King Charles hands ‘Duke of Edinburgh’ title to Prince Edward

Buckingham Palace has announced that Prince Edward will be the new Duke of Edinburgh.

King Charles III conferred the title on his brother, the former Earl of Wessex, in celebration of Edward’s 59th birthday today. It will be held for his lifetime.

Sophie, the former Countess of Wessex, is now the Duchess of Edinburgh and their 15-year-old son James, Viscount Severn becomes the new Earl of Wessex.

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The former Duke of Edinburgh was Prince Philip, who died in 2021, and who was given the title in 1947 on the day of his wedding to Princess Elizabeth, who later became Queen Elizabeth II, noted the BBC.

“It was Prince Philip’s wish that the Earl of Wessex should inherit his title,” said The Telegraph, and the King chose to “coincide the recreation of the dukedom” with Edward’s visit to Edinburgh today for a reception to mark the first year of the war in Ukraine.

In an interview with The Telegraph in 2021, Sophie recalled how, two days after their engagement, Philip asked his son if would be willing to become the next Duke of Edinburgh. “We sat there slightly stunned,” she said. “He literally came straight in and said: ‘Right. I’d like it very much if you would consider that.’”

Philip’s death “was two years ago, however”, noted the Daily Mail, and “there has been much to-ing and fro-ing behind the scenes on the issue ever since”.

It added that the “issue for Buckingham Palace” was that Edward is “now 13th in line to the throne and will only slide further down the order of succession” and “there was concern that the most senior titles associated with a nation of the United Kingdom would be passed on to an ever more junior branch of the family line”.

The title change is not the first this week. The royal family’s official website has been updated to reflect the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s children’s new titles, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, noted ITV News.