Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, KG, KT, GCVO, CD, ADC (Edward Antony Richard Louis; born 10 March 1964)[2] is a member of the British royal family. He is the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the youngest sibling of King Charles III. He was born 3rd in the line of succession to the British throne and is now 14th.
Prince Edward
10 March 1964
Buckingham Palace, London, England
Born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his mother, Edward studied at Heatherdown School and completed his A-Levels at Gordonstoun before spending part of his gap year teaching at Wanganui Collegiate School in New Zealand.[3] He then went up to read history at Jesus College, Cambridge, graduating in 1986 with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cambridge University. After a brief stint in the Royal Marines, he worked as a theatre production assistant at the Really Useful Theatre Company before assisting in television production. He later formed his own company, Ardent Productions.
Edward stepped down from the company in 2002 to begin full-time duties as a working member of the royal family, and undertook engagements on behalf of his mother. He holds patronage with over 70 charities and organisations, including the National Youth Theatre, the Sport and Recreation Alliance and the British Paralympic Association.[4] His charity work focuses on the arts, athletics, and the development of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, which centres around fitness, wellbeing and community service.
Edward was created Earl of Wessex prior to marrying Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999. They have two children: Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and James Mountbatten-Windsor, Earl of Wessex. Edward's mother conferred him the additional title of Earl of Forfar in 2019. On Edward's 59th birthday in 2023, his brother Charles III granted him the title Duke of Edinburgh as a life peerage, a dukedom previously held by their father, who died in 2021, then briefly by Charles himself.
Post-university[edit]
Royal Marines[edit]
After graduating in 1986, Edward joined the Royal Marines, who had reportedly sponsored his tuition at Cambridge on condition of future service.[14] He had signed up to join the Royal Marines in September 1983.[15] In January 1987, he dropped out of the commando course having completed one-third of the 12-month training. Media reported that Prince Philip, who was the Captain General Royal Marines, was displeased,[16] but Prince Edward later said that his father had not put undue pressure on him to change his mind.[12] Others stated that Philip was the most sympathetic family member toward his son's decision.[17] Buckingham Palace said that Edward's decision came after "much consideration" and that he was leaving with great regret "but has concluded that he does not wish to make the service his long-term career".[18]
Theatre and television[edit]
After leaving military service, Edward opted to pursue a career in entertainment. He commissioned the 1986 musical Cricket from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, for his mother's 60th birthday celebration, which led to a job offer at Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Theatre Company, where he worked as a production assistant on musicals such as The Phantom of the Opera, Starlight Express, and Cats.[19] While there he met actress Ruthie Henshall, whom he dated for three years.
Edward's first foray into television production was the programme The Grand Knockout Tournament, informally known as It's a Royal Knockout, on 15 June 1987, in which four teams sponsored by him, his siblings Anne and Andrew, and Andrew's wife Sarah competed for charity. The programme was criticised by the media and the public, and it was later reported that the Queen was not in favour of the event, with her courtiers having advised against it.[20] The programme raised over £1,500,000 for its selected charities.[21]
Ardent Productions[edit]
In 1993, Edward founded the television production company Ardent Productions.[22] Ardent was involved in the production of a number of documentaries and dramas,[23] but Edward was accused in the media of using his royal connections for financial gain,[24] and the company was referred to by some industry insiders as "a sad joke" due to a perceived lack of professionalism in its operations. Andy Beckett, writing in The Guardian, opined that "to watch Ardent's few dozen hours of broadcast output is to enter a strange kingdom where every man in Britain still wears a tie, where pieces to camera are done in cricket jumpers, where people clasp their hands behind their backs like guardsmen. Commercial breaks are filled with army recruiting advertisements".[22]
Ardent's productions were better received in the United States[25] and a documentary Edward made about his great-uncle Edward VIII (the late Duke of Windsor) in 1996 sold well worldwide.[23][26] Nonetheless, the company reported losses every year it operated, with the exception of one when Edward did not draw a salary.[22] An Ardent two-man film crew later allegedly invaded the privacy of Edward's nephew, Prince William, in September 2001, when he was studying at the University of St Andrews, which went against industry guidelines regarding the privacy of members of the royal family;[27] William's father (Edward's elder brother Charles) was reportedly angered by the incident.[28] In March 2002, Edward announced that he would step down as production director and joint managing director of Ardent[22] to concentrate on his public duties and to support the Queen during her Golden Jubilee year. Ardent Productions was voluntarily dissolved in June 2009, with assets reduced to just £40.[29]
In the media[edit]
In 1999, Edward was criticised by Labour MPs John Cryer and Lindsay Hoyle for comments he made during an interview with The New York Times, in which he stated that in Britain "They hate anyone who succeeds" and "America is where the money is".[102][103] The criticism prompted him to issue a statement, clarifying "that offending the British public was the very last thing I would have wanted to do".[103]
In 2011, close associates of Jonathan Rees, a private investigator connected to the News International phone hacking scandal, stated that he had penetrated Edward and Sophie's bank accounts and sold details about them to the Sunday Mirror.[104]