Duke of Edinburgh, named after the city of

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

in Scotland, was a substantive title 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 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 I ...

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, the then Prince of Wales. The title

merged in the Crown The hereditary peers form part of the peerage in the United Kingdom. As of September 2022, there are 807 hereditary peers: 29 dukes (including five royal dukes), 34 marquesses, 190 earls, 111 viscounts, and 443 barons (disregarding subsidi ...

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 on 26 July 1726 by King George I, who bestowed it on his grandson Prince Frederick, who also became

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rule ...

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 The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Is ...

although Marquess of the Isle of Ely was the intended title. In later editions of the ''

London Gazette London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a major se ...

'' 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

and ceased to exist.

1866 creation

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

re-created the title, this time in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, on 24 May 1866 for her second son Prince Alfred, instead of Duke of York, 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 Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (german: Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha), or Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (german: Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha, links=no ), was an Ernestine, Thuringian duchy ruled by a branch of the House of Wettin, consisting of territories in the present- ...

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

, 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 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 III in 2022, the Dukedom of Edinburgh m ...

" 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 ...

and

Baron Greenwich Baron Greenwich was a title that has been created twice in British history. History The first creation came in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1767 when Lady Caroline Townshend was made Baroness Greenwich, in the County of Kent, with remaind ...

, of Greenwich in the County of London; all these titles were in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. 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. 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

and ceased to exist.

Prospective creations

It was announced in 1999, at the time of the wedding of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, that he would eventually follow his father 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 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 ...

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 An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

, as the son of Prince Edward. In July 2021, ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday 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 ...

, Viscount Launceston and

Baron Snowdon Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or ...

. , Prince Frederick

House of Hanover The House of Hanover (german: Haus Hannover), whose members are known as Hanoverians, is a European royal house of German origin that ruled Hanover, Great Britain, and Ireland at various times during the 17th to 20th centuries. The house or ...

1726–1751
''also:

(1729), Duke of Cornwall (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 Ro ...

(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 Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

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,

London 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 ...

aged 44 , - , Prince George

1751–1760
''also:

(1751) ,

George, Prince of Wales, later George III, 1754 by Liotard

, 4 June 1738
Norfolk House,

son of Prince Frederick and Princess Augusta , Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
8 September 1761
15 children , 29 January 1820

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original c ...

, Windsor
aged 81 , - , colspan=5, ''Prince George succeeded as George III in 1760 upon his grandfather's death, and his titles

.'' , -

Second creation, 1866

Also: Earl of Kent and

Earl of Ulster The title of Earl of Ulster has been created six times in the Peerage of Ireland and twice in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since 1928, the title has been held by the Duke of Gloucester and is used as a courtesy title by the Duke's elde ...

. , Prince Alfred
House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
1866–1900
''also:

(1892)'' , Alfred-sachsen-coburg-gotha

, 6 August 1844

, Windsor
son of

and Prince Albert ,

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 w ...

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 curren ...

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

Third creation, 1947

Also:

and

. , 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
aged 99 , - , Prince Charles
2021–2022
House of Windsor
''also:

(1958), Duke of Cornwall (1952, created 1337),

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

, 14 November 1948
Buckingham Palace, 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 her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

, 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

.'' , -

Family tree

In media

A fictional Duke of Edinburgh appears in the 1983

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

'' 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'' (2003–20 ...

plays the title character, Prince Edmund, 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