Duke of Edinburgh Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Dukedom of Edinburgh
Coat of Arms of Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh
Creation date	10 March 2023 (announced) 3 April 2023 (Letters Patent)
Creation	Fourth
Monarch	Charles III
Peerage	Peerage of the United Kingdom
First holder	Prince Frederick (first creation; 1726)
Present holder	Prince Edward
Subsidiary titles	Earl of Wessex Earl of Forfar Viscount Severn
Status	Extant

The Duke of Edinburgh is a special title given to members of the British royal family. It is named after the city of Edinburgh in Scotland. This title does not come with land or money. It has been created four times since 1726.

Currently, Prince Edward holds this title. He received it in 2023 on his 59th birthday from his brother, King Charles III. King Charles III used to hold the title himself. Before that, their father, Prince Philip, held the title. He received it when he married Princess Elizabeth, who later became Queen Elizabeth II. When Prince Philip passed away, the title went to Charles. When Charles became King, the title went back to the Crown, meaning it was available again.

First Duke of Edinburgh (1726)
Second Duke of Edinburgh (1866)
Third Duke of Edinburgh (1947)
Fourth Duke of Edinburgh (2023)
Dukes of Edinburgh
Heraldry
See also

First Duke of Edinburgh (1726)

Frederick, Prince of Wales (1707–1751) was the first Duke of Edinburgh.

The first time this title was created was on 26 July 1726. King George I gave it to his grandson, Prince Frederick. Prince Frederick later became Prince of Wales in 1728.

This dukedom also came with other smaller titles. These included Marquess of the Isle of Ely, Earl of Eltham, Viscount of Launceston, and Baron of Snowdon. When Prince Frederick died, his son, Prince George, inherited these titles. When Prince George became King George III in 1760, the titles became part of the Crown. This means they stopped existing as separate titles.

Second Duke of Edinburgh (1866)

Queen Victoria created the title again on 24 May 1866. She gave it to her second son, Prince Alfred. This was instead of the usual title, Duke of York, which is often given to the monarch's second son.

Prince Alfred also received the titles of Earl of Kent and Earl of Ulster. In 1893, Prince Alfred became the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. He kept his British titles. His only son who lived past birth died in 1899. Because of this, the Dukedom of Edinburgh and its other titles ended when Prince Alfred died in 1900.

Third Duke of Edinburgh (1947)

The title was created for a third time on 19 November 1947. King George VI gave it to his son-in-law, Philip Mountbatten. This happened when Philip married Princess Elizabeth. After their marriage, Princess Elizabeth was known as "HRH The Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh" until she became Queen in 1952.

Prince Philip also received the titles of Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich. Earlier that year, Philip had given up his Greek and Danish royal titles. He was born a prince of Greece and Denmark. In 1957, Philip became a prince of the United Kingdom.

When Prince Philip died on 9 April 2021, his oldest son, Charles, Prince of Wales, inherited all his titles. When Charles became King Charles III on 8 September 2022, these titles became part of the Crown. This meant they stopped existing as separate titles.

Fourth Duke of Edinburgh (2023)

In 1999, when Prince Edward got married, it was announced that he would eventually become Duke of Edinburgh. This idea came from Prince Philip. He told Edward and his fiancée, Sophie Rhys-Jones, about his wish just days before their wedding. Edward, who was then seventh in line to the throne, had thought his older brother, Prince Andrew, would get the dukedom.

Prince Philip passed away in April 2021. His dukedom went to his oldest son, Prince Charles. Prince Philip's wish was for Charles to give the title to Edward once Charles became King. In June 2022, Edward said that getting such a big title was "a pipe dream of my father's." This meant he thought it was unlikely to happen.

However, the dukedom was given to Prince Edward on his 59th birthday, 10 March 2023. This fourth creation of the title is a life peerage. This means that Edward's son, James, will not inherit the dukedom. This allows King Charles to honor his father's wish. It also rewards his brother and sister-in-law for their work. This also makes it possible for King Charles's heir, Prince William, to give the title to one of his own children in the future.

Dukes of Edinburgh

First creation, 1726

Duke	Birth	Marriages	Death
Prince Frederick House of Hanover 1726–1751	1 February 1707 Leineschloss, Hanover son of King George II and Queen Caroline	Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha 17 April 1736 9 children	31 March 1751 Leicester House, London aged 44
Prince George House of Hanover 1751–1760	4 June 1738 Norfolk House, London son of Prince Frederick and Princess Augusta	Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz 8 September 1761 15 children	29 January 1820 Windsor Castle, Windsor aged 81
Prince George became George III* in 1760. His titles then became part of the Crown.*

Second creation, 1866

Duke	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Prince Alfred House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha 1866–1900		6 August 1844 Windsor Castle, Windsor son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert	Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia 23 January 1874 6 children	30 July 1900 Schloss Rosenau, Coburg aged 55
Prince Alfred's only surviving son died before him. So, all his titles ended when he died.

Third creation, 1947

Duke	Birth	Marriages	Death
Prince Philip Mountbatten family/House of Glücksburg (by birth) 1947–2021	10 June 1921 Mon Repos, Corfu son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg	Princess Elizabeth 20 November 1947 4 children	9 April 2021 Windsor Castle, Windsor aged 99
Prince Charles House of Windsor 2021–2022	14 November 1948 Buckingham Palace, London son of Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II	Lady Diana Spencer 29 July 1981 2 children Divorced 28 August 1996	Living
Prince Charles House of Windsor 2021–2022		Camilla Parker Bowles 9 April 2005 No issue	Living
Prince Charles became Charles III* in 2022. His titles then became part of the Crown.*

Fourth creation, 2023

Duke	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Prince Edward House of Windsor 2023–present		10 March 1964 Buckingham Palace, London son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip	Sophie Rhys-Jones 19 June 1999 2 children	Living
This dukedom is for Prince Edward's lifetime. His son will not inherit it.