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Last week, after the dust settled and Pippa Middleton’s engagement to financier James Matthews became old news, the Daily Express revealed that Middleton will one day become “Lady Glen Affric.”
The press had a field day with the news, billing it as a new way for Middleton to try and one-up her older sister, the Duchess of cambridge. “Two Titles For The Middleton Girls!” was all any media outlet could talk about.
I had absolutely no idea what to make of Middleton’s future title, so I asked royal expert and author Marlene Koenig to clear up the confusion surrounding the future Lady Glen Affric.
What exactly is a lairdship?
Before the Act of Union, when Scotland was an independent kingdom, lairds (15th & 16th century) were property owners holding land separate from the Scottish crown. This allowed them to attend the Scottish Parliament.
By the 17th century, the laird was the chief of a Highland clan. Continue reading