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The Prime Minister · Character

The Duke of Omnium

A peer of rigid conscience and thin skin, he governs a Coalition he cannot control and endures attacks he cannot answer.

major

Also known as Plantagenet Palliser, Plantagenet, the Duke, Duke

First appearance: The Duke of Omnium Thinks of Himself

As a major figure in The Prime Minister, The Duke of Omnium is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Reveals to the Duchess that he has been summoned to Windsor by the Queen to potentially form a government, though he is reluctant and views it as a burden.
In the storyAn Old Friend Goes to WindsorOpen this moment free

Plantagenet Palliser, Duke of Omnium, holds the highest office in the land without the temperament for it: saturnine, silent, and privately convinced his Duchess's dinners hold the Government together better than his own judgment. He dreads the press, the mutiny of colleagues, and above all the suspicion that he is a figurehead. His struggle between duty and self-doubt defines the novel's central portrait of a decent man ground down by power.

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Character Web

52 connections

A slice of how The Duke of Omnium sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

TDThe Duchess of…MMMr. MudieLRLady Rosina De…SOSir Orlando Dr…ELEmily LopezTDThe Duke of Omnium

Relationship types

  • Other

Character groups

  • Wharton family and associates
  • Political and business agents
  • Extended political and social network
  • Protagonist

+47 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

SetupEscalationClimax
  • Setup
  • Escalation
  • Breaking point
  • Aftermath
  • Closing

This is the story's dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological peak of Sir Timothy Beesw…

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In the story

The Duke of Omnium appears across 40 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Chapter companion notes

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See The Duke of Omnium in The Duke of Omnium Thinks of Himself