King Charles III has made his youngest brother, Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, passing on a title held by their late father, Prince Philip.
Buckingham Palace disclosed that the title was conferred on Prince Edward on Friday, March 10, 2023, his 59th birthday.
Edward is the youngest of the four children of Philip and the late Queen Elizabeth II. His wife Sophie will now be known as the Duchess of Edinburgh, and their 15-year-old son James becomes Earl of Wessex, the title Edward previously held.
Prince Philip was made Duke of Edinburgh when he married the then Princess Elizabeth in 1947, and he held the title until his death in 2021 at the age of 99.
It had been Philip’s wish that Edward should get the dukedom after he and the Queen had both died. Queen Elizabeth died in September, 2022 at age 96.
The title, granted by King Charles III to Edward, will be held for his lifetime.
The new Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh will be in Edinburgh later.
The couple are expected to attend an event in the Scottish capital on Friday marking the first year of conflict in Ukraine.
Prince Edward becomes the Duke of Edinburgh almost two years after the death of his father, Philip, who held the title for more than 70 years.
It means that Edward, 13th in line in succession to the throne, will attend the coronation in May as a Duke, with a title that was synonymous with his late father.
With Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, no longer a “working royal”, there could be a more high-profile role for Edward, the King’s youngest brother.
At the end of last year, Parliament fast-tracked a change in law to add Prince Edward and his sister Princess Anne to the “counsellors of state” who can act on behalf of the King, if the monarch was ill or abroad.
In his earlier career, Prince Edward had worked in theatre and television production, but had increasingly focused on public duties, including taking on a number of roles from Prince Philip as he grew older.
Duke Of Edinburgh Title Not Be Hereditary
The title of Duke of Edinburgh will not be hereditary, so when Edward dies, it will not go to his children, but could be given to another senior member of the future Royal Family.
Although it is a prestigious title, it does not come with any land or income.
The Buckingham Palace noted in a statement, “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.”
One of Prince Philip’s legacies is the Duke of Edinburgh awards, a popular youth activities program set up in 1956, which provides activities and training programmes for young people in the UK and overseas.
The Palace also noted that “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.”
The first Duke of Edinburgh was created in 1726, when the Hanoverian monarch, George I gave the title to his grandson, Prince Frederick. Queen Victoria re-created the title in 1866 for her second son, Prince Alfred and it was created again in 1947 for Prince Philip.
The announcement comes after another title change this week when Prince Harry and Meghan began officially using the titles; Prince and Princess for their children, Archie and Lilibet.
