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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Jennifer Newton

Prince Edward's bizarre opportunity to become King - but it didn't come from the Queen

As the youngest child of the Queen, Prince Edward is now 14th in line to the throne meaning his chances of becoming monarch are almost non-existent.

Edward, who turns 58 today, has probably known for his whole life that the top job in the Firm was always going to be out of reach.

However, he was reportedly once was bizarrely offered the chance to become King - but of a newly formed country back in the 1990s.

It came in 1994 after the collapse of the Soviet Union when a whole host of new countries were created in Eastern Europe.

Prince Edward with his mother the Queen (Getty Images)

One of them was Estonia, and in the country's first elections after the collapse of the USSR, a political party called the Independent Royalist Party of Estonia gained eight seats in the country's parliament.

The party were largely seen as a protest group but wanted Estonia to be established as a monarchy, similar to that of Sweden or Norway.

And according to the Sunday Telegraph at the time, 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.

Edward with his wife Sophie Wessex. The couple has two children (Getty Images)

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A letter reportedly said that Edward was "perfect" and that the party admired him "enormously".

However, 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 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.

Sophie and Edward with his late father Prince Philip (Getty Images)

He is the only son of the Queen who does not hold the title of a Duke and was instead given the title Earl of Wessex on his wedding day.

However, he could be in line for a dukedom in the future, 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.

If that happens, this, in turn, 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.

The title will revert to the Crown when Charles becomes King, meaning he is free to hand it out again.

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