King Charles III of England has appointed his younger brother, Prince Edward, as the new duke of edinburghthis Friday, handing him the title that for decades was held by their father, Prince Philip, Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
Edward, 59, thus becomes the last member of the royal family to receive a new title since Charles became king in September following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
William, Charles’ eldest son and heir to the throne, was named Prince of Wales, while the children of his second son Harry, who no longer works for the royal house, were officially named Prince and Princess earlier this week.
Edward’s new title comes after taking over several roles from his father, including chairman of the Duke of Edinburgh Award, which encourages younger people to take on new challenges.
“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,” said Buckingham Palace.
Philip held the title of Duke of Edinburgh from his marriage to the then Princess Elizabeth in 1947 until his death in April 2021 (Elizabeth was Duchess of Edinburgh until her proclamation in 1952). After Philip’s death, Carlos and Camila inherited the legacy, until the accession to the throne of Elizabeth II’s eldest son.
Throughout the title’s history, there have been two other Duchesses of Edinburgh: Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, who received the title in 1736, and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, the first and only Romanov to marry a member. of the British royal family.