City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the
monarch of the United Kingdom to a select group of communities: , there are 69 cities in the
United Kingdom – 51 in
England, six in
Wales, seven in
Scotland and five in
Northern Ireland. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city". Nonetheless, this appellation carries its own prestige and, consequently, competitions for the status are hard fought.