Prince Edward created Duke of Edinburgh

King Charles III has conferred the Dukedom of Edinburgh upon The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Forfar, on the occasion of his 59th birthday. The Dukedom, which was previously held by his father, the late Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, will be held by the Prince for his lifetime. 

      

Buckingham Palace has announced:

His Majesty The King has been pleased to confer the Dukedom of Edinburgh upon The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Forfar, on the occasion of His Royal Highness’s 59th birthday.

The title will be held by Prince Edward for His Royal Highness’s lifetime.

The Dukedom was last created for Prince Philip in 1947, upon 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 continue Prince Philip’s legacy of promoting opportunities for young people of all backgrounds to reach their full potential.

Prince Edward was created Earl of Wessex in 1999, on the occasion of his marriage to Sophie Rhys-Jones, and made the Earl of Forfar on his Birthday in 2019. At the time of the wedding, it was announced that he would eventually be created Duke of Edinburgh, a title then held by his father Prince Philip, once it had merged in the Crown upon the death of both his parents. Thus, the Duke and Duchess had been heavily involved in the legacy of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme.

James, previously Viscount Severn, has already begun using the courtesy title of Earl of Wessex, which he will eventually inherited on the passing of Prince Edward. Since the Dukedom has only been granted for life, it is a missed opportunity to have had it created with equal succession, so that the Dukedom could be inherited by Lady Louise Windsor, particularly close to her late grandfather, while the Earldoms of Wessex and Forfar could be inherited by James, Viscount Severn.

Leave a Reply