Prince Edward, Duke of Kent KG GCMG GCVO ADC(P), is a grandchild of King George V and Queen
Mary. He has held the title of Duke of Kent since 1942.
The Duke of Kent carries out royal duties on behalf of his first cousin, Queen Elizabeth
II. He is perhaps best known as President of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet
Club, presenting the trophies to the Wimbledon champion and runner-up. He also served as
the United Kingdom's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment, retiring
in 2001. He is also the President of the Scout Association, the President of the Royal United
Services Institute, the President of the Royal Institution of Great Britain and the Grand
Master of the United Grand Lodge of England. At the time of his birth, Prince Edward was
7th in the line of succession to his grandfather, behind his three uncles, his cousins Elizabeth
and Margaret, and his father. As of the birth of Zara Phillips' first child, the Queen's
fourth great-grandchild, on 17 January 2014, Prince Edward is 33rd in line. As of the death
of the 7th Earl of Harewood in 2011, he is the Queen's eldest living paternal cousin,
though he is 9 years younger than the Queen herself.
On 21 March 2013, it was reported that the Duke had suffered a mild stroke in the early
hours of 18 March 2013.
Early life Prince Edward was born on 9 October 1935,
at No. 3 Belgrave Square, London. His father was Prince George, Duke of Kent, the fourth
son of George V and Mary of Teck. His mother was Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, the
daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark, and Grand Duchess Helen Vladimirovna
of Russia. As a grandson of a British sovereign in the male line, he was styled as a Prince
of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, His Royal Highness Prince
Edward of Kent. The Prince was baptised in the Private Chapel
of Buckingham Palace on 20 November 1935 by the Archbishop of Canterbury Cosmo Lang. His
godparents were: King George V and Queen Mary; the Prince of Wales; the Princess Royal, Countess
of Harewood; the Duke of Connaught and Strathearn; the Duchess of Argyll; and Prince Nicholas
of Greece and Denmark. Education
Prince Edward began his schooling at Ludgrove, a preparatory school in Berkshire, before
going on to Eton College and then Le Rosey in Switzerland. After school he entered the
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst where he won the Sir James Moncrieff Grierson prize
for foreign languages. Prince Edward speaks fluent French.
Duke of Kent
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, then aged 6, succeeded his father
as Duke of Kent, Earl of St Andrews and Baron Downpatrick. He later took his seat in the
House of Lords in 1959. As a royal duke, he was destined for royal
duties at an early age. At the age of 16 he walked behind the coffin of his uncle, George
VI, at his state funeral in 1952. In 1953, he attended the coronation of his cousin,
Elizabeth II, paying homage at her throne after her crowning.
Military service The Duke of Kent graduated from the Royal
Military Academy Sandhurst on 29 July 1955 as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Scots
Greys, the beginning of a military career that would last over 20 years. He was promoted
to captain on 29 July 1961. The Duke of Kent saw service in Hong Kong from 1962–63 and
later served on the staff in Eastern Command. He was promoted to Major on 31 December 1967.
Later in 1970, the Duke commanded a squadron of his regiment serving in the British Sovereign
Base Area in Cyprus, part of the UN force enforcing peace between the Greek and Turkish
halves of the island. He was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel on 30 June 1973. The Duke retired from the
Army on 15 April 1976. He was subsequently promoted Major-General on 11 June 1983 and
Field Marshal on 11 June 1993. Marriage and issue
The Duke of Kent married Katharine Worsley at York Minster on 8 June 1961. Katharine
is the only daughter of Sir William Arthrington Worsley, 4th Bt., and his wife, Joyce Morgan
Brunner. After their wedding, she was styled Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Kent, though
in 2002, she ceased to use the style of Royal Highness and has expressed a preference to
be known as Katharine, Duchess of Kent, the latter the typical style of a divorced or
widowed peeress, which she is not. However she remained legally HRH The Duchess of Kent.
The Duke and Duchess of Kent have three children, none of whom carries out royal duties:
George, Earl of St Andrews, born 26 June 1962; married Sylvana Tomaselli
Lady Helen Taylor, born 28 April 1964; married Timothy Taylor
Lord Nicholas Windsor, born 25 July 1970; married, 2006, Paola Doimi de Lupis de Frankopan,
in Vatican City, becoming the first British royal in history to do so
stillborn child, born and died 5 October 1977. The Duchess of Kent converted to Roman Catholicism
in 1994. Because this conversion did not occur until many years after their marriage, it
did not cause the Duke to lose his place in the line of succession. The couple's son Lord
Nicholas also converted to Roman Catholicism following his mother's example.
The Duke and Duchess of Kent reside at Wren House, Kensington Palace, in London.
