Will Edward become the Duke of Edinburgh?

[MoonlightWanderer]

It has long been speculated that Edward would inherit the Duke of Edinburgh title, but now sources are saying that Charles may not pass it on to him after all.

Has else anyone read these news reports? Apparently Charles was asking if he could use the DoE title instead.

I suspect that many titles will be handed out if/when Charles ascends to the throne. I don't know if Edward will get the DoE title or not, but I suspect he will be given a dukedom.

I also wish I had these kinds of first-world problems, but I think it is interesting from a historical perspective.

@Rainbunny

I correct myself! It turn out that Edward and Sophie are working royals but they are not publicly funded -the Queen funds them entirely form private income.

If Charles gives the DOE title to Edward, would that then mean he would be/feel obliged to fund them from his private income if they remain as working royals? I can't see him wanting to do that with all the talk of slimming down.

I was quite with Harry about giving up the daft titles until I realised I had the total wrong end of that stick!

No, @StarryStarrySocks, there’s no automatic grant of money just because you have a title (it doesn’t entitle you to any publicly funded security either).

Princess Marina, the widow of the Duke of Kent, was well-known for having to live in very straightened circumstances (for a Royal!) after her husband was killed in WWII.

I can't imagine anyone else being the DofE, Prince Philip was one of a kind and it's not long since he passed away.

Charles doesn't always look in the best of health, he's had all this drama with Harry and Meghan and his father has passed away. I think it's OK that he's taking his time to think it through tbh.

If Charles gives the DOE title to Edward, would that then mean he would be/feel obliged to fund them from his private income if they remain as working royals? I can't see him wanting to do that with all the talk of slimming down

If he is working full time then he should be funded. It's nothing to do with earldom v dukedom

As the Wessexes are part of the Magnificent Seven, I expect they'll keep working for quite a while to come. He's in his mid-50s now so I expect there's 15-20 years ahead of him. By which time one it more of the Cambridge DC might be in a position to start their public life

I suspect it will be conferred next year in the jubilee honours list, waiting a year from his death seems about right

@MoonlightWanderer

It's been reported in a few places not just the Mail. I think the Mail embellished the story a fair bit though.

It was an exclusive story in the Sunday Times originally by Roya Nikkeh or whatever her name is. She is massively anti-Harry and Meghan, appears to have multiple sources within William and Kate's "court" but, based on my experience of sources/leaks I'm almost positive that the vast bulk of these are NOT particularly senior nor are they given an approving nod by William/Kate.

As I said earlier, I can't quite work this one out because if it did come directly or indirectly from Clarence House, it has no obvious strategic value except, possibly, Charles using The Times (and subsequent reports) to tell his brother to get back in his box. IME leaks of this sort are often from people far down the food chain, who have got just one small piece of the story. But reporters like Roya absolutely LOVE to print them as gospel truth. The bit I find difficult is William/Charles etc go along with it. Which means, they really are as awful as some people make them out to be (which, personally, I don't believe) OR they actually are, as suggested by Harry, trapped.

@gogohm

I suspect it will be conferred next year in the jubilee honours list, waiting a year from his death seems about right

No, it can't be conferred until Charles is King. It is his title. he can't just give it away. When he becomes King, he can give it away only because all of his titles will revert to him in his guise as "The Crown" and he can then gift them elsewhere.

It might be possible for him to give up the title and give it back to the current Crown, ie his mum, but I'm not sure that's something you can do. I think you can decide not to use it but I don't think you can just hand it back?

I think even though Charles and William have taken on bigger roles lately, it would be considered extremely bad form for either of them to start talking specifics about things they will do or won't do when they become king. The Queen is very much still alive. I'm sure they talk about this sort of stuff privately a lot, but to make something like this public would not be ok. So, I don't know either. It's possible it was discussed, or questions may have been asked to clarify the situation but the words "It won't go to Edward" are hard to misinterpret

Also, quoted from another article "In an previous interview Prince Edward told the BBC: “It was fine in theory, ages ago when it was sort of a pipe dream of my father’s .... and of course it will depend on whether or not the Prince of Wales, when he becomes king, whether he’ll do that, so we’ll wait and see."

speculating: could it be with Scottish independence feeling that a new DoE doesn't so well in current climate?

oldbutstillfotit sorry if I was snippy too. I read some threads on the royal family but often they go too fast so I don’t retain the facts.

@Marmaladeagain

speculating: could it be with Scottish independence feeling that a new DoE doesn't so well in current climate?

That’s an interesting thought - but they did quite recently give Harry the Earl of Dumbarton title, quite a long time after the Brexit vote and the SNP resurgence etc.

It's being reported in the media in the style of previous info releases which are done deals, so this isn't speculation, this is exactly how this sort of information is released.

I didn't know about the leaks of such things being done deals. I had thought, hoped, that it was leaked to gauge public reaction.

I also didn't know that there was a hierarchy to dukedoms.

The Queen may put pressure on the Prince of Wales to do what his father wanted for Edward. Who knows? I'm happy to wait and see, I don't believe half of what I read in the media.

My amateur pondering, knowing nothing of how it all works bar inheriting father to son...

The name Duke of Edinburgh is now known as two things... the title belonging to Prince Phillip... and the Duke of Edinburgh scheme and associated youth work.

DofE scheme is internationally recognised, and they probably want a well known royal patron... most likely who ever the current Duke is. (Or duchess. Why can't they modernise and let a woman have the title?)

Prince Edward is a working royal, so fits that criteria... but his son is too far removed from the royal line of succession. So by giving to Edward, will they lose the name of DofE as the royal patron of the DofEscheme?

I wonder if Charles is reluctant to have his father's legacy 'diluted' by having the title used by anyone else? He may just want to leave it in cold storage so it is forever associated with Philip. That isn't a mean or malicious desire, if properly communicated and negotiated.

Edward should get a different dukedom imo, if so.

The Queen could upgrade Edward and make him Duke of Wessex.

I do t think it is ‘done’ anymore to create new Dukedoms, and I don’t think the Wessex title ever went higher than Earl . She would give him a vacant one belonging to the crown

Clarence?

@StartupRepair

The Queen could upgrade Edward and make him Duke of Wessex.

I think the problem is that nothing can be decided until the Queen passes. At which point it will be too late for the Queen to do anything.

There is also the possibility that Charles may pass before the Queen. There will be huge changes in the royal family over the next 10 years, I think.

I dont think Edward should inherit the title. It was very much Prince Philip's title. But I suppose if Edward takes over the award scheme then it would be fitting.

It's been a long time since a new dukedom was created, but yes the monarch can do that.

In practice, other than Royal Dukes I don't see it happening. The monarch can either re-use a dukedom that is not in use, or create a brand new one. But no-ones really needed to create a new one as there are still a few extinct ones knocking about.

I thought Clarence would have been a good choice for Prince Harry

Post WWII Churchill was offered to be made the Duke of London, but turned it down. I can’t immediately think of any other new Duke creations since then?

Obviously new Baronies are created all the time for people taking up seats in the House of Lords though. So it’s not at all rare for new (non-hereditary) peerages to be created, but at the lower level of the peerage, not the top.

The Queen absolutely could upgrade Edward from Earl to Duke of Wessex though, if she wanted to.

Slightly off topic... where will the York title go? Will it go to Edward, or Charles? With Andrew only having daughters.