Editing Duke of Edinburgh

{{Short description|Dukedom in the Peerage of the United Kingdom}}
{{About|the title|the current holder|Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh|the holder from 1947 to 2021|Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox nobility title 
| name              = Dukedom of Edinburgh
| image             = Coat of Arms of Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh (Scotland).svg
| image_size        = 
| alt               = 
| caption           = Scottish [[Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh#Arms|arms]] of [[Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh]]
| monarch           = [[Charles III]] 
| creation_date     = 10 March 2023 (announced)<ref name="BBC"/><br>3 April 2023 (Letters Patent)<ref name="Gazette">{{London Gazette |issue=64022|date=6 April 2023 |page=7074 }}</ref>
| creation          = Fourth
| peerage           = [[Peerage of the United Kingdom]] 
| baronetage        = 
| first_holder      = [[Frederick, Prince of Wales|Prince Frederick]]<br />(first creation; 1726)
| present_holder    = [[Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh|Prince Edward]]
| subsidiary_titles = [[Earl of Wessex]]<br />[[Earl of Forfar]]<br />[[Viscount Severn]] <!-- DO NOT REMOVE. Upon the granting of the dukedom to Prince Edward, his other titles became subsidiary titles as they were lesser. -->
| status            = Extant
| extinction_date   =
| motto             = 
| footnotes         = 
}}

'''Duke of Edinburgh''', named after the capital city of [[Scotland]], [[Edinburgh]], is a [[substantive title]] that has been created four times since 1726 for members of the [[British royal family]]. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not produce any revenue for the title-holder.

The current holder, [[Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh|Prince Edward]], was created duke in 2023 on his 59th birthday by his eldest brother, King [[Charles III]]. The dukedom had previously been granted to their father, then [[Philip Mountbatten]], on the day of his marriage to then-Princess Elizabeth, the future Queen [[Elizabeth II]]. Upon Philip's death, the title was inherited by Charles and held by him until Elizabeth died and Charles became king, at which time the title reverted to [[the Crown]].

==1726 creation==
[[File:Frederick Lewis, Prince of Wales by Philip Mercier.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Frederick, Prince of Wales]] (1707–1751) was the first Duke of Edinburgh, from 1726 until his death.]]
The title was first created in the [[Peerage of Great Britain]] on 26 July 1726 by King [[George I of Great Britain|George I]], who bestowed it on his grandson [[Frederick, Prince of Wales|Prince Frederick]], who subsequently became [[Prince of Wales]] in 1728. The [[subsidiary titles]] of the dukedom were Marquess of the Isle of Ely;<ref name=TCP>{{cite book |first = G. E. |last = Cokayne |author-link = George Edward Cokayne |editor1-link = Vicary Gibbs (St Albans MP) |editor1-first = Vicary |editor1-last = Gibbs |editor2-first = H. A. |editor2-last = Doubleday |title = [[The Complete Peerage]] |edition = 2nd |volume = 5: Eardley of Spalding to Goojerat |location = London |publisher = St. Catherine Press |year = 1926 |pages = [https://archive.org/details/CokayneG.E.TheCompletePeerageSecondEditionVolume5EAGO/page/n7/mode/2up 6–8] }}</ref> [[Earl of Eltham]], in the [[Kent|County of Kent]];<ref name="gazette12july1726">{{London Gazette |issue=6494 |date=12 July 1726 |page=1}}</ref> [[Viscount Launceston|Viscount of Launceston]], in the [[Cornwall|County of Cornwall]]; and Baron of [[Snowdon]], in the [[Caernarfonshire|County of Caernarvon]], all of which were also in the Peerage of Great Britain. The marquessate was [[London Gazette|gazetted]] as Marquess of the [[Isle of Wight]],<ref name="gazette12july1726"/> apparently erroneously. In later editions of the ''[[London Gazette]]'' the Duke is referred to as the Marquess of the [[Isle of Ely]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=6741 |date=4 January 1728 |page=2 }}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette |issue=9050 |date=16 April 1751 |page=1 }}</ref> Upon Frederick's death, the titles were inherited by his son Prince George. When Prince George became [[George III of the United Kingdom|King George III]] in 1760, the titles [[merged in the Crown]] and ceased to exist.<ref name=TCP/>

