Prince Edward, Duke of Kent


Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, is a member of the British royal family. The elder son of Prince George, Duke of Kent, and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, he is a grandson of George V, nephew of Edward VIII and George VI, and first cousin of Elizabeth II. Edward's mother was also a first cousin of Prince Philip, Elizabeth's husband, making him both a second cousin and first cousin once removed to Charles III. He is 42nd in the line of succession to the British throne. In 2025, following the death of his wife, Katharine, Duchess of Kent, Edward became the oldest living member of the British royal family.
Edward has held the title of Duke of Kent for over years. He inherited the title at the age of six in 1942, following his father's death in a plane crash. Edward carried out engagements on behalf of Elizabeth II and is involved with over 140 charitable organisations. He was president of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, presenting the trophies to the Wimbledon champion and runner-up, and served as the United Kingdom's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment, retiring in 2001. He is joint president of The Scout Association, and president of the Royal United Services Institute and the Royal Institution of Great Britain, and since 1967 Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England. Edward has been Chancellor of the University of Surrey since June 1976. Much of his charity work revolves around war remembrance, technology, and the growth of British industry.

Early life and education

Edward was born at 2:05 am on 9 October 1935, at No. 3 Belgrave Square, London, to Prince George, Duke of Kent, and Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent. Home Secretary Sir John Simon was present to verify the birth. His father was the fourth son of King George V and Queen Mary. His mother was the daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark and Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia. He was baptised in the Private Chapel of Buckingham Palace on 20 November by Archbishop of Canterbury Cosmo Lang. His godparents were his grandparents, King George V, Queen Mary and Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark; as well as the Prince of Wales; the Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood|Princess Royal], the Duke of Connaught and Strathearn ; and the Duchess of Argyll.
Edward began his education 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. Edward speaks fluent French, having been raised in a house where, according to the words of his younger brother, Prince Michael of Kent, his mother and aunts spoke French as a matter of preference.
On 25 August 1942, Edward's father, the Duke of Kent, was killed when his plane crashed in bad weather in Caithness. Edward, at six years old, succeeded his father as Duke of Kent, Earl of St Andrews and Baron Downpatrick. As a member of the royal family, Edward began performing engagements at an early age. In 1952, at the age of 16, he walked behind the coffin of his uncle, George VI, at his state funeral of George VI|state funeral]. In 1953, he attended the coronation of his cousin, Elizabeth II, and was the third to pay homage at her throne, following the dukes of Edinburgh and Gloucester.

Military service

On 29 July 1955, Edward graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst as a second lieutenant in the Royal Scots Greys, the beginning of a military career which lasted over 20 years. He was promoted to captain on 29 July 1961.
From 1962 to 1963, Edward served in Hong Kong, later serving on the staff in Eastern Command. He was promoted to major on 31 December 1967. In 1970, he commanded a squadron of his regiment in Cyprus as part of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus. During the early 1970s, Edward also served briefly in Northern Ireland with his regiment. It was revealed in a 2022 book, that the Queen intervened in 1971 to prevent him getting kidnapped by the IRA. The then 35-year-old Edward, an Army officer with the Royal Scots Greys, was sent to Northern Ireland with his unit but the Queen alerted Edward Heath, the prime minister, during her private audience, and he relayed a warning to his ministers. Commanding officers were told that he was not to be sent to Belfast without special orders. A few weeks later, he was posted back to Britain. He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel on 30 June 1973.
Edward retired from the army on 15 April 1976. He was subsequently accorded the honorary rank of major-general on 11 June 1983, and of field marshal on 11 June 1993.

Marriage and personal life

Edward met Katharine Worsley while he was based at Catterick Garrison. She was the only daughter of Sir William Worsley, 4th Baronet, and his wife Joyce Morgan Brunner. Princess Marina reportedly disapproved of her son's choice for a bride and twice forbade the match before agreeing to the marriage in 1961. On 8 June 1961, the couple married at York Minster. She converted to Catholicism in 1994, but because the conversion occurred during and not before their marriage, it did not cause him to lose his place in the line of succession, as the Act of Settlement 1701 only applied where the spouse was a Catholic at the time of marriage. The disqualification by marrying a Catholic was removed by the Succession to the Crown Act 2013.
The couple have three living children:
Katharine had a miscarriage in 1975 owing to rubella and gave birth to a stillborn son, Patrick, in 1977.
Edward resides at Wren House, Kensington Palace, in London. From 1972 to 1990, he and his wife leased Anmer Hall in Norfolk, part of the Sandringham Estate.
In 2011, close associates of Jonathan Rees, a private investigator connected to the News International phone hacking scandal, alleged that he had accessed the bank accounts of Edward and his wife.
Edward had a mild stroke on the morning of 18 March 2013. In April 2015, he suffered from a hip injury and was hospitalised at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for further treatments.
His wife, Katharine, died on 4 September 2025, at the age of 92. Following her death, Edward became the oldest living member of the British royal family.

