The King has conferred his late father’s title the Duke of Edinburgh on his brother Prince Edward, Buckingham Palace has announced.
Buckingham Palace said 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. 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.”
Sophie, the former Countess of Wessex, is now the Duchess of Edinburgh, and their 15-year-old son James, Viscount Severn, is the new Earl of Wessex.
The dukedom – which in the past has been hereditary – will not, however, pass down to James when Edward dies.
James will become the Earl of Wessex and Forfar when the title of the Duke of Edinburgh reverts to the Crown, the Palace said.
The late Duke of Edinburgh, who died in April 2021, had always wanted his youngest son Edward to inherit his title, but the decision ultimately was down to Charles as King.
When Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones married in 1999, they were given the titles the Earl and Countess of Wessex.
But Buckingham Palace also announced Edward would eventually one day succeed his father as the Duke of Edinburgh – but not until after the death of both Philip and Queen Elizabeth II.
The palace said at the time in 1999: “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.”
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.
