Rumour that the King won't make Edward Duke of Edinburgh

[PrincessJanet]

Allegedly as part of the King's desire for a slimmed down monarchy.

I would have thought that the Royal Family could really do with the Wessexes as working royals. If they slim down so far in a few years they'll soon beonly the Cambridges available.

Yes, it was a very bad patch, and people were scathing.

It's taken 20 years for their rehabilitation

Lol at rehabilitated

Told to keep their mouths shut and heads down more like.
20 years later they hope everyone has forgotten
And when they do try a 'tour' - cringe... have you forgotten last year ? Was it last year? It had little impact apart from second hand embarrassment
Of course William and Kate were equally clueless so there is that .
www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/apr/22/ditch-the-land-rover-shots-pr-advice-to-prince-edward-and-sophie-before-caribbean-tour

Told to keep their mouths shut and heads down more like.
20 years later they hope everyone has forgotten

Yes, that's exactly what I mean by rehabilitation. Head down, get on with it, and let it fade in to the past.

I think the Countess' tours, where she addresses VAWG, FGM and rape as a tool of war have been extremely valuable. certainly welcomed in-country and by organisations active on those issues.

That sounds very worthwhile but although I criticise individuals for their personal behaviour ( supporting pedophiles, financial irregularity, etc ) it is the institution I despise
When they tour as representing the monarchy they are as entitled and clueless as the rest of them

A royal reporter described Edward and Sophie as ' ill equipped to rise to the occasion' . That's putting it mildly and applied equally to William to Kate. William appears far more arrogant than Edward , I will grant you that .

www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/may/01/royals-republicanism-and-reparations-wessexes-feel-the-heat-on-antigua-visit

I doubt you'll get a balanced view from a royal reporter at the Guardian!

They are both very active supporters of the D of E awards, which have done a tremendous amount for young people worldwide. Most obviously goes unreported, but I think many families have been involved - and benefitted - from this. My DC and nieces/nephews/friends certainly did.

Sophie's work on sexual violence in war and with FGM is heartfelt and effective; how anyone can criticize that is beyond me!

@ajandjjmum actually there was the same from the mail , the mirror , sky news etc.
if I put a link I tend to use the guardian but there was no dispute that both W and K and Ed and Sophie tours were tone deaf utter embarrassment. Great to see .

And if you read my post properly you'll see I didn't criticise her particular charity .

@ajandjjmum
Here you are - will town and country do you?

www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a39825358/prince-edward-sophie-caribbean-royal-tour-2022-backlash/

The only reason there wasn't more said about the E and S tour was that it generated even less interest than the W and K one ...

I'd say that you did, as this is part and parcel of most of her royal tours.

You can't say she's always useless when touring, except of course everything except one cancelled engagement on one tour (that no-one would have even noticed were the not that people were using it as a stick to further beat a particular drum)

@EdithWeston
I absolutely can say her private interests are different from touring as representing the monarchy

They say that themselves !
If you don't understand that , you don't understand what the monarchy says it represents .

They were official royal tours

With charity visits as part of the agenda, and that's what they all do when touring

You are making an utterly false distinction.

The speculation on this thread is as a result of the royal family doing whatever they want whenever it suits them. There are no ‘rules’. It’s as they ‘see fit’. It shows what a load of BS it all is.

@Itaintwhatyoudoitsthewaythatyoudoit

Exactly.

I don't think it is because it is a royal dukedom rather than just a standard one. As a royal dukedom it is within the King's gift to give to someone.

Yes, it's heritable - Charles because the Duke on his father's death, but of course did not use the title.

With Charles' accession, it merged with the Crown, and is now available for the monarch to bestow, or not, as he sees fit.

All royal dukedoms to date have been heritable (there has never been a 'life dukedom' of any kind) but I suppose there's no reason why a new one could not be created. They do however cease to be royal when the title passes down beyond someone who was the grandchild of a monarch

Well I would hope the new king wouldn't go against his late Parents wishes,but I am surprised it wasnt done straight after the Queen died (or before actually), I have wondered why the delay?

Most dukedoms are inheritable. They only become available for reissue when they merge with the crown. So Charles inherited Philip’s titles and they then merged with the crown when Charles became King.

When William dies George will be Duke of Cambridge. Same with Archie when Harry dies. James currently will be Earl of Wessex one day.

The only ones that won’t pass on in that way are Duke of York as he has no sons and the Dutchies of Cornwall and Lancaster as they are specifically reserved for the eldest son and heir of the monarch and the monarch.

That they are inheritable is also why the Dukedoms of Kent and Gloucester will no longer be royal as they’ll pass to sons who are not HRH’s.

I couldn't be done before Charles became king, because that was the point at which it merged with the Crown and therefore became available again.

I have wondered why the delay?

He's allegedly in favour of streamlining the whole ridiculous circus.

Inherited and 'just because' gongs and baubles have no part in that if he's serious.

This theory is of course undermined with the proclaiming of workshy Wills PoW before Mummy was cold and with the signal failure to deprive his grifting son and bro of their Dukedoms in similarly short order.

The monarch does not have the power to remove peerages.

The monarch does not have the power to remove peerages

And yet he's managed to have the Counsellors of State rejigged at speed.

He hasn’t.

It hasn’t been done yet. All he’s done “at speed” is ask the question to Parliament.

it’s nowhere near confirmed, let alone finalised.

It couldn’t be done before the Queen died because there couldn’t be two Dukes and Charles was the Duke of Edinburgh.

They don’t tend to do much in the way of anything nice traditionally - weddings, titles etc - other that the shoring up the direct line of succession between accession and the coronation. Partly because of mourning and partly to keep the focus on monarch and direct heir while everyone gets used to the new ones.

Separate issue.

Adding two ad hoc CoS does require parliamentary assent, but it's straightforward. And it makes sense, as Anne in particular is well suited to the role, And Edward more so than Beatrice. It's a way of keeping the official role more in line with who is already a working royal, rather than expecting Beatrice to begin as another one and do stuff like investitures and receiving ambassadors' credentials

Stripping of either CoS or a peerage is also a parliamentary issue, and less straightforward. If Andrew has been accused and then convicted of a criminal offence that attracted a custodial sentence, then I think it would be achievable. (Harry could in theory be removed as CoS under existing provision for as long as he lives overseas)

All he’s done “at speed” is ask the question to Parliament.

And the request is described even in Parliamentary documents as 'fast-tracked':

researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-9675/CBP-9675.pdf

it’s nowhere near confirmed, let alone finalised.

Yep. Can quite see the Lords dithering over it for a few more months.

Back on topic - Anne and Edward's shooting jolly with Andrew is reported to have gone down with big bro like a cup of cold sick.

Can't help wondering if the tardy gong has anything to do with Edward's decision
to cosy up with his disgraced brother.