Activities

Edward performed engagements on behalf of his cousin, Queen Elizabeth II, for over 50 years. He represented the Queen during independence celebrations in the Commonwealth countries of Sierra Leone, Uganda, Guyana, Gambia, and Barbados, and the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the independence of Ghana. He also acted as Counsellor of State during periods of the Queen's absence abroad.
One of Edward's major public roles for many years was vice-chairman of British Trade International, formerly known as the British Overseas Trade Board, and later as the United Kingdom's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment. This position saw him travel abroad to represent the British government in fostering trade relations with foreign countries and organisations. The then Prince Andrew succeeded him in this position, which is today known as UK Trade & Investment, although Andrew resigned from the post in 2011. He was also the vice-chairman of the British Overseas Trade Board. In that capacity, he became the first member of the royal family to visit China in 1979 with his focus being on the British Energy Exhibition in Beijing.
From 1971 to 2000, Edward was president of English football's governing body, The Football Association. He has served as the president of The Scout Association since 1975.
Along with Prince William of Wales, Edward visited the Centenary World Scout Jamboree at Hylands Park, Chelmsford in July 2007. He also served as the president of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club between 1969 and 2021, a position in which he succeeded his late mother, Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent. He was also president of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission from 1970 until 2023. His other roles include president of the RAF Benevolent Fund, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, the Stroke Association, the Royal United Services Institute, the Royal Institution, the British Racing Drivers' Club, and patron of the American Air Museum in Britain, Royal West [Norfolk Golf Club], Kent County Cricket Club, Opera North, and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. He is also on the advisory panel for the Mountbatten Medal and presents the medal once the decision has been made. Edward is one of the Royal Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering.
For almost 29 years, Edward has been the patron of Endeavour, a national youth organisation. He has also served as Royal Patron of The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn since 2001, a position previously occupied by his father. In 2015, Edward received the Dresden Peace Prize for "his contribution to British-German reconciliation."
On 2 June 2022, Edward appeared alongside the Queen on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the 2022 Trooping the Colour as part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Edward was colonel of the Scots Guards for fifty years from 9 September 1974 to 14 April 2024, being succeeded by the Duke of Edinburgh. At the time of his retirement, he was the regiment's longest serving colonel.

Freemasonry

Edward was initiated into Royal Alpha Lodge No. 16 on 16 December 1963, and was elected its Worshipful Master for 1965 and 1966.
Having been appointed Senior Grand Warden in 1966, he was elected as Grand Master the following year, and was installed on 14 June 1967 during United Grand Lodge of England's 250th anniversary celebrations at the Royal Albert Hall. He is the 10th, and longest-serving Grand Master of UGLE, the governing body of Freemasonry in England and Wales.
In December 2013, Edward celebrated 50 years as a freemason. In October 2017 he presided over the tercentenary celebrations of UGLE, marking the 300th anniversary of the founding of the original Grand Lodge, one of two which merged to form UGLE in 1813. The main ceremony was held in the Royal Albert Hall, in the year which also marked Edward's 50th anniversary of installation as Grand Master.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

  • 9 October 1935 – 25 August 1942: His Royal Highness Prince Edward of Kent
  • 25 August 1942 – present: His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent

Military ranks

Honours

Foreign

Civilian appointments

Wear of orders, decorations, and medals

The ribbons worn regularly by Edward in undress uniform are as follows:
With medals, Edward normally wears the breast stars of the Garter, St Michael and St George, and Royal Victorian Order. When only one should be worn, he wears the Order of the Garter star. Foreign honours are worn in accordance with British customs and traditions when applicable.

Military appointments

; Canada
; United Kingdom

Ancestry

Books

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Authored articles and letters

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