Prince Edward, Duke of Kent
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick; born 9 October 1935) is a member of the British royal family. The elder son of Prince George, Duke of Kent, and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, he is a grandson of George V, nephew of Edward VIII and George VI, and first cousin of Elizabeth II. Edward's mother was also a first cousin of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, consort of Elizabeth II, making him both a second cousin and first cousin once removed to Charles III. He is 41st in the line of succession to the British throne.
For other people named Prince Edward, see Prince Edward (disambiguation).Prince Edward
Prince Edward of Kent
9 October 1935
3 Belgrave Square,
London, England
1955–1976
443787
- Royal Scots Greys (until 1971)
- Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
Prince Edward has held the title of Duke of Kent for over 81 years. He inherited the title at the age of six, after the death of his father in a plane crash in 1942. Edward carried out engagements on behalf of Elizabeth II and is involved with over 140 charitable organisations. He was president of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, presenting the trophies to the Wimbledon champion and runner-up, and served as the United Kingdom's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment, retiring in 2001. He is joint president of The Scout Association, and president of the Royal United Services Institute and the Royal Institution of Great Britain, and since 1967 Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England. The Duke of Kent has been Chancellor of the University of Surrey since June 1976. Much of his charity work revolves around war remembrance, technology, and the growth of British industry.
Early life and education[edit]
Prince Edward was born on 9 October 1935, at No. 3 Belgrave Square, London, to Prince George and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, the Duke and Duchess of Kent.[1] Home Secretary Sir John Simon was present to verify the birth. His father was the fourth son of King George V and Queen Mary. His mother was the daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark and Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia. He was baptised in the Private Chapel of Buckingham Palace on 20 November 1935 by Archbishop of Canterbury Cosmo Lang. His godparents were his grandparents, King George V, Queen Mary and Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark; as well as the Prince of Wales; the Princess Royal, the Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (whose son, Prince Arthur of Connaught, stood proxy); and the Duchess of Argyll.[2]
Prince Edward began his education at Ludgrove, a preparatory school in Berkshire, before going on to Eton College[3] and then Le Rosey in Switzerland.[4] After school he entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst,[5] where he won the Sir James Moncrieff Grierson prize for foreign languages. Edward speaks fluent French, having been raised in a house where, according to the words of his younger brother, Prince Michael of Kent, his mother and aunts spoke French as a matter of preference.[6]
On 25 August 1942, Prince Edward's father, the Duke of Kent, was killed when his plane crashed in bad weather in Caithness. Prince Edward, at six years old, succeeded his father as Duke of Kent,[7] Earl of St Andrews and Baron Downpatrick. As a member of the royal family, Prince Edward began performing engagements at an early age. In 1952, at the age of 16, he walked behind the coffin of his uncle, George VI, at his state funeral.[8] In 1953, he attended the coronation of his cousin, Elizabeth II, and was the third to pay homage at her throne, following the dukes of Edinburgh and Gloucester.[9]
Military service[edit]
On 29 July 1955, the Duke of Kent graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst as a second lieutenant in the Royal Scots Greys,[10] the beginning of a military career which lasted over 20 years. He was promoted to captain on 29 July 1961.[11]
From 1962 to 1963, the Duke of Kent served in Hong Kong, later serving on the staff in Eastern Command. He was promoted to major on 31 December 1967.[12] In 1970, the Duke commanded a squadron of his regiment in Cyprus as part of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus.[13] During the early 1970s, the Duke also served briefly in Northern Ireland with his regiment. It was revealed in a 2022 book, that the Queen intervened in 1971 to prevent the kidnapping of her cousin, the Duke of Kent. The then 35-year-old Duke, an Army officer with the Royal Scots Greys, was sent to Northern Ireland with his unit but the Queen alerted Edward Heath, the prime minister, during her private audience, and he relayed a warning to his ministers. Commanding officers were told the Duke was not to be sent to Belfast without special orders. A few weeks later, he was posted back to Britain.[14] He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel on 30 June 1973.[15]
The Duke retired from the army on 15 April 1976.[16] He was subsequently accorded the honorary rank of major-general on 11 June 1983,[17] and of field marshal on 11 June 1993.[18]
At York Minster on 8 June 1961 the Duke of Kent married Katharine Worsley, the only daughter of Sir William Worsley, 4th Baronet, by his wife Joyce Morgan Brunner. She converted to Catholicism in 1994,[19] but because the conversion occurred after their marriage, it did not cause the Duke to lose his place in the line of succession, as the Act of Settlement 1701 only applied where the spouse was a Catholic at the time of marriage. The disqualification by marrying a Catholic was removed by the Succession to the Crown Act 2013.
The couple have three living children:
Katharine had a miscarriage in 1975 owing to rubella and gave birth to a stillborn son, Patrick, in 1977.[21]
The Duke and Duchess of Kent reside at Wren House, Kensington Palace, in London.[22]
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 Katharine's bank accounts.[23]
The Duke had a mild stroke on the morning of 18 March 2013.[19] In April 2015, he suffered from a hip injury and was hospitalised at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for further treatments.[24]
Freemasonry[edit]
The Duke was initiated into Royal Alpha Lodge No. 16 on 16 December 1963, and was elected its Worshipful Master for 1965 and 1966.[59]
Having been appointed Senior Grand Warden in 1966, he was elected as Grand Master the following year, and was installed on 14 June 1967 during United Grand Lodge of England's 250th anniversary celebrations at the Royal Albert Hall.[60] He is the 10th, and longest-serving Grand Master of UGLE, the governing body of Freemasonry in England and Wales.
In December 2013, the Duke celebrated 50 years as a freemason.[59] In October 2017 he presided over the tercentenary celebrations of UGLE, marking the 300th anniversary of the founding of the original Grand Lodge, one of two which merged to form UGLE in 1813.[61] The main ceremony was held in the Royal Albert Hall, in the year which also marked the Duke's 50th anniversary of installation as Grand Master.
