Royal Family Focus: Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh

Royal Family Focus: Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh.

Prince Edward is the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II, and was third in line to the throne at the time of his birth. Born in 1964 at Buckingham Palace, he was christened at a private ceremony at Windsor Castle.

He attended schools in London and Berkshire before moving to Gordonstoun School in Scotland. He then attended Jesus College Cambridge, this caused controversy at the time as his A level results, D grades in history and politics and a C grade in English, were well below the usual entry standards.

Prince Edward obtained sponsorship for his time at university from the Royal Marines, who paid for his tuition in exchange for his service after university. But he dropped out of the gruelling commando training course part-way through, and left the Marines. This was probably a difficult moment for his father Prince Philip, who was the Captain General of the Royal Marines at the time.

Always passionate about theatre, Prince Edward then pursued a career in entertainment. Starting as a production assistant with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s production company in 1988, he went on to found his own production company in 1993.

Prince Edward announced his engagement to Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999. The two had been close to each other since 1993. They got married at the chapel in Windsor Castle, rather than at Westminster Abbey, in contrast to his older siblings.

Prince Edward stepped away from his career in TV production in 2002, following a 2001 row where he was accused of ‘cashing in’ on his royal status after his production company broke royal privacy agreements by attempting to film his nephew Prince William while he was at university.

Prince Edward would start to perform royal duties full time from this point onwards. Prince Edward and Sophie, then the Countess of Wessex, would go on to have two children. Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and James Mountbatten-Windsor.

Prince Edward would eventually become the new Duke of Edinburgh, a title previously held by his father Prince Philip, and Sophie would become the Duchess of Edinburgh. They remain two of the most prominent and publicly visible members of the Royal Family. Prince Edward has also taken over his father’s role in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme, which encourages and supports young people to take part in volunteering, and outdoor expeditions.

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