It's no secret that Prince Edward's chances of becoming King of England are nearing on impossible by this point.
Edward, who celebrated his 58th birthday today (March 10), is the youngest of the Queen's four children and 14th in line to the British throne. Interestingly, however, he was reportedly once was bizarrely offered the chance to become King of a newly formed country back in the 1990s, reports the Mirror.
It came in 1994 after the collapse of the Soviet Union creating a whole host of new states in Eastern Europe. One of these states, Estonia, launched the country's first elections after the collapse of the USSR, and a political party called the Independent Royalist Party of Estonia gained eight seats in the country's parliament. The party were considered to be a protest group but wanted Estonia to be established as a monarchy, similar to that of Sweden or Norway.
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The leader of the party contacted the British royals asking if Edward would become their king, saying they'd be honoured if he were to accept, according to The Sunday Telegraph at the time. In a letter, it is alleged to have read that Edward was "perfect" and that the party admired him "enormously". Perhaps unsurprisingly Buckingham Palace said that it was "a charming idea but a rather unlikely one".
Edward is married to wife Sophie Wessex and their pair have two children - Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn.
Lady Louise, 18, and James, 14, are said to be very close to their grandmother the Queen and spent a lot of time with the Duke of Edinburgh before his death. Prince Edward is the only son of the Queen who does not hold a dukedom and was instead given the title Earl of Wessex on his wedding day.
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However, he could be in line for a new title when his brother Prince Charles becomes King. It was announced at the time of Edward and Sophie's wedding that he would one day succeed his father as the Duke of Edinburgh with the blessing of the late Prince Philip and the Queen.
This would make Sophie Duchess of Edinburgh - a courtesy title which was held by the Queen. Sophie once told the Telegraph of the moment she and Edward were told Philip would like them 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’.”
The title of Duke of Edinburgh is currently held by Charles as he is the oldest child of the late Philip, but it will revert to the Crown when Charles becomes King. This means it will be ready to be redistributed to another member of the royal family.
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