==1866 creation==

[[Queen Victoria]] re-created the title, this time in the [[Peerage of the United Kingdom]], on 24 May 1866 for her second son [[Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Prince Alfred]], instead of [[Duke of York]], the traditional title of the second son of the monarch. The subsidiary titles of the dukedom were [[Earl of Kent]] and [[Earl of Ulster]], also in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=23119 |date=25 May 1866 |page=3127}}</ref> When Alfred became the [[Saxe-Coburg and Gotha#Dukes of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1826–1918)|Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]] in 1893, he retained his British titles. His only son that survived birth, [[Alfred, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]], committed suicide in 1899, so the Dukedom of Edinburgh and subsidiary titles became extinct upon the elder Alfred's death in 1900.<ref name=TCP/>

==1947 creation==

The title was created for a third time on 19 November 1947 by King [[George VI]],<ref name="third">{{London Gazette |issue=38128 |date=21 November 1947 |page=5495}}</ref> who bestowed it on his future son-in-law [[Philip Mountbatten]], shortly before he married [[Elizabeth II|Princess Elizabeth]]. Subsequently, Elizabeth was styled "HRH The Princess Elizabeth, [[Duchess of Edinburgh]]" until her accession in 1952.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kate to become Duchess of Cambridge |url=https://www.smh.com.au/world/kate-to-become-duchess-of-cambridge-20110429-1e0di.html |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=29 April 2011 |access-date=11 May 2023}}</ref> The subsidiary titles of the dukedom were [[Earl of Merioneth]] and [[Baron Greenwich]], of Greenwich in the County of London; all these titles were in the [[Peerage of the United Kingdom]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=38128 |date=21 November 1947 |page=5496 }}</ref> Earlier that year, Philip had renounced his Greek and Danish royal titles (he was born a prince of Greece and Denmark, being a male-line grandson of King [[George I of Greece]] and male-line great-grandson of King [[Christian IX of Denmark]]) along with his rights to the Greek throne. In 1957, Philip became a [[prince of the United Kingdom]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=41009 |date=22 February 1957 |page=1209 }}</ref>

Upon Philip's death on 9 April 2021, his eldest son, [[Charles III|Charles, Prince of Wales]], succeeded to all of his hereditary titles.<ref name=COA>{{cite web|url=https://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/news-grants/news/item/187-hrh-the-duke-of-edinburgh|title=HRH The Duke of Edinburgh|work=College of Arms|date=9 April 2021|accessdate=9 April 2021|archive-date=11 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411005304/https://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/news-grants/news/item/187-hrh-the-duke-of-edinburgh|url-status=live}}</ref> Upon Charles's accession to the throne on 8 September 2022, the peerages [[merged in the Crown]] and ceased to exist.<ref>{{cite news |title=Who is the Duke of Edinburgh now? |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/who-is-duke-of-edinburgh-king-charles-philip-b1025854.html |access-date=12 March 2023 |work=Evening Standard |date=15 September 2022}}</ref>

==2023 creation==
It was announced in 1999, at the time of [[Wedding of Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones|his wedding]], that [[Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex|Prince Edward]] would eventually be granted the Dukedom of Edinburgh.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/ThecurrentRoyalFamily/TheEarlofWessex/The%20Earl%20of%20Wessex.aspx |title=The Earl of Wessex |publisher=Royal.gov.uk |access-date=2010-10-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203012826/http://www.royal.gov.uk/ThecurrentRoyalFamily/TheEarlofWessex/The%20Earl%20of%20Wessex.aspx |archive-date=3 December 2010 }}</ref> The idea came from Prince Philip, who unexpectedly conveyed his wish to Edward and his fiancée, [[Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh|Sophie Rhys-Jones]], only days before their wedding. Edward, then seventh in the [[line of succession to the British throne]], had expected the dukedom to be granted to [[Prince Andrew]], his older brother.<ref name=Tominey>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2023/03/10/prince-edward-new-duke-edinburgh-title-palace-process/|title=Prince Edward may have the Duke of Edinburgh title – but getting it wasn't easy|work=The Telegraph|first=Camilla|last=Tominey|date=10 March 2023|accessdate=10 March 2023}}</ref>

