Now a respected royal, previously an outsider.
A great milestone for the Duke of Edinburgh today. Prince Edward has turned 60 – and that calls for a dive into the archives!
Afterthought
On March 10, 1964, the young prince Edward – or in full: Edward Antony Richard Louis – was born. As the fourth child of Queen Elizabeth, he was a bit of an afterthought, and there was a considerable age difference between Edward and his eldest brother and sister. So he was sixteen years apart from Charles, and fourteen years apart from Anne. Brother Andrew, with his four years difference, could have been Edward’s closest family member, if it weren’t for the fact that the two had completely different personalities.
Barely a few months old: little Edward with his mother and Prince Edward.
On Queen Elizabeth’s lap in October 1964.
In the garden at Frogmore House with the whole family.
The advantage of having an older brother: you don’t have to push your go-kart yourself!
“Mom, what about those troops and those colors?”
Image: NL Image
Soft hearted
It is an open secret that Prince Andrew was the favorite child of the late Queen Elizabeth. Charles and Anne were still under the pressure of supplying ‘an army and a spare’. As the third child, Andrew was the first child who was really hers. It helped that he had an impressive military career, which reminded her of her beloved father and grandfather. Edward dropped out after three months of training in the Navy because he couldn’t handle it.
Edward was gentle like Charles, but with a smaller ego. And due to his position as the fourth child, he is also ‘unnecessary’ as a fourth reserve, at least – that’s how he often experienced it: “He often doesn’t know whether he is Edward Windsor or His Royal Highness,” says royalty expert Richard Kay.
Forget
Nowhere is this role better – or more painfully – evident than in the documentary On The Queen’s Children. Here, royal biographer Ingrid Seward shared how lonely and out of place Prince Edward felt in the palace: “On his birthday (he was in his twenties at the time) he went to breakfast with his mother. Nothing was said. No card, no present. She had no idea it was his birthday.”
When the Queen was informed by a staff member of ‘an oversight’ (the understatement of the century if you have forgotten your youngest’s birthday), a hasty phone call was made and a present was delivered a few hours later.
From failed career to prince charming
Well, Edward would never become a prominent military figure. He tried to build his own career as a TV producer with his company Ardent Productions, but closed the business in 2009 (after significantly little success) and has been working as a full-time royal ever since.
Just one week before their (sober) wedding ceremony in a carriage with the Queen Mother.
A large bouquet of flowers for his wife, who was hospitalized in 2001.
Image: NL Image
Edward is at his best in this role. Gentle, quiet, yet fully visible in all his royal duties. Moreover, the prince is still clearly very happy with wife Sophie Rhys-Jones, and he shines brightest when the two can make an appearance together. With her outgoing, outspoken character, Sophie is the perfect counterpart to her thoughtful husband.
Duke Edward
Last year, the prince’s birthday was given extra splendor by King Charles. He provided his brother with a brand new title. Instead of the Earl and Countess of Wessex, Edward and Sophie have since been known as the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.
It is not known how the prince will celebrate his birthday this year – but we are betting on a pleasant day with the family. In any case, it was granted. Congratulations, Your Highness!
Source: Vanity Fair, BBC, Glamial archive | Image: NL Image
