Duke of Edinburgh, named after the city of Edinburgh in Scotland, was a

substantive title A substantive title is a title of nobility or royalty acquired either by individual grant or inheritance. It is to be distinguished from a title shared among cadets, borne as a courtesy title by a peer's relatives, or acquired through marriage. ...

that has been created three times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not produce any revenue for the title holder. On its last creation, in 1947, the title was bestowed by George VI on Prince Philip upon his marriage to George's daughter, Princess Elizabeth, the future Elizabeth II. The title was inherited on Philip's death, in 2021, by his and Elizabeth's son,

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...

, the then Prince of Wales. The title merged in the Crown on Charles's accession to the throne upon the death of his mother in 2022.

1726 creation

Frederick Lewis, Prince of Wales by Philip Mercier

The title was first created in the

Peerage of Great Britain The Peerage of Great Britain comprises all extant peerages created in the Kingdom of Great Britain between the Acts of Union 1707 and the Acts of Union 1800. It replaced the Peerage of England and the Peerage of Scotland, but was itself r ...

on 26 July 1726 by King George I, who bestowed it on his grandson Prince Frederick, who also became Prince of Wales the following year. The subsidiary titles of the dukedom were Marquess of the Isle of Ely, Earl of Eltham, in the County of Kent, Viscount of Launceston, in the County of Cornwall, and Baron of Snowdon, in the County of Caernarvon, all of which were also in the Peerage of Great Britain. The marquessate was apparently erroneously gazetted as Marquess of the Isle of Wight although Marquess of the Isle of Ely was the intended title. In later editions of the ''

London Gazette London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

'' the Duke is referred to as the Marquess of the Isle of Ely. Upon Frederick's death, the titles were inherited by his son Prince George. When Prince George became King George III in 1760, the titles merged in the Crown and ceased to exist.

1866 creation

Queen Victoria re-created the title, this time in the

Peerage of the United Kingdom The Peerage of the United Kingdom is one of the five Peerages in the United Kingdom. It comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union 1800, Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the ...

, on 24 May 1866 for her second son Prince Alfred, instead of

Duke of York Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of English (later British) monarchs. The equivalent title in the Scottish peerage was Du ...

, the traditional title of the second son of the monarch. The subsidiary titles of the dukedom were Earl of Kent and Earl of Ulster, also in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. When Alfred became the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1893, he retained his British titles. His only son Alfred, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, committed suicide in 1899, so the Dukedom of Edinburgh and subsidiary titles became extinct upon the elder Alfred's death in 1900.

1947 creation

The title was created for a third time on 19 November 1947 by King

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of Ind ...

, who bestowed it on his son-in-law Philip Mountbatten, when he married Princess Elizabeth. Subsequently, Elizabeth was styled "HRH The Princess Elizabeth,

Duchess of Edinburgh Duchess of Edinburgh was the principal Courtesy titles in the United Kingdom, courtesy title held by the wife of the Duke of Edinburgh. There have been four Duchesses of Edinburgh since the title's creation. Following the accession of Charles I ...

" until her accession in 1952. The subsidiary titles of the dukedom were

Earl of Merioneth The Earl of Merioneth was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom created in 1947 along with the Duke of Edinburgh and the Baron Greenwich for Philip Mountbatten, later Prince Philip, upon his marriage to Princess Elizabeth, later Queen E ...

and Baron Greenwich, of Greenwich in the County of London; all these titles were in the

. Earlier that year, Philip had renounced his Greek and Danish royal titles (he was born a Prince of Greece and Denmark, being a male-line grandson of King George I of the Hellenes and male-line great-grandson of King Christian IX of Denmark) along with his rights to the Greek throne. In 1957, Philip became a

Prince of the United Kingdom Prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a royal title normally granted to sons and grandsons of reigning and past British monarchs. The title is granted by the reigning monarch, who is the fount of all honours, thro ...

. Upon Philip's death on 9 April 2021, his eldest son Charles, Prince of Wales, succeeded to all of his hereditary titles. Upon Charles's accession to the throne on 8 September 2022, the peerages merged in the Crown and ceased to exist.

Prospective creations

It was announced in 1999, at the time of the wedding of

Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Forfar, (Edward Antony Richard Louis; born 10 March 1964) 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 sibl ...

, that he would eventually follow

his father His or HIS may refer to: Computing * Hightech Information System, a Hong Kong graphics card company * Honeywell Information Systems * Hybrid intelligent system * Microsoft Host Integration Server Education * Hangzhou International School, in ...

as Duke of Edinburgh. It was expected that a new, fourth, creation would be bestowed on Prince Edward after the third creation reverted to the Crown when Charles III acceded to the throne. In this scenario,

James Mountbatten-Windsor, Viscount Severn James Alexander Philip Theo Mountbatten-Windsor, Viscount Severn (born 17 December 2007) is the younger child of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Forfar, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex and Forfar. He is the youngest grandchild of Elizabeth II ...

, would be the heir apparent, as the son of Prince Edward. In July 2021, '' The Times'' reported that Charles had decided not to give the title to his brother upon accession. Clarence House stated that " l stories of this nature are speculation, no final decisions have been taken" and declined to comment further. , no announcements have been made for any future creations.

Dukes of Edinburgh

First creation, 1726

Also

Marquess of the Isle of Ely A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...

