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Omnium, Duke of (the Old Duke)

Uncle of Plantagenet Palliser, who was his heir. Haughty and unapproachable, he was the embodiment of the ducal tradition

"He rarely went near the presence of majesty, and when he did so, he did it merely as a disagreeable duty incident to his position.... the Queen might be queen so long as he was the Duke of Omnium. Their revenues were about the same, with the exception, that the Duke's were his own.... In person he was a plain, thin man, tall, but undistinguished in appearance, except that there was a gleam of pride in his eye which seemed every moment to he saying 'I am the Duke of Omnium.' He was unmarried, and, if report said true, a great debauchee" - Dr Thorne