Prince Edward, Duke of Kent

This article is about the present Duke of Kent. For Queen Victoria's father, see Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn. For other Dukes, see Duke of Kent.

Prince Edward
Duke of Kent (more)
Duke of Kent
Tenure	25 August 1942 – present (&1000000000000006900000069 years, &10000000000000206000000206 days)
Predecessor	Prince George, Duke of Kent
Heir apparent	George, Earl of St Andrews
Spouse	Katharine, Duchess of Kent
Issue
George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews Lady Helen Taylor Lord Nicholas Windsor
Full name
Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick
House	House of Windsor
Father	Prince George, Duke of Kent
Mother	Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark
Born	(1935-10-09) 9 October 1935 Belgrave Square, London

Prince Edward, Duke of Kent KG GCMG GCVO (Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick; born 9 October 1935), is a member of the British Royal Family, a grandchild of King George V. 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 Freemasons in England & Wales (since 1967).

At the time of his birth, Prince Edward was 7th in the line of succession to his grandfather King George V, behind his 3 uncles, his cousins Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret, and his father. As of the birth of Savannah Phillips in 2010, he is in 28th position. 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.

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 (née Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark), 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 with the prefix, His Royal Highness, styled HRH 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 and his godparents were: King George V and Queen Mary (his paternal grandparents); the Prince of Wales (his paternal uncle); the Princess Royal, Countess of Harewood (his paternal aunt); the Duke of Connaught (his great-granduncle, whose son, Prince Arthur of Connaught, stood proxy); the Duchess of Argyll (his great-grandaunt); and the Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark (his maternal grandfather).

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 Royal Military College Sandhurst where he won the Sir James Moncrieff Grierson prize for foreign languages.

Prince Edward can speak 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 (following the Dukes of Edinburgh and Gloucester).

Military service

A 1989 photograph of the Duke of Kent, by Allan Warren
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Years of service	1957–1976
Rank	Field Marshal
Service number	443787
Unit	Royal Scots Greys

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

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 abandoned the style of Royal Highness and has expressed a preference to be known as Katharine Kent, or Katharine, Duchess of Kent, the latter the typical style of a divorced or widowed peeress, which she is not.

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.

The couple also had a stillborn child on 5 October 1977.

The Duchess of Kent later converted to Roman Catholicism in 1994. Despite this, the Duke of Kent did not lose his place in the line of succession due to the Act of Settlement 1701, in that The Duke married a fellow member of the Church of England in 1961, who only subsequently converted to Roman Catholicism. 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 Royal Family of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms
HM The Queen HRH The Duke of Edinburgh HRH The Prince of Wales HRH The Duchess of Cornwall HRH The Duke of Cambridge HRH The Duchess of Cambridge HRH Prince Harry of Wales HRH The Duke of York HRH Princess Beatrice of York HRH Princess Eugenie of York HRH The Earl of Wessex HRH The Countess of Wessex Viscount Severn Lady Louise Windsor HRH The Princess Royal HRH The Duke of Gloucester HRH The Duchess of Gloucester HRH The Duke of Kent HRH The Duchess of Kent HRH Prince Michael of Kent HRH Princess Michael of Kent HRH Princess Alexandra

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 (Ghana's) 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

The Duke is the Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England, the governing body of Freemasonry in England and Wales. Prince Edward has served in that office since 1967.

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, 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.

Honours

Styles of The Duke of Kent
Reference style	His Royal Highness
Spoken style	Your Royal Highness
Alternative style	Sir

British Honours

• Royal Knight of the Garter (KG, 1985)
• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG)
  • He has also served as Grand Master of the Order of St Michael and St George since 1967.
• Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO, 1960)
• Personal Aide-de-Camp to HM The Queen (ADC(P))
• Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal, 1953
• United Nations Medal for the UNFICYP mission, 1970
• Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal, 1977
• Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, 2002
• Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, 2012

Foreign Honours

• Knight Commander of Order of Saints George and Constantine (KSGC)
• Order of Tri Shakti Patta, 1st Class
• Knight Grand Band of the Order of the Star of Africa
• Grand Cordon of the Order of the Renaissance
• Grand Cross of the Order of St Olav
• Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland
• Knight of the Order of Charles XIII (2000)
• Canadian Forces Decoration (CD)

Military ranks

• 2Lt, 1955–?: Second Lieutenant, Royal Scots Greys
• 1962–1963: Service in Hong Kong; subsequently in Eastern Command
• 1970–?: I/C, squadron in Akrotiri and Dhekelia, Cyprus
• Lt Col, 1976: Retired from the British Army as Lieutenant-Colonel

Honorary ranks

• Maj Gen, 11 June 1983: Promoted to Major-General
• AVM, 15 June 1985: Promoted to Air Vice-Marshal
• FM, 11 June 1993: Promoted to Field Marshal
• Air Chf Mshl, 1 July 1996: Air Chief Marshal

Honorary military appointments

British

• Colonel, Scots Guards
• Colonel-in-Chief, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
• Colonel-in-Chief, Devonshire and Dorset Regiment
• Colonel, 1st Battalion, The Rifles
• Deputy Colonel-in-Chief, Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
• Honorary Air Commodore, RAF Leuchars

Commonwealth

• Colonel-in-Chief, of The Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment)

Coat of Arms of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent

Other appointments

• Chancellor of the University of Surrey
• 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 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

Arms

The Royal Arms differenced by a label of five points argent, the first, third and fifth points charged with a blue anchor, and the second and fourth points with a red cross.

Crest: On the coronet of children of other sons of the Sovereign, composed of four crosses-patées alternated with four strawberry leaves a lion statant guardant or, crowned with the like coronet and differenced with a label as in the Arms.

Supporters: The Royal Supporters differenced with the like coronet and label.

External links

• 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 (Grand Master)
• Time Article on Birth of Prince Edward

References

Prince Edward, Duke of Kent House of Windsor Cadet branch of the House of Wettin Born: 9 October 1935
Preceded by Lyla Gilman	Line of succession to the British Throne 28th position	Succeeded by Lady Amelia Windsor
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by The Prince George	Duke of Kent 2nd creation 25 August 1942 – present	Incumbent Heir-apparent: George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by The Duke of Gloucester	Gentlemen HRH The Duke of Kent	Succeeded by Prince Michael of Kent
Masonic offices
Preceded by The Earl of Scarbrough	Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England 1967 – present	Incumbent
Honorary titles
Preceded by The Earl Alexander of Tunis	Grand Master of the Order of St Michael and St George 1967 – present	Incumbent