SUSSEX had a surprise royal wedding gift when the Queen decided Prince Harry should have a new title.

He is now Duke of Sussex, a county with which he has had no previous connection.

His American-born wife, who probably thought until recently that the title of duke belonged to the screen actor John Wayne, is the new duchess.

They seem to be a personable couple and many people in the county will welcome them.

But it is odd that when all the chat is of a modern wedding and a truly 21st century couple that they should be given titles which appear to have been plucked out of the air.

Sussex gains no financial reward from having a new duke and duchess. The one possible advantage is an increased interest by the royal couple in their adopted county.

It was much the same when the Queen last chucked a bauble in the general direction of Sussex. Making Brighton and Hove a city may have brought a warm glow to the hearts of councillors but it brought no privileges or pounds.

Granting courtesy titles to this pair is rather like the uniforms worn by royal men on special occasions which also have little significance.

It makes the wedding seem even more of a comic opera now than it did a few days ago. How W S Gilbert would have loved it.

Sussex has only had one duke before. He did not last long and the title died with him.

But the county has been shaped by many dukes, some from other counties, over the years.

Perhaps the most notable are the Dukes of Norfolk who despite their titles have been firmly based for many centuries in Arundel Bernard, the 16th duke, is still fondly remembered by many older Sussex residents even though it is more than 40 years since he died.

As Earl Marshal he was responsible for organising the coronations of both King George VI and the Queen.

In 1965 he arranged at short notice the funeral of Sir Winston Churchill, following all his complicated wishes.

Although he was known to be a brilliant organiser, it was still a surprise when he was appointed as manager of the MCC cricket team to Australia in 1962. It helped that the duke had his own cricket ground in Arundel which was traditionally used for the first match of any touring team.

In his youth, the duke had played cricket to a reasonable standard although he was usually offered an easy ball so start his innings so that he could get off the mark.

Rumour had it that in one match, the butler at Arundel Castle acted as an umpire. Asked for his verdict on a confident lbw appeal, he replied: “His Grace is not in.”

At the start of the Australian tour, the duke told players that informality was the keyword and added: “You can call me sir.”

Despite his antiquated ways, he was popular with the players and went down well with the Australian press who welcomed a chat with him about horse racing.

The duke made many gifts to Arundel including the popular open air swimming baths.

Asked why he retained so much land, he said: “We have got rid of a lot. For example, we sold Littlehampton.”

Dukes from an even greater distance were responsible for the creation of Eastbourne as a resort and residential town.

The Dukes of Devonshire did not live there but hailed from Chatsworth in Derbyshire where they still own one of the nation’s finest stately homes.

By becoming Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the royal newlyweds enter a rarefied world for just a few people where eccentricity is accepted, even welcomed, and aristocracy abounds.

They will have a job modernising dukes and duchesses even if they wish to so do. They may prefer to keep them as a fairly harmless side show, all tea and titles.