Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
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| Prince Edward | |
|---|---|
| Earl of Wessex | |
| Image:Edward Sophie Wedding.jpg | |
| The Earl and Countess on their wedding day | |
| Spouse | Sophie, Countess of Wessex |
| Issue | |
| Lady Louise Windsor | |
| Full name | |
| Edward Antony Richard Louis Mountbatten-Windsor | |
| Titles | |
| HRH The Earl of Wessex HRH The Prince Edward | |
| Royal House | House of Windsor |
| Father | Philip, Duke of Edinburgh |
| Mother | Elizabeth II |
| Born | 10 March 1964 Buckingham Palace, London |
| Baptised | 2 May 1964 St. George's Chapel, Windsor |
| Occupation | prev. Television; Theatre; Military |
The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, KG, KCVO (Edward Antony Richard Louis Mountbatten-Windsor; born 10 March 1964) is a member of the British Royal Family, the youngest child and third son of Queen Elizabeth II. He has held the title of Earl of Wessex since 1999. The Earl of Wessex is currently seventh in the line of succession.
The Earl of Wessex is mostly famous for his television production and presenting career and his brief service with the Royal Marines. In connection with the television production, he has used the names Edward Windsor and, later, Edward Wessex, leading The Guardian, for one, to refer to him as "the Edward formerly known as Prince". <ref>The Guardian "Wessex Prince...Or Having Your Cake and Eating it", June 22, 1999.</ref>
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[edit] Early life
Edward was born on 10 March 1964 at Buckingham Palace, London. His mother is the current reigning British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, the elder daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. His father is Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the only son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg.
He was baptised in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle on 2 May 1964 by Robert Woods, Dean of Windsor. His godparents were: Prince Richard of Gloucester (now the Duke of Gloucester), Prince Louise of Hesse and by Rhine, The Earl of Snowdon, The Duchess of Kent (for whom Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent stood proxy) and Princess George of Hanover.
As a child of the reigning monarch, he was styled His Royal Highness The Prince Edward from birth.
[edit] Education
Prince Edward, like other royal children at that time, was educated by a private governess until the age of seven. Afterwards he attended Gibbs School, in Kensington, West London. In 1972, he went to Heatherdown Preparatory School near Ascot, Berkshire. Following in the footsteps of his father and brothers he attended Gordonstoun School in Scotland, and was appointed head boy in his last term.
Like his brother, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward spent a "gap year" abroad, spending two terms at the Collegiate School, Wanganui, New Zealand, as a house tutor/junior master during September 1982.
Returning to England, Prince Edward enrolled at Jesus College, University of Cambridge reading history. He graduated with a 2:2 Bachelor of Arts degree in 1986.
This makes Prince Edward only the fourth of five members of the Royal Family in history to have obtained a university degree:
- Prince William of Gloucester (first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II through their grandfather, King George V);
- Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester (first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II through their grandfather, King George V);
- Charles, Prince of Wales (first child of Queen Elizabeth II);
- Prince Edward; and
- Prince William of Wales (Prince Charles' first child and Prince Edward's own nephew).
| British Royalty |
|---|
| Royal Family |
| Image:Royal Standard of England.svg |
| HM The Queen |
[edit] Career
On leaving university, Prince Edward joined the Royal Marines to train as an officer. But the Marines proved to be too demanding for the Prince, and he resigned his commission in January 1987, before graduation. This led to strong public criticism of the Prince for being "too weak."
After leaving the Marines, Prince Edward became more involved in theatre, an activity he had enjoyed extensively at school and university. In the late 1980s, he worked for two theatrical production companies, including Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Theatre Company. During his time at Lloyd Webber's company he worked on such plays as Phantom of the Opera, Starlight Express, and Cats; and dated actress Ruthie Henshall for two years
Prince Edward's first foray into the world of television production was the widely-ridiculed It's a Royal Knockout television programme in June 1987, in which teams sponsored by himself and other members of the Royal family competed for charity.