Prince Philip died in April 2021. His dukedom was inherited by his eldest son, Prince Charles, before it merged in the Crown when Charles became king. The dukedom was then recreated for Prince Edward, in accordance with Prince Philip's wishes. Edward, who had by then dropped to the 14th place in the line of succession because of births of those higher in line, said in June that his being granted such a prestigious title was "a pipe dream of my father's".<ref name="Tominey" /> In July, ''[[The Times]]'' reported that Charles had decided not to give the title to his brother.<ref>{{cite news |title=Edward wants to be Duke of Edinburgh but his brother is not on his side |first=Roya |last=Nikkhah |date=11 July 2021 |newspaper=[[The Times]] |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/edward-wants-to-be-duke-of-edinburgh-but-his-brother-is-not-on-his-side-77v25z3b0 |access-date=13 July 2021 |url-access=limited |archive-date=12 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210712220756/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/edward-wants-to-be-duke-of-edinburgh-but-his-brother-is-not-on-his-side-77v25z3b0 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Clarence House]] did not deny the reports, which were met with disapproval by commentators in light of Edward and Sophie's increased role in the monarchy after Andrew withdrew from public life and Charles's son [[Prince Harry]] and daughter-in-law [[Meghan, Duchess of Sussex|Meghan]] quit royal duties.<ref name="Tominey" />

It was suggested in November 2022, shortly after Charles III ascended the throne, that Buckingham Palace was considering saving the dukedom for the new king's granddaughter [[Princess Charlotte of Wales (born 2015)|Princess Charlotte of Wales]] in recognition of her high place in the line of succession and her being the first female member of the [[British royal family|royal family]] whose place in the line of succession cannot be superseded by a younger brother.<ref name="Tominey" />

The dukedom was bestowed on Prince Edward on the occasion of his 59th birthday on 10 March 2023.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=63995 |date=15 March 2023 |page=4994}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.royal.uk/dukedom-edinburgh|title=The King confers The Dukedom of Edinburgh upon The Prince Edward|work=The Royal Family|date=10 March 2023|accessdate=10 March 2023|archive-date=10 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230310120219/https://www.royal.uk/dukedom-edinburgh|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="BBC">{{cite news |title=King Charles grants Prince Edward Duke of Edinburgh title |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-64913224 |access-date=10 March 2023 |work=BBC News |first=Sean |last=Coughlan |date=10 March 2023}}</ref> This fourth creation of the title is a [[life peerage]], meaning that Edward's son, [[James, Earl of Wessex|James]], will not inherit the dukedom (unlike Edward's other peerages). This allows Charles to honour his father's wish and reward his brother and sister-in-law while making it possible for Charles's heir apparent, [[Prince William]], to confer it on one of his children. According to [[Camilla Tominey]] of ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', there had been concerns about the effect that "giv(ing) the Edinburgh dukedom to someone descending fast down the royal ranking" would have on the [[Scottish independence]] debate. She proposes that "the prospect of Scottish independence now looking less likely" in the light of [[Nicola Sturgeon]]'s resignation made the conferral less of a risk.<ref name="Tominey" />

==Dukes of Edinburgh==

===First creation, 1726===

Also: [[Marquess of the Isle of Ely]], [[Earl of Eltham]], [[Viscount Launceston]] and [[Baron Snowdon]].

