by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2014

Edward Antony Richard Louis was born on March 10, 1964, at Buckingham Palace in London, England. He is the youngest of the four children of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born a Prince of Greece and Denmark). Edward was part of a baby boom the British Royal Family was having in 1964. Also born that year were James Ogilvy, son of Princess Alexandra of Kent, on February 29, 1964; Lady Helen Windsor, daughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent on April 28, 1964; and Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones, daughter of Princess Margaret on May 1, 1964.

The infant Prince Edward with his brother Prince Andrew and his mother Queen Elizabeth

Edward was baptized on May 2, 1964, in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle. His godparents were:

• Prince Richard of Gloucester (his mother’s first cousin, later the Duke of Gloucester)
• Katharine, Duchess of Kent (wife of his mother’s first cousin)
• Princess Georg Wilhelm of Hanover (his paternal aunt, born Princess Sophie of Greece)
• Prince Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine (his paternal first cousin twice removed)
• Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon (his maternal uncle by marriage)

Edward with his parents and siblings in 1968

Edward has three elder siblings:

• King Charles III of the United Kingdom (born 1948), married  (1) Lady Diana Spencer, daughter of John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer, had two sons, divorced  (2) Camilla Shand Parker-Bowles, no children
• Princess Anne, The Princess Royal (born 1950), married (1) Mark Philipps, had one son and one daughter, divorced  (2) Timothy Laurence, no children
• Prince Andrew, Duke of York (born 1960), married Sarah Ferguson, had two daughters, divorced

Edward was educated privately by a governess before attending Gibbs School in Kensington, London, England for a year. In 1972, he began to attend Heatherdown School in Winkfield, Berkshire, England. Edward then moved on to Gordonstoun School in Moray, Scotland, which his father and elder brothers had also attended. During his last term at Gordonstoun, Edward was Head Boy.

Starting in September of 1982, Edward worked as a house tutor during his gap year at the Wanganui Collegiate School in Wanganui, New Zealand. While at the school he taught English and History and supervised other activities, including Drama and Duke of Edinburgh’s Award expeditions. Edward then studied history at Jesus College, University of Cambridge, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1986. While at university, he enjoyed theater, taking part in a number of productions, and sports, including learning to play real tennis.

After leaving university, Edward joined the Royal Marines. However, in January of 1987, he dropped out of the year-long officer training after completing only four months. Reportedly, his father, the Duke of Edinburgh, was angered by the decision and Edward took some criticism from the media.

Edward then pursued a career in theatrical production working for Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Theatre Company as a production assistant on musicals such as The Phantom of the Opera, Starlight Express, and Cats.

In 1993, Edward formed Ardent Productions, a television production company. Programs included Edward on Edward, a documentary on his great-uncle, King Edward VIII (later the Duke of Windsor); thirty half-hour programs of Crown and Country: A Royal History of Britain; The Cater Street Hangman, a dramatization of Anne Perry’s first mystery novel; and Windsor Restored, a program on the restoration of Windsor Castle after the fire in 1993. Edward was accused in the media of using his royal connections for financial gains and his professionalism was also questioned. In September of 2001, an Ardent production crew invaded the privacy of Prince William, Edward’s nephew, while he was at the University of St Andrews, ignoring the guidelines regarding the privacy of the royal family. Reportedly, Prince Charles was angered by this incident. Edward’s productions were received well in the United States (this American writer, Susan, saw them all and enjoyed them) and the program about Edward VIII sold well in many countries. However, Ardent Productions reported losses for each year of its existence except one. In June of 2009, the company was liquidated with assets of £40.

In 1993, Edward renewed a casual acquaintance with Sophie Rhys-Jones at a Real Tennis Challenge, hosted by the Prince. Sophie, the public relations executive handling the event, was reportedly charmed by the youngest of Queen Elizabeth II’s sons, and he with her. After a long courtship, their engagement was announced on January 6, 1999.

 

The wedding was a smaller affair, unlike the large, formal weddings of Edward’s brothers, Charles and Andrew. On June 19, 1999, Edward and Sophie were married at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. There were only about 550 guests, far fewer than at the weddings of Charles and Andrew, but an estimated 200 million viewers from around the world watched on television.

• Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones

On his wedding day, Edward was created Earl of Wessex and Viscount Severn, breaking with the tradition of a dukedom granted to the son of the Sovereign upon marriage. However, it was announced that Prince Edward would eventually be granted the Dukedom of Edinburgh, his father’s title, at such time when it reverted back to the Crown.  On his 55th birthday, Prince Edward was granted the additional title of Earl of Forfar for use in Scotland. The title Duke of Edinburgh automatically passed to Edward’s eldest brother Charles when their father died in April 2021, and merged into the Crown in September 2022 when Charles acceded to the throne. King Charles III granted his younger brother Prince Edward the title Duke of Edinburgh on his 59th birthday, March 10, 2023. His ducal title is not hereditary, so it will become extinct on his death. Edward’s son James Mountbatten-Windsor now uses Earl of Wessex as his courtesy title.

Edward and Sophie also decided, with The Queen’s agreement, that their children would use the courtesy titles as sons or daughters of an Earl rather than the style and title His/Her Royal Highness Prince or Princess. As they would already be well down the line of succession (Prince Edward was 7th in line at the time of his marriage), it is believed that this was done to alleviate some of the ‘burdens’ associated with having a royal title, and to allow them somewhat more of a normal life. However, many argue that the press release does not supersede the terms of the 1917 Letters Patent and that Edward’s children, Louise and James are, in fact, Prince and Princess. In June 2020, during an interview with the Sunday Times Magazine, the Countess of Wessex stated that she and her husband have raised their children with the intent that will have to work for a living as opposed to being working royals. She continued: “Hence we made the decision not to use HRH titles. They have them and can decide to use them from 18, but I think it’s highly unlikely.”

Edward with his two children James and Louise at the coronation of King Charles III in 2023

The couple had two children:

• Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor (born 2003)
• James Mountbatten-Windsor, Earl of Wessex (born 2007)

Edward and his family live at Bagshot Park which is located close to Windsor and is owned by the Crown Estate. He pays rent to the Crown Estate for the use of the estate. Edward has a busy schedule of engagements in the United Kingdom and overseas both in support of the crown and for the large number of charities and organizations with which he is involved.

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