Prince Edward is the new Duke of Edinburgh.
King Charles announced that he conferred the title created for his father Prince Philip onto his younger brother Friday — the morning of his 59th birthday.
Edward's son, Viscount Severn, has now become the Earl of Wessex as a result. The title was given to Edward when he married Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999.
Sophie has now become the Duchess of Edinburgh, a title last held by the late Queen Elizabeth.
"His Majesty The King has been pleased to confer the Dukedom of Edinburgh upon The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Forfar, on the occasion of His Royal Highness's 59th birthday," Buckingham Palace said in a short statement Friday. "The title will be held by Prince Edward for His Royal Highness's lifetime."
"The Dukedom was last created for Prince Philip in 1947, upon his marriage to Princess Elizabeth, who held the title of Duchess of Edinburgh before acceding to the throne in 1952," the release added.
"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".
It had been the wish of Philip that his youngest son Edward would receive the title after his death.
Towards the end of his life, Edward – alongside his wife Sophie — led on representing Philip at award ceremonies for the Duke of Edinburgh volunteering scheme for young people, which Philip had set up.
In 1999, a statement from Buckingham Palace which announced the couple would be titled the Earl and Countess of Wessex also noted, "The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales (now King Charles) have also agreed that the Prince Edward should be given the Dukedom of Edinburgh in due course, when the present title now held by the Prince Philip eventually reverts to the Crown."
Despite this, when Philip died in 2021, his title went to Charles, 74, as his eldest son. There had been reports that Charles would hold onto the title, with some commentators saying it would not go to Edward and Sophie as he mulled what to do with it.
After waiting several months since becoming King, Charles has chosen to hand it on to his brother at a significant moment — his brother's birthday. Edward will hold the title for his lifetime, after which it will return to the crown – raising the possibility that it could then be passed on to one of Prince William's children, Princess Charlotte, 7, or Prince Louis, 4.
The announcement also follows on the heels of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's children's titles being updated on the royal family's website Thursday to read "Prince Archie of Sussex" and "Princess Lilibet of Sussex". They were previously styled as "Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor" and "Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor."
This is the fourth time that the Dukedom has been created. King George II's eldest son Prince Frederick held it first, in 1726, and then, in 1764, Prince William, King George III's brother.
Queen Victoria re-introduced the title in 1866 for her second son Prince Alfred. The title then became dormant when he died in 1899 (after being pre-deceased by his son a year earlier.)
King George VI later conferred the Dukedom on Philip and the then Princess Elizabeth on their wedding day of 1947.
