It became one of the most famous royal titles of the 20th century and it came into being exactly 75 years ago today. On November 20th 1947, King George VI issued Letters Patent making his soon to be son in law the Duke of Edinburgh.
King George VI created the new dukedom just hours before the marriage of his elder daughter, Princess Elizabeth, to Philip Mountbatten. The Letters Patent made Philip ”Baron Greenwich of Greenwich in the County of London, Earl of Merioneth and Duke of Edinburgh.”
Just a day earlier, King George VI had given Philip the ”style, title and attribute of Royal Highness.” Philip had been born a Prince of Greece and Denmark but had renounced those titles by early 1947. For several months, he had been known as Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten. However, he had also been made a Knight of the Order of the Garter by King George and so the Letters Patent granting his new titles described him in rather an unusual manner.
The man who would become Britain’s longest serving consort was known, briefly, as Lieutenant Sir Philip Mountbatten and was described as such in the Letters Patent making him an HRH. The announcement of his dukedom was even more striking as he was described there as ”Lieutenant His Royal Highness Sir Philip Mountbatten”. Taking his new titles made things easier – from then on, he was HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.
The Letters Patent stated that his dukedom would pass to his ”heirs male of his body lawfully begotten” and so, on his death in April 2021, it was his first born son who inherited his title. King Charles was never known as Duke of Edinburgh but held that title for 17 months until the death of Queen Elizabeth II. At the moment of his accession, The King’s titles passed back to the Crown for him to do with as he wished.