Royal duties The Duke of Kent has performed royal duties
on behalf of his cousin, the Queen, for over 50 years. The Duke has represented the Queen
during independence celebrations in the former British colonies of Sierra Leone, Uganda,
Guyana, Gambia and most recently Ghana for their 50th Independence Anniversary Celebration.
He has also acted as Counsellor of State during periods of the Queen's absence abroad.
One of the Duke's major public roles for many years was Vice-Chairman of British Trade International,
and later as the United Kingdom's Special Representative for International Trade and
Investment. This position saw the Duke travel abroad to represent the British government
in fostering trade relations with foreign countries and organisations.
His other interests include serving as the president of the Wimbledon All England Lawn
Tennis and Croquet Club, a position he succeeded from his late mother, Princess Marina, Duchess
of Kent. His other roles include President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission,
the RAF Benevolent Fund, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, the Stroke Association,
RUSI, the Royal Institution and is Patron of St Mungo's. He also makes the final decision
in the award of the Mountbatten Medal. Edward is President of the Scout Association,
and, along with Prince William, visited the Centenary World Scout Jamboree at Hylands
Park, Chelmsford in July 2007. For almost 29 years Edward has been the Patron
of Endeavour a national youth organisation. He has also served as Royal Bencher of The
Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn since 2001, a position previously occupied by his
father. Freemasonry
On 16 December 1963, the Duke was initiated into Royal Alpha Lodge No. 16 and into Freemasonry.
He is the 10th Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England, the governing body
of Freemasonry in England and Wales. He has served in that office since 1967, thus being
the longest serving Grand Master. In December 2013, he celebrated 50 years as a Freemason.
Scouting The Duke has served as the President of The
Scout Association since 1975. Titles, styles, honours and arms
Titles and styles 9 October 1935 – 25 August 1942: His Royal
Highness Prince Edward of Kent 25 August 1942 – : His Royal Highness The
Duke of Kent The Duke's current full style is Field Marshal
His Royal Highness Prince Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick, Duke of Kent, Earl of Saint
Andrews and Baron Downpatrick, Royal Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Grand
Master and Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint
George, Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, Personal Aide-de-Camp to Her Majesty.
Military ranks 29 July 1955 - 29 July 1957: Second Lieutenant,
Royal Scots Greys 29 July 1957 - 29 July 1961: Lieutenant, Royal
Scots Greys 29 July 1961 - 31 December 1967: Captain,
Royal Scots Greys 31 December 1967 - 30 June 1973: Major, Royal
Scots Greys 30 June 1973 - 15 April 1976: Lieutenant-Colonel,
Royal Scots Greys. Retired on 15 April 1976 Honours
See also List of honours of the British Royal Family by country
Orders 1960 Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian
Order Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael
and St George 1967 Principal Knight Grand Cross of the Order
of St Michael and St George
1985 Royal Knight of the Order of the Garter Decorations
Canadian Forces Decoration Medals
1937 King George VI Coronation Medal 1953 Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal,
1953 1970 United Nations Medal for the UNFICYP
mission, 1970 1977 Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal,
1977 2002 Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal,
2002 2012 Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal,
2012 Foreign Honours
6 November 2000 Knight of the Order of Charles XIII
Knight Commander of Order of Saints George and Constantine
Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance Grand Cordon of the Order of the Star of Jordan
Knight Grand Band of the Order of the Star of Africa
Member First Class of the Order of Tri Shakti Patta
Grand Cross of the Order of St Olav Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic
of Poland Appointments
Personal Personal Aide-de-Camp to Her Majesty The Queen)
Academic University of Surrey, Chancellor
Honorary military appointments Honorary ranks
11 June 1983 - 10 June 1993 Honorary Major General
15 June 1985 - 30 June 1996: Honorary Air Vice Marshal
11 June 1993: Honorary Field Marshal 1 July 1996: Honorary Air Chief Marshal
Appointments Canada
Colonel-in-Chief, of The Lorne Scots United Kingdom
Colonel, of the Scots Guards Colonel-in-Chief, of the Royal Regiment of
Fusiliers Colonel-in-Chief, of the Devonshire and Dorset
Regiment Colonel, 1st Battalion, of The Rifles
Deputy Colonel-in-Chief, of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
Honorary Air Commodore, of the RAF Leuchars Other appointments
Freemasonry: Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England and First Grand Principal
of the Supreme Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of England
Patron of the Royal Institution of Australia Patron of the Ski Club of Great Britain
Patron of the British Computer Society, UK Patron of Trinity College of Music, London
President of The Scout Association Patron of Restore Burn and Wound Research
Patron of The Aidis Trust Patron of The Institute of Export
Arms Issue
Ancestry References
External links Media related to Prince Edward, Duke of Kent
at Wikimedia Commons Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament
by the Duke of Kent Royal.gov.uk – The Duke of Kent
The United Grand Lodge of England – HRH The Duke of Kent, KG, GCMG, GCVO, ADC
Time Article on Birth of Prince Edward