The Earl of Wessex has described the prospect of becoming Duke of Edinburgh one day as ”bittersweet”.
In his first ever joint interview with the Countess of Wessex, given to Camilla Tominey at the Daily Telegraph, Prince Edward underlined that he isn’t in line to inherit the title yet, saying ”it’s a very bittersweet role to take on because the only way the title can come to me is after both my parents have actually passed away. It has to go back to the Crown first.”
When Prince Philip died, on April 9th 2021, the Dukedom of Edinburgh passed to his eldest son, the Prince of Wales. When he takes the throne, it will revert to the Crown at which point he can bestow the title on his brother.
The Earl and Countess told the Telegraph that Philip had been insistent that they would eventually hold his title. Sophie said the Prince had approached them with the idea soon after they became engaged, telling them he hoped they would consider becoming Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh in time. The decision was shared publicly on their wedding day, in June 1999, when Prince Edward was also given the title of Earl of Wessex.
Edward’s feelings about his future title were part of a wide-ranging interview in which the couple also spoke about Prince Philip’s funeral and revealed that they still expect the late Duke to drop by for a chat as they go about their daily lives. And they revealed that as the coronavirus pandemic took hold, they had enjoyed socially distanced meetings with the Queen and Prince Philip at Windsor who would often stand on a balcony and wave at them.
The Countess told the paper that, despite the challenges of the past year, ”we are still a family, no matter what happens, we always will be.”