{| class="wikitable"
!Duke
!Portrait
!Birth
!Marriage(s)
!Death
!Arms
|-
| '''[[Frederick, Prince of Wales|Prince Frederick]]'''<br/>[[House of Hanover]]<br/>1726–1751<br/><small>''also: [[Prince of Wales]] (1728), [[Duke of Cornwall]] (1727, created 1337), [[Duke of Rothesay]] (1727, created 1469)''</small>
| [[File:Frederick Prince of Wales.jpg|125px|Prince Frederick]]
| 1 February 1707<br/>[[Leineschloss]], [[Hanover]]<br/>son of [[George II of Great Britain|King George II]] and [[Caroline of Ansbach|Queen Caroline]]
| [[Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha]]<br/>17 April 1736<br/>9 children
| 31 March 1751<br/>[[Leicester House, Westminster|Leicester House]], [[Leicester Square]], [[London]]<br/>aged 44
|[[File:Coat of Arms of William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland.svg|frameless|91x91px]]
|-
| '''[[George III|Prince George]]'''<!-- Do not change name to George III, he was still a prince when he was the duke. --><br/>[[House of Hanover]]<br/>1751–1760<br/><small>''also: [[Prince of Wales]] (1751)''</small> 
| [[File:George, Prince of Wales, later George III, 1754 by Liotard.jpg|125px|Prince George]]
| 4 June 1738<br/>[[Norfolk House]], [[London]]<br/>son of [[Frederick, Prince of Wales|Prince Frederick]] and [[Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha|Princess Augusta]]
| [[Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]]<br/>8 September 1761<br/>15 children
| 29 January 1820<br/>[[Windsor Castle]], [[Windsor, Berkshire|Windsor]]<br/>aged 81
|[[File:Coat of arms of George William Frederick, Duke of Edinburgh.svg|frameless|91x91px]]
|-
| colspan="6" |''Prince George succeeded as '''George III''' in 1760 upon his [[George II of Great Britain|grandfather's]] death, and his titles [[merged in the Crown]].''
|}

===Second creation, 1866===

Also: [[Earl of Kent]] and [[Earl of Ulster]].

{| class="wikitable"
!Duke
!Portrait
!Birth
!Marriage(s)
!Death
!Arms
|-
| '''[[Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Prince Alfred]]'''<br/>[[House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]<br/>1866–1900<br/>''<small>also [[Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]] (1893)</small>''
| [[File:Alfred-sachsen-coburg-gotha.jpg|125px|Prince Alfred]]
| 6 August 1844<br/>[[Windsor Castle]], [[Windsor, Berkshire|Windsor]]<br/>son of [[Queen Victoria]] and [[Albert, Prince Consort|Prince Albert]]
| [[Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia]]<br/>23 January 1874<br/>6 children
| 30 July 1900<br/>[[Schloss Rosenau, Coburg|Schloss Rosenau]], [[Coburg]]<br/>aged 55
|[[File:Coat of Arms of Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh.svg|frameless|91x91px]]
|-
| colspan="6" |''Prince Alfred and Grand Duchess Maria had two sons, one stillborn, one who predeceased him; and his British ducal title became extinct on his death.''
|}

===Third creation, 1947===

Also: [[Earl of Merioneth]] and [[Baron Greenwich]].

{| class="wikitable"
!Duke
!Portrait
!Birth
!Marriage(s)
!Death
!Arms
|-
| '''[[Prince Philip]]'''<br/>[[Mountbatten family]]/[[House of Glücksburg]] (by birth)<br/>1947–2021<br/>
| [[File:Duke of Edinburgh 33 Allan Warren.jpg|125px|Prince Philip]]
| 10 June 1921<br/>[[Mon Repos, Corfu|Mon Repos]], [[Corfu]]<br/>son of [[Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark]] and [[Princess Alice of Battenberg]]
| [[Elizabeth II|Princess Elizabeth]]<br/>[[Wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten|20 November 1947]]<br/>4 children
| [[Death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|9 April 2021]]<br/>[[Windsor Castle]], [[Windsor, Berkshire|Windsor]]<br/>aged 99
|[[File:Coat of Arms of Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.svg|frameless|91x91px]]
|-
| rowspan="2" | '''[[Prince Charles]]'''<!-- Do not change name to Charles III, he was still a prince when he was the duke. --><br/>[[House of Windsor]]<br/>2021–2022<br/>{{small|''also: [[Prince of Wales]] (1958),<br>[[Duke of Cornwall]] (1952, created 1337),<br>[[Duke of Rothesay]] (1952, created 1469)''}} 
| rowspan="2" | [[File:Charles, Prince of Wales in 2021 (cropped) (3).jpg|125px|Prince Charles]]
| rowspan="2" | 14 November 1948<br/>[[Buckingham Palace]], London<br/>son of Prince Philip and [[Queen Elizabeth II]]
| [[Lady Diana Spencer]]<br/>[[Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer|29 July 1981]]<br/>2 children<br/>{{small|Divorced 28 August 1996}}
| rowspan="2" | Living
| rowspan="2" |[[File:Coat of Arms of the Duke of Rothesay.svg|frameless|91x91px]]
|-
| [[Camilla Parker Bowles]]<br/>[[Wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles|9 April 2005]]<br/>No issue
|-
| colspan="6" |''Prince Charles succeeded as '''Charles III''' in 2022 upon his [[Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II|mother's death]], and his inheritable titles [[merged in the Crown]].''
|}

