the ruling family of a new grand principality, centered around former provinces of the Spanish Netherlands, fell to Parliament and not to the Crown.

Parliament desperately wanted a friendly government firmly ensconced in this new nation and thus looked to its own in order to make that a reality. Of course, the new ruling family must have a firm grounding in Protestantism, as opposed to Catholicism, and must also be composed of non-Jacobite members. The new family must also be a part of English nobility, otherwise they would not pass muster in the House of Lords.

Following a secret meeting by the leadership of Commons, an agreement was proposed to a closed session of Lords. After that meeting, two small delegations headed to different parts of the island, one heading north, to Scotland, the other to Oxford, where altogether different meetings took place.

Two weeks later, it was announced that by Act of Parliament, the new Grand Principality of Dutch-Kent was to be formed of the lands newly acquired on the continent and that the ruling house of this principality would be given as a wedding gift to the union of two noble houses, Campbell and Godolphin.

The Campbell side of the agreement took the person of none other than the Lady Anne Campbell, daughter of Archibald Campbell, 1st Duke of Argyll, 10th Earl of Argyll, the late well known supporter of the Glorious Revolution.

The Godolphin side took the personage of William Godolphin, grandson of both Sidney Godolphin and John Churchill, Earl of Marlborough. As both men had vigorously supported the Glorious Revolution and then later Queen Anne, their families were deemed worthy of the honor and they had proven loyal to English interests.

The one stipulation to the arrangement however, was that as William was too young to marry, each family was to set up house in the new principality. Following that, a special marriage ceremony would take place once William entered his thirteenth year, in 1712. Prior to that date, a regency would conduct the day to day operations of the principality, while Prince William would reign as rightful sovereign.

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