Duke of Edinburgh
The
Duke of Edinburgh is a British
dukedom. There have been four creations since 1726. The current holder is
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the husband of Queen
Elizabeth II.
The Dukedom was first created in
July 26,
1726, in the
Peerage of Great Britain. The title was bestowed on the eldest son of
The Prince of Wales, Prince Frederick Lewis (or Louis), who would later become Prince of Wales himself. Upon Frederick's death, the title was inherited by his son Prince George. When Prince George became King George III, the Dukedom "merged into the crown," and ceased to exist.
King George III revived the title on
November 19,
1764 for his younger brother, Prince William of Wales, the full form of the title being "Gloucester and Edinburgh". The title passed to the Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh's only son, William Frederick, who died without a male heir, causing the title to become extinct.
The title was next bestowed on
Queen Victoria's second son, Alfred, this time in the
Peerage of the United Kingdom. Upon Prince Alfred's death, the title again became extinct. The title was most recently given to
Philip Mountbatten on
November 20,
1947, the night before his marriage to Princess Elizabeth, who became
Queen Elizabeth II in 1952. Before ascending the throne, Princess Elizabeth was officially known as Her Royal Highness The Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh.
Although it was announced at the time of the wedding of
Prince Edward that he would eventually receive this title, he will not, in all probability, inherit the title from his father. Like any normal dukedom, the present Dukedom of Edinburgh passes to the heirs-male of the first Duke. That means that when the present Duke dies, the dukedom will be inherited by his eldest son,
the Prince of Wales (or his heir, if he is deceased). If the Prince of Wales is not yet king when this occurs, he will be Duke of Edinburgh until he ascends the throne, at which point the title will merge with the crown; if The Prince of Wales is already King when he inherits the title, it will merge immediately. Only when the dukedom has merged with the crown would the title be available for regrant to the
Earl of Wessex, in which case he would be the 1st Duke of Edinburgh of its fourth creation.
subsidiary titles:
Marquess of the Isle of Ely;
Earl of Eltham;
Viscount Launceston;
Baron Snowdon*HRH
Prince Frederick Lewis, Duke of Edinburgh (
1707-
1751)
*HRH
Prince George, Duke of Edinburgh (
1738-
1820) (became King in 1760)
subsidiary title:
Earl of Connaught (in the
Peerage of Ireland)
*HRH
Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh (
1743-
1805)
*HRH
Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh (
1776-
1834)
subsidiary titles:
Earl of Kent;
Earl of Ulster*HRH
Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh (
1844-
1900)
subsidiary titles:
Earl of Merioneth,
Baron Greenwich*HRH The
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (b.
1921)
*
Edinburgh*
Duke of Albany*
Duke of Cambridge*
Duke of Clarence*
Duke of Connaught*
Duke of Cumberland*
Duke of Gloucester*
Duke of Kent*
Duke of York*
Prince of Wales*
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award
