After the death of Prince Philip the title of Duke of Edinburgh will pass to Prince Edward eventually.
Prince Edward, The Earl of Wessex, will inherit his father’s title when his older brother Prince Charles ascends to the throne, according to convention is will pass to Charles first.
When Charles becomes king, the title of Duke of Edinburgh will revert to the crown and is set to be regranted to Prince Edward.
The plans for Prince Edward to succeed to the title were announced in 1999, when he married Sophia Wyn Jones.
In addition to being granted the title of the Earl of Wessex, on marrying, Prince Edward was given the blessing of Prince Phillip and the Queen to eventually inherit the role of Duke of Edinburgh.
Prince Edward was given the role after discussions between the HRH the Queen, Prince Philip and Prince Charles in recognition of his work with the Duke of Edinburgh Award programme.
Prince Edward, 57, is Prince Philip’s youngest son and had three children with his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex.
Having studied at the University of Cambridge, he previously pursued careers in the marines and as a television producer before becoming a full-time Royal.
Prince Edward and his wife were rumoured to have been favourites of Prince Phillip.
In 2017, a palace insider said to the Express: “Edward has moulded into a quiet and efficient figure who does not seek attention or acquire headlines. He and Sophie are liked for being dutiful and uncomplaining.”
Prince Edward paid tribute to his parents’ relationship in an interview with ITV News, broadcast after Prince Philip’s death.
He said: “My parents have been such a fantastic support to each other during all those years and all those events and all those tours and events overseas.
“To have someone that you confide in and smile about things that you perhaps could not in public. To be able to share that is immensely important.”
Featured image credit: Hughestr, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
