Who Is the Current Duke of Edinburgh? Meet Prince Edward
The title once held by Prince Philip for 74 years now belongs to his youngest son. Here is how Prince Edward came to hold it.
For 74 years, “the Duke of Edinburgh” meant one person: Prince Philip, the title he received on his wedding morning in 1947 and carried until his death in 2021. Today, the title belongs to someone else entirely, and the way it got there is a small, deliberate piece of family continuity rather than an automatic hereditary handover.
Prince Edward is the current Duke of Edinburgh
King Charles III conferred the Dukedom of Edinburgh on his youngest brother, Prince Edward, on 10 March 2023, to mark Edward’s 59th birthday. Edward’s wife, Sophie, became Duchess of Edinburgh at the same time, and the couple now carry forward a title with deep personal meaning for the family, since it belonged to their late father for nearly three quarters of a century.
Why the title didn’t simply pass on Philip’s death
Royal dukedoms are not automatically inherited the way a family surname might be; they are granted by the sovereign, typically to a son of the monarch, and existing holders must either die without an eligible heir or have the title specifically regranted for it to move to a new person. When Philip died in 2021, the Duke of Edinburgh title did not pass to Charles, who was already Prince of Wales and shortly to become King; instead, the title formally reverted to the Crown, sitting unused, until Charles, once he was King himself, was in a position to grant it afresh.
A promise made decades earlier
The 2023 conferral was not a sudden decision. Queen Elizabeth II had said publicly, on the occasion of Edward and Sophie’s wedding in 1999, that it was her “wish” that Edward would eventually inherit his father’s Duke of Edinburgh title, extending the family’s association with the name into a further generation. Charles honouring that wish once he became King, on Edward’s own birthday no less, was a deliberate, symbolically weighted piece of family continuity rather than a routine administrative reassignment.
Before Edinburgh, Edward held a different title
Prior to March 2023, Edward had been known as the Earl of Wessex and Forfar, a title he had held since his own wedding in 1999. Trading an earldom for a dukedom is, in the strict hierarchy of the peerage, a promotion, dukes outranking earls, though in Edward’s case the title change carried far more emotional weight than administrative significance, given whose legacy it continues.
Carrying forward more than a name
Edward and Sophie have made a point of continuing the substance of Philip’s legacy alongside the title itself, particularly the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, the youth achievement scheme Philip founded in 1956 that has since reached millions of young people across more than 100 countries. Edward has been closely involved with the Award’s work for decades, well before inheriting the ducal title itself, making the 2023 conferral feel like formal recognition of an association that already existed rather than an entirely fresh assignment.
A working royal in his own right
Prince Edward, now in his sixties, remains an active working royal alongside his brother the King, continuing decades of public engagements and patronages that predate his change of title considerably. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh represent one of the more understated, consistently working branches of the modern family, a role that long precedes the grander ducal name they now carry.
Browse more of our Royal Figures stories for how royal titles pass between generations.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the Duke of Edinburgh today?
Prince Edward, King Charles III’s youngest brother, who was created Duke of Edinburgh on 10 March 2023, his 59th birthday.
Why didn’t Prince Charles inherit the Duke of Edinburgh title from his father?
Royal dukedoms are granted by the sovereign rather than automatically inherited. When Philip died in 2021, the title reverted to the Crown; Charles, already Prince of Wales and soon to be King, was not the intended recipient, since Queen Elizabeth II had long expressed her wish that Edward eventually receive it.
Did the Queen say Edward should get the title?
Yes. At Edward and Sophie’s 1999 wedding, Queen Elizabeth II publicly stated her wish that Edward would eventually inherit the Duke of Edinburgh title, a promise Charles fulfilled once he became King.
What title did Prince Edward hold before becoming Duke of Edinburgh?
Earl of Wessex and Forfar, a title he held from his 1999 wedding until receiving the ducal title in March 2023.
Is Sophie also Duchess of Edinburgh?
Yes. Sophie became Duchess of Edinburgh alongside her husband when he received the dukedom in March 2023.
Does Prince Edward continue Prince Philip’s youth work?
Yes. Edward has long been closely involved with the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, the youth achievement scheme his father founded in 1956, continuing that work well before formally inheriting the ducal title itself.
Title and succession details are drawn from royal.uk’s official announcement of the 2023 conferral and standard royal-historical references; correct as of 2026.