=== Fourth creation, 2023 ===

{| class="wikitable"
!Duke
!Portrait
!Birth
!Marriage(s)
!Death
!Arms
|-
| '''[[Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh|Prince Edward]]'''<br/>[[House of Windsor]]<br/>2023–present<br/><small>''also: [[Earl of Wessex]] (1999), [[Earl of Forfar]] (2019), [[Viscount Severn]] (1999)''</small>
| [[File:Prince Edward 2022.jpg|125px|Prince Edward]]
| 10 March 1964<br/>[[Buckingham Palace]], London<br/>son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip
| [[Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh|Sophie Rhys-Jones]]<br/>[[Wedding of Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones|19 June 1999]]<br/>2 children
| Living
|[[File:Coat of Arms of Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh (Scotland).svg|frameless|91x91px]]
|-
| colspan="6" |''The dukedom will be held for Prince Edward's [[Life peer|lifetime as a non-hereditary peerage title]].''

|}

== Family trees ==
{{Dukes of Gloucester and Edinburgh family tree}}
{{Royal dukes family tree}}

==Heraldry==

Here are the achievements of the various Dukes of Edinburgh:

<gallery class="center">
File:Coat of Arms of William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland.svg|Coat of arms of [[Frederick, Prince of Wales|Prince Frederick]] as Duke of Edinburgh
File:Coat of arms of George William Frederick, Duke of Edinburgh.svg|Coat of arms of [[George III]] as Duke of Edinburgh
File:Coat of Arms of Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh.svg|Coat of arms of [[Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Prince Alfred]] as Duke of Edinburgh
File:Coat of Arms of Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.svg|Coat of arms of [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh]]
File:Coat of Arms of the Duke of Rothesay.svg|Coat of arms of [[Charles III]] as Duke of Edinburgh
File:Coat of Arms of Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh (Scotland).svg|Coat of arms of [[Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh]]
</gallery>

==In media==

A fictional Duke of Edinburgh appears in the 1983 [[sitcom]] ''[[The Black Adder]]''. [[Rowan Atkinson]] plays the title character, [[Prince Edmund (Blackadder)|Prince Edmund]], who is granted the title Duke of Edinburgh by his father, a fictitious [[Richard IV of England (Blackadder)|King Richard IV]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Blackadder Characters |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/blackadder/characters/ |website=British Comedy Guide |access-date=6 March 2023}}</ref>

==See also==

*[[Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh]]
*[[Duchess of Edinburgh]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Dukes of Edinburgh}}
{{British royal titles}}
{{Extant British dukedoms}}
{{Philip, Duke of Edinburgh}}
{{Charles III}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edinburgh}}
[[Category:Monarchy of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh]]
[[Category:Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh]]
[[Category:Charles III]]
[[Category:1726 establishments in Great Britain]]
[[Category:1866 establishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:2022 disestablishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:2023 establishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:British and Irish peerages which merged in the Crown]]
[[Category:Noble titles created in 1726]]
[[Category:Noble titles created in 1866]]
[[Category:Noble titles created in 1947]]
[[Category:Noble titles created in 2023]]
[[Category:Dukes of Edinburgh| ]]