In 1993, Prince Edward formed the Ardent Television production company, under the name Edward Windsor. Ardent was heavily involved in the production of documentaries and dramas, particularly on the royal families of Europe. With exclusive access to the Royal Archives at Windsor Castle, Prince Edward had plenty of material for his work. However, he was accused in the media of using his royal connections for personal and business gain, particularly given the financial problems of Ardent since its founding (it reported losses in all years of existence except one).
In 2002, the Prince announced that he would step down as director of production and joint managing director of Ardent to concentrate on his public duties and to support the Queen during her Golden Jubilee year.
[edit] Marriage
| Styles of HRH the Earl of Wessex | |
|---|---|
| |
| Reference style | His Royal Highness |
| Spoken style | Your Royal Highness |
| Alternative style | Sir |
On 9 January 1999 the Prince announced his engagement to his Sophie Rhys-Jones, a public relations manager with her own firm. Their wedding took place on 19 June, 1999 at St. George's Chapel, Windsor. This was a break with the recent tradition of holding large formal royal weddings at Westminster Abbey. The marriage quieted, but did not entirely eliminate, rumours that the Prince was homosexual.
On his wedding day, the Queen conferred the titles of Earl of Wessex and Viscount Severn on Prince Edward. This was a break with tradition whereby the sons of a sovereign were usually created a Duke. The title of Wessex was unusual. The last person known as "Earl of Wessex" was Harold Godwinson, prior to his accession to the English throne in 1066. Edward is styled HRH The Earl of Wessex, with Sophie taking the style HRH The Countess of Wessex. It was also announced at that time, that upon the death of his father Prince Edward will inherit the title HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and The Countess will assume the title HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh.
The Earl and Countess of Wessex have one child: Lady Louise Windsor (born 8 November 2003).
The Earl and Countess of Wessex have requested that their children be styled as children of an earl. However, the necessary letters patent have not been issued, thus they will still be technically styled HRH Prince(sse)s of Wessex. Although the first born male of the couple could use the Earl's courtesy title of Viscount Severn, subsequent males and females would be styled the Honourable or Lady, respectively.
[edit] Royal duties
The Earl and Countess of Wessex carry out a full schedule of royal duties on behalf of the Queen, receiving civil list monies from the Queen of £141,000 per annum.
The Earl has in recent years succeeded to many of the roles of his father, the Duke of Edinburgh, who is reducing some of his roles due to age. The Earl replaced him as President of the Commonwealth Games Federation (since 2006 its Vice-Patron) and opened the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Malaysia. He has also taken over the Duke's role in the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme.
His other appointments reflect his interests in sport and the arts.
[edit] Dukedom of Edinburgh
It was announced at the time of his wedding that the Earl of Wessex would, upon the death of his father eventually become the Duke of Edinburgh. However, this title will still be inherited by Philip's eldest son, Charles (as Prince of Wales, or King), and will become merged with the crown when he is King. Charles will then be able to create a new Dukedom of Edinburgh for his younger brother. [1]
There are however a number of ways that the Dukedom would not merge such as: 1. William and Charles both die before Philip but William had at least one daughter, in this case the daughter would become Queen but Harry would become Duke of Edinburgh. 2. William, Charles, Harry and the Duke of York all die before Philip, without any further issue, in that case the Earl of Wessex would inherit the Dukedom of Edinburgh while Princess Beatrice would become Queen . 3. William could marry a Catholic or become a Catholic thereby becoming ineligible to be King. If the Title had not merged on the Death of Charles, William would become Duke of Edinburgh while Harry would become King.
