Successor to Prince Philip: Prince Edward becomes the new Duke of Edinburgh

King Charles III (74) gave his youngest brother, Prince Edward, a very special gift on the occasion of his 59th birthday this Friday (March 10), as the palace announced on Instagram, among other things: "We wish the new Duke of Edinburgh all the best Happy birthday today! The King bestowed the Duchy of Edinburgh on his brother, Prince Edward, on his 59th birthday.

Successor to Prince Philip: Prince Edward becomes the new Duke of Edinburgh

King Charles III (74) gave his youngest brother, Prince Edward, a very special gift on the occasion of his 59th birthday this Friday (March 10), as the palace announced on Instagram, among other things: "We wish the new Duke of Edinburgh all the best Happy birthday today! The King bestowed the Duchy of Edinburgh on his brother, Prince Edward, on his 59th birthday. Edward will succeed his and Charles' father, Prince Phillip (1921-2021).

Prince Edward's wife Sophie (58), the current Countess of Wessex, was also made Duchess of Edinburgh at the same time. Their son James (15), Viscount Severn, is now referred to as Earl of Wessex - that was his father's former title. The royal couple's daughter, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, is unaffected by the changes, according to Mail Online.

The ancient and prestigious title of Duke of Edinburgh was bestowed on Prince Philip by Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022) when they married in 1947. When Edward and Sophie married in 1999, it was announced that the duchy would pass to Edward upon Philip's death. For a number of years he had already done much of the work for the Duke of Edinburgh Awards programme.

Still, after Philip's death two years ago, there was some behind-the-scenes discussion about the title change. Because Edward was now 13th in line to the throne, and over the years he is likely to slip further down the line as the Prince and Princess of Wales' children grow up and start families of their own. As a result, there were fears that this high UK title would be passed down to an ever more distant branch of the family line.

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