Alexander SUTHERLAND, Lord Strathnaver (1981-2022)

[www.lordmountbattenofburma.com]

Daily Mail reports that Lord Stathnaver, 40yr old heir to 25th Earl of Sutherland has been found dead at the bottom of 30ft cliffs at Thurso East, near the ruined 19th century Thurso Castle in Caithness.

Scottish aristocrat Lord Strathnaver, 40, is found dead at foot of 30ft cliffs near Thurso castle | Daily Mail Online

[Henry W]

Tragic of course - it reads as though it was probably a surfing accident?

I believe the heir presumptive is now the 25th Earl's eldest daughter, Lady Rachel SUTHERLAND (born 1970).  She is followed by her two younger sisters, who all appear unm and without issue in the Debrett's database.

Looking further afield, it seems as though only one of the 24th Countess' grandchildren has had any children of their own (the son and dau of Benjamin SUTHERLAND JANSON)

[bx...@yahoo.com]

Henry, a  check of the Debrett's Online Database finds that you are correct.  The heiress presumptive is now Lady Rachel Elizabeth SUTHERLAND (b. 1970), unmarried.

While the middle sister, Lady Rosemary Millicent (b. 1972) is unmarried, that is not true of the youngest sister ( the only full sibling of the late Lord Strathnaver). Lady Elizabeth Murray St. Clair   (b. 1984) is married to  Yacov COSTIN.  They have 1 son, Isaac Sutherland (b. 2015), who is the next one in line after his 2 half-aunts and his mother.

A quick question-- now that Lady Rachel is the hp, why doesn't she carry the courtesy title of "Lady Strathnaver?"  I refer to what seems like a similar situation with Viscount Mersey and his secondary title of "Lord Nairne."  The hp to that title, his daughter, is called the "Mistress of Nairne."

Thanks.

Brooke

[dpth...@gmail.com]

The problem with heirs presumptive (as opposed to heirs apparent) using a courtesy title is that there is always a possibility, slim though it may be, that someone with a superior right might come into being... in this case her father could have another son. It is a bit unseemly to allow "Lady Strathnaver" to someone when it might be taken away from them later. Bear in mind that Queen Elizabeth II never had a title marking her "heir presumptive" position for precisely this reason. Her father could, in theory, have had a son at any time.

[bx...@yahoo.com]

Thanks, Paul, for your reply.

What you wrote makes sense, but how do you explain the Nairne situation?

Thanks.

Brooke.

[dpth...@gmail.com]

As I understand it, what we usually call "courtesy titles" are used only by the direct heirs of dukes, marquesses and earls, not viscounts, so the Mersey/Nairne matter is outside that usage, and is likely just a practice of that family. Note that "Master/Mistress" of Nairne is NOT a peerage title like real "courtesy titles", though "Lord Nairne" is.

[bx...@yahoo.com]

Thank you so much for this explanation.  

Brooke

[malcolm davies]

For any Scottish peerage descendable to females,the title of the heir is Master/Mistress of the title held by the parent.So Lady Rachel is now properly styled Mistress of Sutherland following the death of her brother, who was Master of Sutherland-but whether she wants to be so called is another question.

[marquess]

To bear the title of Master in relation to a Scots Peerage, one doesn't have to be the issue of the title holder, but simply the heir to the title even a distant heir. See Torphichen for a current example, where his kinsman bears the title Master of Torphichen as the next heir to the lordship. 

[bx...@yahoo.com]

A check of the Debrett's Online Database today shows  Lady Rachel with the title of "Mistress of Sutherland."

Brooke

[dpth...@gmail.com]

Cracrofts Peerage site has a nice essay on this practice. http://www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk/index36.htm