Prince Edward, Duke of Kent

Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick; born 9 October 1935), 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 83 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, the eldest child of Prince George, Duke of Kent, and Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent. The Home Secretary, Sir John Simon was present to verify the birth. His father was the fourth son of King George V and Queen Mary, and 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 at Buckingham Palace on 20 November by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Cosmo Lang. His godparents were his grandparents, King George V, Queen Mary, and Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark; the Prince of Wales; the Princess Royal; the Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (whose son, Prince Arthur of Connaught, stood proxy); and the Duchess of Argyll.

Edward began his education at Ludgrove, a preparatory school in Berkshire, before going on to Eton College and subsequently Le Rosey in Switzerland. After leaving school, he entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, where he was awarded the Sir James Moncrieff Grierson prize for foreign languages. Edward speaks fluent French, having been raised in a house where, according to his younger brother, Prince Michael of Kent, their 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 aircraft crashed in bad weather in Caithness. Edward, then six years old, succeeded to his father's titles as Duke of Kent, Earl of St Andrews, and Baron Downpatrick. As a member of the royal family, he began undertaking public engagements at an early age. In 1952, at the age of 16, he walked behind the coffin of his uncle, George VI, at the King's state funeral. The following year, 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, marking the beginning of a military career that lasted more than 20 years. He was promoted to captain on 29 July 1961.

From 1962 to 1963, Edward served in Hong Kong, later joining 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. According to a 2022 publication, the Queen intervened in 1971 to prevent a potential IRA kidnapping attempt. Edward, then aged 35, had been deployed to Northern Ireland with his unit, but the Queen raised concerns during her weekly audience with the prime minister, Edward Heath. Following this, ministers instructed commanding officers that he was not to be sent to Belfast without special orders, and he was posted back to Britain a few weeks later. 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 of bride and twice forbade the match before agreeing to the marriage in 1961. On 8 June 1961, the couple married at York Minster. Katharine converted to Catholicism in 1994, but because the conversion occurred during, and not before, their marriage, it did not cause Edward to lose his place in the line of succession, as the Act of Settlement 1701 applied only where the spouse was a Catholic at the time of marriage. The disqualification for marrying a Catholic was removed by the Succession to the Crown Act 2013.

The couple have three living children:

• George, Earl of St Andrews, born 26 June 1962 at Coppins; married Sylvana Tomaselli
• Lady Helen Taylor, born 28 April 1964 at Coppins; married Timothy Taylor
• Lord Nicholas Windsor, born 25 July 1970 at King's College Hospital in London; married, 2006, Paola Doimi de Lupis de Frankopan

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 a hip injury and was hospitalised at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for further treatment.

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 more than 50 years. He represented the Queen during independence celebrations in the Commonwealth countries of Sierra Leone, Uganda, Guyana, Gambia, and Barbados, and at the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Ghana's independence. 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. In this capacity, he travelled abroad to represent the British government in fostering trade relations with foreign countries and organisations. The then Prince Andrew succeeded him in this position, later known as UK Trade & Investment (or UKTI), although Andrew resigned from the post in 2011. In 1979, Edward became the first member of the royal family to visit China, focusing on the British Energy Exhibition in Beijing.

From 1971 to 2000, Edward served as president of The Football Association, the governing body of English football. He has been president of The Scout Association since 1975, and, together with Prince William of Wales, visited the Centenary World Scout Jamboree at Hylands Park, Chelmsford, in July 2007. He was president of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club from 1969 until 2021, succeeding his 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 sits on the advisory panel for the Mountbatten Medal and presents the award once the panel has reached its decision. Edward is also 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 served as Royal Patron of the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn since 2001, a position previously held by his father. In 2015, he 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 Trooping the Colour, which formed part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.