The King has conferred the title of Duke of Edinburgh on his younger brother, Prince Edward, on the occasion of his 59th birthday today.
Unusually though, the title, previously held by his father Prince Philip, will only remain with him for life and, on his death, revert to the Crown.
His wife, Sophie, currently the Countess of Wessex, will become the Duchess of Edinburgh.
His son James, Viscount Severn, aged 15, will be known from today as Earl of Wessex, his father’s previous title.
However, under the old primogeniture rules, none of the changes will affect the couple’s student daughter, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor.
King Charles, later Prince Charles, with Prince Edward at Ascot Racecourse on June 15, 2021
Edward and Sophie with Philip at a DofE Award garden party at Buckingham Palace in 2016
Prince Edward and Sophie with their children Louise and James, pictured in Bristol in 2019
The Buckingham Palace website was updated this morning to list Prince Edward as ‘The Duke of Edinburgh’ in the order of succession. He is 13th in line to the throne.
The old and prestigious title of Duke of Edinburgh was bestowed on Prince Philip by Queen Elizabeth when they married in 1947.
Edward was exceptionally close to his father and his later years took over much of his work with the Duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme.
When he and Sophie married in 1999, it was announced that the dukedom would pass to Edward after Philip’s death.
However, that was two years ago, and since then there has been a lot of going back and forth behind the scenes on the subject.
The problem for Buckingham Palace was that Edward now sits 13th in the line of succession to the throne and will only move further down the order of succession over the years as the children of the Prince and Princess of Wales grow up and have their own families.
There was concern that the oldest titles associated with a UK nation would be passed down to an ever younger branch of the family line.
So when Philip died in April 2021, Buckingham Palace announced that the title had reverted to the monarch, and that remained the case when Queen Elizabeth died last September.
The Queen and Felipe with Carlos, Andrés, Ana and Eduardo at Clarence House in 2007
Prince Edward with Prince Philip on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in London in 2005
Prince Edward and Prince Philip together at Harry and Meghan’s wedding in Windsor in 2018
At one point, courtiers discussed having the king keep the title permanently, but many felt it would be a mistake not to honor Prince Philip’s wishes and thank Edward for the relentless work he has done on behalf of the monarchy over the past few years. years.
He and his wife have particularly intensified since Harry and Meghan’s acrimonious departure in 2019.
The Mail understands that after Edward’s eventual death, the title of Duke of Edinburgh will most likely be given to one of William and Kate’s sons, likely Prince Louis, when they are older.
The sources stressed that the timing of the announcement had nothing to do with events this week regarding the titles of Harry and Meghan’s children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, as such announcements are normally made on birthdays. from a member of the royal family.
This is indeed true, although it’s likely that the Sussex children problem had to be resolved first so as not to offend the notoriously irritable Duke and Duchess.
Like other members of the royal family, Edward was given a series of titles when he married. His other Scottish title is Earl of Forfar.
He will remain Earl of Forfar, although he will use his older title of Edinburgh.
Their son James will become Earl of Wessex and Forfar when Edward dies and the now non-hereditary title of Edinburgh reverts to the Crown.
The new Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh will be in town later today for a reception to mark the first year of the conflict in Ukraine.
Queen Elizabeth II and her son Prince Edward at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 1995
Edward and Sophie in Gibraltar in June 2022 (left) and Edward in Newton Abbot in May 2022
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said today: “His Majesty the King is delighted to confer the Duchy of Edinburgh on Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Forfar, on the occasion of His Royal Highness’ 59th birthday.
The title will be held by Prince Edward for the lifetime of His Royal Highness.
The Duchy was last created for Prince Philip in 1947, following his marriage to Princess Elizabeth, who held the title of Duchess of Edinburgh before acceding to the throne in 1952.
“The new Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are proud to carry on Prince Philip’s legacy of promoting opportunities for young people of all backgrounds to reach their full potential.”
