King Charles has finally granted Prince Edward and his wife Sophie the titles of Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, upholding a promise made to them by the late Queen.
The announcement from Buckingham Palace comes on Edward's 59th birthday with his new title, previously held by his father the late Prince Philip, set to be with him for his lifetime.
The granting of the Dukedom of Edinburgh to Edward means that Sophie will now by known as the Duchess of Edinburgh - and there is also a change for their son 15-year-old James.
He now becomes Earl of Wessex - the title that his father was granted on his wedding day - however, there is no change Lady Louise Windsor, Edward and Sophie's daughter, whose title will remain the same.
The announcement comes just days after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle revealed their children would also be taking new titles, becoming Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
A statement from Buckingham Palace today said: "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."
The new duke and duchess will be in Edinburgh – their first outing with their new titles in the city which inspired their name – later on Friday at a reception to mark the first year of conflict in Ukraine.
The dukedom – which in the past has been hereditary – will not, however, pass down to the Edinburghs' son James when Edward dies.
This paves the way for one of the Prince and Princess of Wales’s children to potentially be given the title in the future, with Prince Louis the most likely candidate.
James will become the Earl of Wessex and Forfar when the title of The Duke of Edinburgh reverts to the Crown, the Palace said.
Edward will also remain for his lifetime the Earl of Forfar, another of his titles, but will use the Duke of Edinburgh because it is the more senior Scottish title.
The changes in titles have already been updated on the royal family’s official website. The line of succession list on royal.uk now shows 13th in line Edward as the Duke of Edinburgh, and 14th in line James as the Earl of Wessex.
It has long been known that Edward would one day become the Duke of Edinburgh after a pledge made by the late Queen on his wedding day in June 1999.
At the time, eyebrows were raised when he was given an Earldom rather than a Dukedom. However, it was announced at the time of the nuptials that Edward would succeed his father as the Duke of Edinburgh with the blessing of his parents after his death.
The palace said at the time: "The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince of Wales have also agreed that the Prince Edward should be given the dukedom of Edinburgh in due course when the present title now held by Prince Philip eventually reverts to the Crown."
Philip’s desire for Edward to have the title was in recognition of his son’s decades-long commitment to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, the youth scheme which is one of Philip’s greatest legacies.
Meanwhile, Sophie once told the Telegraph of the moment she and Edward were told Philip would like her husband to take on the title.
She said: “We sat there slightly stunned. He literally came straight in and said, ‘Right. I’d like it very much if you would consider that’.”
However, Edward also once stated how the final decision on the title rested with Charles.
Edward told the BBC : "It was fine in theory, ages ago when it was sort of a pipe dream of my father’s .... and of course, it will depend on whether or not the Prince of Wales, when he becomes King, whether he’ll do that, so we’ll wait and see.
"So yes, it will be quite a challenge taking that on.”
There had been reports after Charles' accession to the throne last September that he did not plan to honour his late parents' promise.
It was claimed that the King, who is widely believed to favour slimming down the monarchy, was not keen on the idea - and had been thinking of granting it to his granddaughter Princess Charlotte - although this clearly has not happened.
In keeping with the Letters Patent issued when King George VI gave Philip the title in 1947, Charles inherited the Edinburgh dukedom when Philip died – but he did not use it.
On the death of the Queen six months ago, Charles acceded to the throne and the title merged with the crown and could be granted to someone to someone else.
To grant it to Edward, Charles will need to issue a new Letters Patent – an document from a sovereign issued under the Great Seal of the Realm.
