On March 10th, to mark Prince Edward’s 59th birthday, The King conferred the Dukedom of Edinburgh on his younger brother.
As such, he is now the Duke of Edinburgh, and Sophie is the Duchess.
Upon their elevation to a Dukedom, their son, James, became the new Earl of Wessex at the age of 15.
Despite being heir to Prince Edward, James will never become the Duke of Edinburgh.
Unusually, The King conferred the title on Prince Edward with the condition that it would revert to the Crown upon his death.
This means, unless another title is at some point conferred, James will remain the Earl of Wessex for the remainder of his life.
In the past, royal dukedoms have been hereditary, with the heir to the Dukedom poised to one day take over.
However, in line with The King’s vision of a slimmed down monarchy, the Dukedom will become extinct following the death of the current holder.
An issue His Majesty will acutely be aware of is the situation with the Dukedoms of Kent and Gloucester.
In just a generations time, neither of the Dukedoms will be held by a senior member of The Royal Family.
The current Duke of Kent has an heir – the Earl of St Andrews. Likewise, his grandson, Lord Downpatrick is second-in-line to become Duke of Kent.
Therefore, the future of that particular Dukedom is secure, with the title unlikely to return to the Crown.
The same is true for the Dukedom of Gloucester, with Alexander Windsor next in line to become Duke of Gloucester. Prince Richard’s grandson, Xan, is second-in-line.
This means that both the Dukes of Kent and Dukes of Gloucester of the future will be extended members of The Royal Family, and will not hold senior roles.
It is unlikely that the new Earl of Wessex will ever be a working member of The Royal Family. Therefore, The King has perhaps deemed it inappropriate for such a prestigious Dukedom to become detached from the immediate family in decades to come.
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