UK has new Duke of Edinburgh as King Charles gives his brother Prince Edward title - 9News

Buckingham Palace announced the title was conferred on Prince Edward on Friday, his 59th birthday, in a statement issued yesterday around 8pm AEDT.

Edward is the youngest of the four children of Philip and the late Queen Elizabeth II. His wife Sophie will now be known as the Duchess of Edinburgh, and their 15-year-old son James becomes Earl of Wessex, the title Edward previously held.

King Charles III has made his youngest brother the Duke of Edinburgh, passing on a title held by their late father, Prince Philip. (Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire)

Prince Philip was made Duke of Edinburgh when he married the then Princess Elizabeth in 1947, and he 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. Elizabeth died in September at age 96.

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

The palace said that "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."

Edward's wife Sophie will now be known as the Duchess of Edinburgh, and their 15-year-old son James becomes Earl of Wessex, the title Edward previously held. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Prince Edward will remain Earl of Forfar - a title conferred by the Queen on his 55th birthday in addition to his Earl of Wessex title, given on the day of his 1999 wedding.

The Edinburgh dukedom has been created four times in history, the most recently for Prince Philip in 1947 - a title he then held for more than 70 years.

He was given the title on the morning he wed then-Princess Elizabeth, who held the title of Duchess of Edinburgh before she acceded to the throne in 1952 and became Queen.

The royal website has already been updated to reflect the changes to Prince Edward and Sophie's titles as the new Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh (Royal.uk)

Fittingly, the couple will be out in Edinburgh on Friday for their first outing with their new titles, attending a reception marking the one-year anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine.

The royal website has already been updated to reflect all of these changes.

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2023-03-10 15:25:05Z
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