Britain's King Charles hands Duke of Edinburgh title to brother Edward

Britain's Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and the younger brother of King Charles III, will take over the title of Duke of Edinburgh from his late father, Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, Buckingham Palace announced on March 10, 2023, the day of Edward’s 59th birthday. Picture: Daniel Leal / AFP

Published Mar 10, 2023

London - Britain's King Charles III awarded his younger brother Edward the title Duke of Edinburgh on Friday, in line with the wishes of the late Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip.

Philip, who was the last holder of the title, had always wanted it to be inherited by Edward.

Charles conferred the title on Edward, currently known as the Earl of Wessex, on his 59th birthday.

"His Majesty The King has been pleased to confer the Dukedom of Edinburgh upon the Prince Edward," Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

The title will not however be inherited by Edward's teenage son James. The 15-year-old will instead become the new Earl of Wessex.

Edward's wife Sophie who was particularly close to Elizabeth, who died last September, will now be known as the Duchess of Edinburgh.

The new duke and duchess were in Edinburgh later on Friday at a reception to mark the first year of the conflict in Ukraine.

Britain's Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh attend an event at the City Chambers in Edinburgh to mark one year since the city's formal response to the invasion of Ukraine on March 10, 2023. Picture: Jane Barlow / AFP

The dukedom was created for Prince Philip in 1947 after his marriage to the then Princess Elizabeth.

Philip, who died in April 2021, had favoured Edward inheriting his title, but the decision ultimately had to be made by Charles as King.

Edward, 59 on Friday, becomes the latest member of the royal family to be granted a new title since Charles became king in September after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth.

Earlier this week Buckingham Palace also updated its website's list of succession. William, Charles's eldest son and heir to the throne, was named Prince of Wales, while the children of his second son Harry and his wife Meghan – the Duke and Duchess of Sussex who are no longer a working royals – were officially listed as Prince Archie Mountbatten-Windsor and Princess Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor.

Although they automatically became a prince and princess when Harry's father King Charles acceded to the throne last year, they had remained listed as plain "master" and "miss" on the website.

The children’s titles had emerged as a contentious issue after Harry and Meghan quit royal life and moved to California in 2020.

The Earl of Wessex Prince Edward, left, the Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II attend the Commonwealth Day Service at St Andrew's Cathedral in Sydney, Australia, on March 13, 2006. File picture: Patrick Riviere/ REUTERS

AFP