Prince Edward, the youngest of Queen Elizabeth‘s children and usually the one out of the spotlight, is reportedly not happy that Prince Charles might not grant him the Duke of Edinburgh title when Charles becomes king. Edward, 57, was thought to be the most likely Royal to inherit the title held by his and Charles’ father, Prince Philip, but the title is now held by Charles. The Queen’s husband held the Duke of Edinburgh title until his death in April at age 99.
“To be honest, Prince Charles not wanting to give Prince Edward [the title] when he becomes king has caused a stir at the Palace,” an insider told InTouch Weekly. The source said that Edwards believes Charles has “no right” to take the title from him. In 1999, before Edward married Sophie Rhys-Jones, it was announced Edward would be the next Duke of Edinburgh after Philip’s death.
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“What’s even more upsetting for Prince Edward is that his beloved dad, Prince Philip, promised him that he’d inherit the title shortly before he passed,” InTouch Weekly‘s source claims. “It’s what Prince Philip wanted, but now that he’s no longer around to have a say or step in, Prince Charles is taking it upon himself to potentially deny him of the privilege.” The source later added that Edward “feels frozen out” by his older brother. Kensington Palace has not commented on the report.
Edward and Sophie are known to be two of the more low-key members of the royal family, rarely attracting press attention. Since Philip’s death though, the two have spoken on several topics, including the media’s obsession with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s split from the royal family.
“Inevitably the spotlight and the focus falls on younger members as time goes on,” Sophie, who worked in public relations, told The Telegraph recently. “We’ve plodded along doing what we’re doing, hopefully doing it well. And then all of a sudden there’s a bit of a hiatus and things have changed a bit. Naturally, the media are looking for people to fill the so-called void. But you know, we have been doing this for what feels like a pretty long time! If people want to pay more attention to what we’re doing then great because actually, that’s got to be good for our organizations and the work that we are trying to carry.”
Last month, Edward sat for a CNN interview, in which the Earl of Wessex said the situation with Markle and his nephew was “very sad.” Edward later said all members of the family have faced “excessive intrusion and attention” in their lives. “And we’ve all dealt with it in slightly different ways, and listen, we wish them the very best of luck,” he said. “It’s a really hard decision.”
As for his mother, Edward said the queen was “doing remarkably well” after the death of her husband. “I think that it was a fantastic partnership, but over the last couple of weeks, life has got considerably busier,” he told CNN. “Things are beginning to open up more, there are more activities so weirdly that sort of fills any particular void.”
