Sophie, Countess of Wessex has now been elevated to Duchess of Edinburgh as it was announced that her husband Prince Edward has taken his late father’s title as Duke of Edinburgh.
The King has conferred the title of Duke of Edinburgh on his younger brother on the occasion of his 59th birthday today.
Unusually though, the title, previously held by his father Prince Philip, will only remain with him for life and, on his death, revert to the Crown.
This rise in royal status for 57-year-old Sophie is a touching tribute to the late Queen’s daughter-in-law, who affectionately called her ‘Mum’.
Queen Elizabeth II’s Duchess of Edinburgh title passing to Sophie gives her a central role as part of a small number of working royals as King Charles begins to scale back the monarchy.
Sophie, Countess of Wessex has now been elevated to Duchess of Edinburgh as it was announced that her husband Prince Edward has taken his late father’s title as Duke of Edinburgh.
This rise in royal status for 57-year-old Sophie is a touching tribute to the late Queen’s daughter-in-law, who affectionately called her ‘Mum’.
Sophie’s previous rank as Countess of Wessex meant that she held the same rank as her husband Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex.
However, their new titles of duke and duchess have a higher rank, raising them in status to just below the monarch.
Duchesses are also known as Her Royal Highness.
Meanwhile, the title of Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh is one of the oldest in the Royal Family.
The move is a touching and enduring connection between the late Queen and her much-loved daughter-in-law, Sophie.
She was noted as the “favorite” family member of the late monarch and his closest confidante.
The monarch reportedly encouraged her to fill the void left by Prince Harry and Meghan after Megxit in early 2020.
Experts previously noted that the Countess being in the spotlight is what Prince Philip “would have wanted” and helped “keep her memory alive.”
At a service for her mother-in-law near Balmoral, the Countess of Wessex was seen teary-eyed as she knelt to admire the tributes, demonstrating the depth of their relationship which had progressed to the point where she was said to be treated as ‘second daughter’ of the Queen.
Experts previously noted that the Countess being in the spotlight is what Prince Philip ‘would have wanted’ and helped ‘keep her memory alive’
The Queen cared for Sophie in 2005 after her mother Mary Rhys-Jones, 77, died of stomach cancer in 2005.
As Prince Edward and Sophie’s home, Bagshot Park, is only a short journey from Windsor, it meant that the Queen’s youngest son and his family would visit regularly.
Walking their dogs together was one of the couple’s favorite pastimes. They also shared a love of military history, spending hours poring over old documents at the Windsor Royal Archives, where Sophie and her mother-in-law pursued their shared hobby of researching military history.
Even if she couldn’t see the Queen in person, Sophie always made sure to call ‘mum’ every day, and she was the first royal to speak out about Prince Philip’s death.
Along with Kate, the Princess of Wales and Princess Anne, Sophie is just one of the few royals who will guide the Crown into its next era.
The Oxford public relations guru has won plaudits for her choice of work on preventable blindness and the issue of sexual violence in war, the Daily Mail reported on Monday.
She has also become a source of advice to the new Princess of Wales, who sees that Sophie admires the way she balances her royal duties with motherhood.
The new Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh will be in town later today for a reception to mark the first year of the conflict in Ukraine.
The old and prestigious title of Duke of Edinburgh was bestowed on Prince Philip by Queen Elizabeth when they married in 1947.
Edward was exceptionally close to his father and his later years took over much of his work with the Duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme.
When he and Sophie married in 1999, it was announced that the dukedom would pass to Edward after Philip’s death.
However, that was two years ago, and since then there has been a lot of going back and forth behind the scenes on the subject.
The problem for Buckingham Palace was that Edward now sits 13th in the line of succession to the throne and will only move further down the order of succession over the years as the children of the Prince and Princess of Wales grow up and have their own families.
The mother of two has long been hailed as the royal family’s “secret weapon” and is “down to earth” (pictured with Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn)
Sophie and Edward have particularly intensified since Harry and Meghan’s acrimonious departure in 2019.
There was concern that the oldest titles associated with a UK nation would be passed down to an ever younger branch of the family line.
So when Philip died in April 2021, Buckingham Palace announced that the title had reverted to the monarch, and that remained the case when Queen Elizabeth died last September.
At one point, courtiers discussed having the king keep the title permanently, but many felt it would be a mistake not to honor Prince Philip’s wishes and thank Edward for the relentless work he has done on behalf of the monarchy over the past few years. years.
He and his wife have particularly intensified since Harry and Meghan’s acrimonious departure in 2019.
The Mail understands that after Edward’s eventual death, the title of Duke of Edinburgh will most likely be given to one of William and Kate’s children, most likely Prince Louis, when they are older.
The sources stressed that the timing of the announcement had nothing to do with developments this week regarding the titles of Harry and Meghan’s children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, as such announcements are normally made on birthdays. of a member of the Royal Family.
This is true, although it’s likely that the Sussex children problem had to be resolved first so as not to offend the notoriously prickly Duke and Duchess.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said today: “His Majesty the King is delighted to confer the Duchy of Edinburgh on Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Forfar, on the occasion of His Royal Highness’ 59th birthday.
The title will be held by Prince Edward for the lifetime of His Royal Highness.
The Duchy was last created for Prince Philip in 1947, following his marriage to Princess Elizabeth, who held the title of Duchess of Edinburgh before acceding to the throne in 1952.
“The new Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are proud to carry on Prince Philip’s legacy of promoting opportunities for young people of all backgrounds to reach their full potential.”