[edit] King of Estonia
In 1994, the leaders of Estonia's Royalist Party, with 10 percent of the seats in the Estonian National Parliament, wrote to Prince Edward indicating that they would, if they came into power, like to offer him the position of King of Estonia. In their letter, they said that they wanted Edward as King because of their admiration "for him, Britain, its monarchy, democracy and culture". It is unknown how, or even if, the Earl of Wessex responded, but he obviously has yet to assume the throne of this Baltic State.<ref>Mayer, Jeremy D., Sigelman, Lee (December 1998). "Zog for Albania, Edward for Estonia, and Monarchs for All the Rest? The Royal Road to Prosperity, Democracy, and World Peace". PS: Political Science and Politics 31 (4): 771-774.</ref>
[edit] Titles and honours
[edit] Titles
- His Royal Highness The Prince Edward (10 March 1964–10 March 1989)
- His Royal Highness The Prince Edward, CVO (10 March 1989–19 June 1999)
- His Royal Highness The Earl of Wessex, CVO (19 June 1999–2 June 2003)
- His Royal Highness The Earl of Wessex, KCVO (2 June 2003–1 August 2004)
- His Royal Highness The Earl of Wessex, KCVO, ADC(P) (1 August 2004–23 April 2006)
- His Royal Highness The Earl of Wessex, KG, KCVO, ADC(P) (from 23 April 2006)
[edit] Honours
- Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter - Appointed on 23 April 2006
- Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order - Appointed on 2 June 2003 (elevated from Commander (appointed on 10 March 1989))
- Personal aide-de-camp to the Queen (from 1 August 2004)
- Honorary Member of the Saskatchewan Order of Merit (2 June 2006)[2]
[edit] Commonwealth honours
The Following is a listing of the Titles and Honours bestowed upon the Earl of Wessex. The first date listed marks the date of appointment. If a second date is listed it refers to the end of that appointment by elevation to a higher level.
| Country | Award or Order | Class or Position | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal | - | 10 March 1977 |
| United Kingdom | Royal Victorian Order | Commander | 10 March 1989-2 June 2005 |
| New Zealand | New Zealand 1990 Commemorative Medal | - | 1990 |
| United Kingdom | Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal | - | 2 June 2003 |
| United Kingdom | Personal aide-de-camp to the Queen | - | 1 August 2004-Present |
| Canada | Saskatchewan Order of Merit | Honorary Companion | 11 May 2005 |
| Canada | Commemorative Medal for the Centennial of Saskatchewan | - | 7 June 2005 |
[edit] Military Career
- 2nd Lieutenant, Royal Marines - October 1986 to January 1987
[edit] Honorary military appointments
- Royal Honorary Colonel, The Royal Wessex Yeomanry
- Colonel-in-Chief, The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment
- Colonel-in-Chief, The Saskatchewan Dragoons
- Royal Colonel, 2nd Battalion The Rifles
- Commodore-in-Chief, Royal Fleet Auxiliary
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
<references/>
[edit] External links
- Royal.gov.uk: The Earl of Wessex
- Edward Wessex at the Internet Movie Database
- Award Winner Receives Royal Treatment (2003)
- Earl of Wessex Visits Saskatchewan Regiment (2003)
| Preceded by: HRH Princess Eugenie of York | Line of succession to the British Throne | Succeeded by: Lady Louise Windsor |
| Preceded by: New Creation | Earl of Wessex | Succeeded by: Incumbent |
| Preceded by: Prince Andrew, Duke of York | United Kingdom order of precedence Gentlemen | Succeeded by: Prince William of Wales |
de:Edward Mountbatten-Windsor, Earl of Wessex fr:Édouard, comte de Wessex it:Edoardo, Conte di Wessex nl:Edward Mountbatten-Windsor ja:エドワード (ウェセックス伯爵) pl:Edward (hrabia Wessex) pt:Edward, Conde de Wessex fi:Prinssi Edward, Wessexin jaarli sv:Edward, earl av Wessex
Categories: 1964 births | Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge | British television presenters | British television producers | Earls of Wessex | English and British princes | Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order | Knights of the Garter | Living people | Mountbatten-Windsor family | People from Westminster
