King Charles III gives brother, Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh title for 59th birthday

Elise Brisco, USA TODAY
·3 min read
5

King Charles III is giving his youngest brother a birthday gift that can't be wrapped with a bow: a new royal title.

Buckingham Palace announced Friday that the king gave Prince Edward, formerly known as the Earl of Wessex, the title of Duke of Edinburgh to honor the prince's birthday. The title was created in 1947 for their father, Prince Philip, who died in April 2021.

One of Philip’s legacies is the Duke of Edinburgh awards, a popular youth activities program set up in 1956.

"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," Buckingham Palace said.

Here's what to know about Prince Edward, Queen Elizabeth's youngest son, and his new title.

Prince Edward will now be known as the Duke of Edinburgh. King Charles gave his youngest brother the title that used to belong to their father, Prince Philip.
Prince Edward will now be known as the Duke of Edinburgh. King Charles gave his youngest brother the title that used to belong to their father, Prince Philip.

The king's coronation: King Charles III's coronation oil has special connection to late mother Queen Elizabeth II

Who is Prince Edward?

Prince Edward is the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September, and Prince Philip. He was born March 10,1964.

Before becoming a full-time working royal, Prince Edward spent a brief time in the Marines before resigning and also spent time in the 90s working in television production. 

He married his wife, Countess Sophie in 1999 and together they have two children: Lady Louise Windsor, 19, and son James, 15, who now holds the title Earl of Wessex.

Britain's Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex reacts as he leaves at the end of the Royal Family's traditional Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk, eastern England, on Dec. 25, 2022.
Britain's Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex reacts as he leaves at the end of the Royal Family's traditional Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk, eastern England, on Dec. 25, 2022.

Why is Prince Edward the Duke of Edinburgh?

King Charles III donned his brother with the Duke of Edinburgh title on Edward's 59th birthday.

It's not the first time he was given titles on special days. On his wedding day in June 1999, he was given the Earl of Wessex title. In 2019, Queen Elizabeth gave him a second title, Earl of Forfar, for his 55th birthday.

Before becoming queen, Elizabeth II, held the title of Duchess of Edinburgh giving Prince Philip the title upon marriage. Prince Philip held the title until his death in 2021 at the age of 99. It had been Philip’s wish that Edward should get the dukedom after he and the queen had both died.

Upon Prince Edward's new Dukedom, his wife Sophia will now be the Duchess of Edinburgh.

More title changes, including Prince Harry and Meghan's children

Prince Edward's new title comes a day after Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan's children officially got royal titles on the palace's website.

The royal line of succession updated the names of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's children to Prince Archie of Sussex and Princess Lilibet of Sussex on Thursday. Previously, the website had the 4-year-old and 21-month-old's names, respectively, as Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor and Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor.

The news arrived when Princess Lilibet's christening was announced in a statement from Harry and Meghan, marking the first time the couple has publicly called their daughter a princess.

That's prince and princess to you: Harry and Meghan's kids get new titles, palace website says

Contributing: Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: King Charles gives Prince Edward their dad's title: Duke of Edinburgh

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next