Which family in Great Britain is considered to be the most prestigious, besides the Royal Family?

Question

Which aristrocratic family would you name as the most prestigious in Great Britain, and briefly, why?

Answer 1

I'd have to say it's the Russell family.



Russell:

English noble family. It first appeared prominently in the reign of Henry VIII when John Russell, 1st earl of Bedford, 1486?–1555, rose to military and diplomatic importance.



Arms of the Dukes of Bedford are the same from 1485 to the present day.



The Russell family currently holds the titles of Earl and Duke of Bedford.

John Russell, a close advisor of Henry VIII and Edward VI, was granted the title of Earl of Bedford in 1551, and his descendant William, 5th Earl, was created Duke following the Glorious Revolution.



The subsidiary titles of the Duke of Bedford, all in the Peerage of England, are:

Marquess of Tavistock (created 1694),

Earl of Bedford (1550),

Baron Russell, of Cheneys (1539),

Baron Russell of Thornhaugh in the County of Northampton (1603) and

Baron Howland of Streatham in the County of Surrey (1695) (and possibly the Barony of Bedford, which was merged into it in 1138, 1366 or 1414).

The courtesy title of the Duke of Bedford's eldest son and heir is Marquess of Tavistock.



The family seat is Woburn Abbey near Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.

Set in a beautiful 3,000 acre deer park, with 10 species of deer roaming free, Woburn Abbey has been the home of the Russell family for nearly 400 years.

Today it is occupied by the 15th Duke and his family.

Answer 2

How about the Spencer-Churchills? I've heard of the Russells but the Churchills also include one of Britain's few dukes; Winston Churchill, voted the greatest Briton of all time; one current MP and another MP until the 1990s; one of the present Ladies of the Garter (WSC's daughter); and their cousin Diana, Princess of Wales. Blenheim Palace remains a popular tourist attraction, though the heir to the dukedom went to jail in the 1990s and had a drug problem, so their future might not be so bright.



EDIT: Other strong contenders would be the Stanleys, which includes the premier Earl of England, a 19th c prime minister (who refused a dukedom), and gave Canada its hockey championship (still in use); or the Cecils, still super-rich and whose role in politics run from Elizabeth I's time, include thrice-prime minister Lord Salisbury, and continued until the 1990s, when Lord Cranborne was in the cabinet. They also had a Nobel peace prize winner.

Answer 3

Hehehe! Only Dunrobin could find the connection between the Stanley Cup and the present topic!



I think I would have to agree on the Spencer-Churchills, if only for the sake of Winston Churchill. Otherwise, there probably wouldn't be a Royal Family to discuss, if he hadn't been at the helm during WWII. A dreadfully dysfunctional family, in spite of all their honours, though.

Answer 4

Prestigious means many things but basically rich and famous in today's understanding of the word.



Who knows the Russell Family?????



The World knows Posh and Becks and they epitomise the British today rather than the British of yesterday.

Answer 5

The Al Fayeds

Answer 6

I wouldn't call them aristocratic but Posh and Becks comes to mind. Their London residence is dubbed "Beckingham Palace", LOL.



Who knew that one day Victoria Beckham would become more famous than Geri Halliwell.

Answer 7

Mitchells, no one likes em, they don't care, they usualy get their own way. Anyone who flushed ian beale's head in the bog is amate of mine.

Answer 8

My tribe of course

Answer 9

the 'Stones'

why ? because they ROCK !!!!!