King Charles has not made Prince Edward the Duke of Edinburgh because he is reserving the title for Princess Charlotte, The Mail on Sunday has learned.
The revelation comes after months of speculation about why the king retained the title from his younger brother, who was expected to inherit the dukedom after their father’s death last year.
A source said: “Discussions are underway, but the favorable outcome for the King is that this title should go to Princess Charlotte.”
“It would be a fitting way to remember the Queen, who of course held the title of Duchess of Edinburgh, and a way for Her Majesty to honor the line of succession.”
As the second son of the Prince of Wales, Charlotte is third in line to the throne, after her father Prince William and brother Prince George.
When the Princess of Wales was expecting her first child, the royal primogeniture rules were changed to allow a girl born to the couple to have the same rights as a boy.
King Charles has not made Prince Edward the Duke of Edinburgh because he is reserving the title for Princess Charlotte, The Mail on Sunday has learned. Princess Charlotte appears at the Commonwealth Games on August 2.
As the second son of the Prince of Wales, Charlotte is third in line to the throne, after her father Prince William and brother Prince George. Pictured (left to right) Prince George, Prince Louis being held by Queen Elizabeth II, Savannah Phillips (standing at rear), Princess Charlotte, the Duke of Edinburgh, Isla Phillips holding Lena Tindall and Mia Tindall in 2018
The revelation comes after months of speculation about why the King retained the title from his younger brother Prince Edward (pictured with Sophie, Countess of Wessex on November 22).
In the event, William and Kate’s first child was Prince George, who was born in 2013. But the new rules meant that Princess Charlotte’s position at birth in 2015 was not affected by the arrival of her younger brother, the Prince Louis, in 2018.
The title of Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh is one of the oldest in the Royal Family.
Charlotte’s position as the second daughter of the heir to the throne is similar to that of Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, who was the second daughter of Prince Philip and then-Princess Elizabeth.
But unlike Anne, she won’t move down the order of succession until her older brother, George, has children. When William becomes king, George will become Duke of Cornwall and then Prince of Wales, but not Duke of Edinburgh.
A source said: “Charlotte’s position is historically significant because she is the first female member of the Royal Family whose place in the line of succession will not be surpassed by her younger brother.”
“Therefore, it is constitutionally significant that Charlotte be given that corresponding title, because it is not out of bounds for her to accede to the throne if, for example, Prince George is childless.”
The title of Duke of Edinburgh has been bestowed three times in the history of the British monarchy. It was created in 1726 by George I for his grandson Prince Frederick, who was in the direct line of succession and later became Prince of Wales.
During the reign of Queen Victoria, she recreated the title in 1866 for her second son, Prince Alfred. George VI then bestowed the title on Prince Philip when he married Princess Elizabeth in 1947. The couple became Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.
For years it was thought that King Charles’ brother Prince Edward, the third son of the Queen and Prince Philip, would receive the rank.
For years it was thought that King Charles’s brother (centre), Prince Edward (left), the queen’s third son and Prince Philip, would receive the rank
Charlotte’s position as the second daughter of the heir to the throne is similar to that of Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, who was the second daughter of Prince Philip and then-Princess Elizabeth.
The title of Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh is one of the oldest in the Royal Family.
Unlike his brothers, who became dukes upon marriage, Edward was made Earl of Wessex and his wife Sophie became Countess. He too became Earl of Forfar in 2019 on his 55th birthday.
Within the family, however, Edward was supposed to become Duke of Edinburgh after the death of his parents, and was even mentioned in Prince Edward’s biography on the official royal website.
In what may have been seen as preparation for the role, Edward took the reins of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards, the youth outlet scheme founded by his father in 1956.
He was Chairman of its International Council for 17 years and, since 2015, has been Chairman of the Trustees of the Duke of Edinburgh International Award Foundation.
A source close to Edward said that the lack of movement for the King to grant him the title of Duke of Edinburgh “had not gone unnoticed”.
Discussions are now taking place in the Palace as to what title, if any, Edward will be bestowed under the new reign. While the Wessexes are said to be “relaxed” about titles, it will undoubtedly be a blow. If Edward were granted a dukedom, he would remain in his family. At present, his children are called Lady Louise and Viscount Severn.
The king’s decision to focus on the line of succession is significant, as Charles III plans for a scaled-down, modernized monarchy.
A royal source said: ‘It shows you what the King is thinking. It’s about promoting those directly on the throne line rather than those on the edges.’
A Buckingham Palace spokesman declined to comment last night.