Earl of Eltham The title of Earl of Eltham has been created twice as a subsidiary title. The first creation was in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1726 as a subsidiary title for the Duke of Edinburgh, eldest son of the Prince of Wales. This merged in the c ...

Viscount Launceston The peerage title of Viscount Launceston, named for Launceston in Cornwall, has been twice created, each time for an individual connected with the British Royal Family. The first creation was in the Peerage of Great Britain, when Prince Fred ...

and Baron Snowdon. , Prince Frederick
House of Hanover
1726–1751
''also: Prince of Wales (1729),

Duke of Cornwall Duke of Cornwall is a title in the Peerage of England, traditionally held by the eldest son of the reigning British monarch, previously the English monarch. The duchy of Cornwall was the first duchy created in England and was established by a ro ...

(1727, created 1337),

Duke of Rothesay Duke of Rothesay ( ; gd, Diùc Baile Bhòid; sco, Duik o Rothesay) is a dynastic title of the heir apparent to the British throne, currently William, Prince of Wales. William's wife Catherine, Princess of Wales, is the current Duchess of R ...

(1727, created 1469)'' , Frederick Prince of Wales

, 1 February 1707

Leineschloss The Leineschloss (English: Leine Palace), situated on the Leine in Hanover, Germany, is the former residence of the Hanoverian dukes, electors and kings. Currently it is the seat of the Landtag of Lower Saxony. The first building on the site w ...

, Hanover
son of King George II and Queen Caroline ,

Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg ( – 8 February 1772) was Princess of Wales by marriage to Frederick, Prince of Wales, eldest son and heir apparent of King George II. She never became queen consort, as Frederick predeceased his father ...

17 April 1736
9 children , 31 March 1751
Leicester House,

Leicester Square Leicester Square ( ) is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. It was laid out in 1670 as Leicester Fields, which was named after the recently built Leicester House, itself named after Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester ...

, London
aged 44 , - , Prince George
House of Hanover
1751–1760
''also: Prince of Wales (1751) , George, Prince of Wales, later George III, 1754 by Liotard

, 4 June 1738
Norfolk House, London
son of Prince Frederick and Princess Augusta , Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
8 September 1761
15 children , 29 January 1820
Windsor Castle, Windsor
aged 81 , - , colspan=5, ''Prince George succeeded as George III in 1760 upon his grandfather's death, and his titles merged in the Crown.'' , -

Second creation, 1866

Also: Earl of Kent and Earl of Ulster. , Prince Alfred
House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
1866–1900
''also: Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1892)'' , Alfred-sachsen-coburg-gotha

, 6 August 1844
Windsor Castle, Windsor
son of Queen Victoria and

Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Albert, Prince Consort (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Albert I of Belgium ...

Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia (russian: Мария Александровна; – 24 October 1920) was the fifth child and only surviving daughter of Emperor Alexander II of Russia and Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine; she wa ...

23 January 1874
6 children , 30 July 1900
Schloss Rosenau, Coburg
aged 55 , - , colspan=5, ''Prince Alfred and Grand Duchess Maria had one

son A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative. Social issues In pre-industrial societies and some current c ...

, who predeceased him; and all his titles became extinct on his death.'' , -

Third creation, 1947

Also:

and Baron Greenwich. , Prince Philip
Mountbatten family/ House of Glücksburg (by birth)
House of Windsor (by marriage)
1947–2021
''also: Prince consort (1952)'' , Duke of Edinburgh 33 Allan Warren

, 10 June 1921
Mon Repos,

Corfu Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...

son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg , Princess Elizabeth
20 November 1947
4 children , 9 April 2021
Windsor Castle, Windsor
aged 99 , - ,

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

2021–2022
House of Windsor
''also: Prince of Wales (1958),

(1952, created 1337),

(1952, created 1469)'' , 2019 Reunião Bilateral com o Príncipe Charles - 48948389972 (cropped)

, 14 November 1948

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

, London
son of Prince Philip and

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

, Lady Diana Spencer
29 July 198128 August 1996
2 children
Camilla Parker Bowles
9 April 2005 , Living , - , colspan=5, ''Prince Charles ascended as Charles III in 2022 upon his mother's death; and his hereditary titles merged in the Crown.'' , -

Family tree

In media

A fictional Duke of Edinburgh appears in the 1983 sitcom '' The Black Adder''.

Rowan Atkinson Rowan Sebastian Atkinson (born 6 January 1955) is an English actor, comedian and writer. He played the title roles on the sitcoms '' Blackadder'' (1983–1989) and ''Mr. Bean'' (1990–1995), and the film series ''Johnny English'' (2003–201 ...

plays the title character,

Prince Edmund Prince Edmund may refer to: *Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York (1341–1402), the fifth son of Edward III of England *Edmund Tudor, Duke of Somerset, son of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York *Prince Edmund Batthyany-Strattmann (1826–19 ...

, who is granted the title Duke of Edinburgh by his father, a fictitious King Richard IV.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edinburgh Extinct dukedoms in the Peerage of the United Kingdom British monarchy Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Charles III 1726 establishments in Great Britain 1866 establishments in the United Kingdom 2022 disestablishments in the United Kingdom British and Irish peerages which merged in the Crown Noble titles created in 1726 Noble titles created in 1866 Noble titles created in 1947