Before Kate became the Duchess of Cambridge when she married Prince William in 2011, one other unlikely royal was also in the running for the prestigious title.
Within the royal family, many senior members of the Firm are often referred to by their alternative titles, such as Duke, Duchess, Earl, Countess, Lady, and countless others. While each royal holds their own unique title, which can often go back generations, there have been rare occasions of two people eligible for the same moniker.
One such instance stems back to 1999, and almost cost the Princess of Wales her previous title of the Duchess of Cambridge. When Sophie, born Sophie Rhys-Jones, tied the knot with Prince Edward in 1999, Edward was originally to be awarded the coveted title of Duke of Cambridge, while Sophie would become the Duchess of Cambridge.
However, according to a palace courtier, Prince Edward – the youngest of Queen Elizabeth’s children – drew inspiration from a very unusual source to establish his own unique title as an alternative, opting not to be awarded dukedom like his older brother Prince Andrew.
The courtier explained to The Telegraph in 2010: “Prince Edward was going to be the Duke of Cambridge, but he watched the film Shakespeare in Love, which had a character called the Earl of Wessex. He liked the sound of it and asked the Queen if he could have that instead.”
As a result, Sophie became the Countess of Wessex and the titles of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge eventually went to Prince William and Kate Middleton when they got married in 2011.
Prince Edward and Sophie changed their titles once more in 2024 as they became the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh as part of the Edward’s 59th birthday celebrations in March, in honour of his late father Prince Philip.
The Duke of Edinburgh title was originally created for Prince Frederick, eldest son of King George II back in 1726. In 1764, it was given to Prince William, brother of King George III, as part of the joint title The Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh.
Prince Alfred, second son of Queen Victoria, took over the title in 1866, before it was handed to Prince Philip when he married the late Queen Elizabeth II. Prince Edward is the fifth Duke of Edinburgh title and will hold the title for the rest of his life.
The role is no longer a hereditary one, meaning there is no guarantee the moniker will go to Edward and Sophie’s son James when Edward dies.
This could mean the title could be passed to one of the Prince and Princess of Wales’s children in the future, with Prince Louis the most likely candidate to inherit the name.
The tradition of awarding royals with certain unique titles stems from a long history of genetic lineage and land ownership, with each title denoting everything from a royal’s roles and responsibilities to how they should be referenced.
