Prince Edward has the full name of Edward Anthony Richard Louis and the official title of the Earl of Wessex. He was born on the 10th of March 1964 and is the fourth and youngest child of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and Queen Elizabeth II.
Prince Edward was born at Buckingham Palace and at the time of his birth, he was the third in line for succession to the throne of the British Royal Family. However, after a recession of the heritage politics and the birth of his brothers’ children, Prince Edward is currently (August 2009) the seventh in line for succession to the throne ruling over 16 independent countries.
Prince Edward attended Heatherdown Preparatory School, Ascot and then followed in his father and elder siblings’ footsteps to Gordonstoun School in Scotland. In his last term there he was made Head boy. His gap year was spent teaching in New Zealand before Prince Edward headed to Cambridge University to study History. He graduated in 1986.
After University, Prince Edward joined the Royal Marines but army life never suited him and he preferred theatrical pursuits. He became part of the Really Useful Theatre Company owned by Andrew Lloyd Webber and by 1993 he’d formed the Ardent TV company which produced many programmes about the British Royal Family among other productions. He left this role in 2002 to concentrate on his Royal duties.
Prince Edward now has a wife, Sophie, Countess of Wessex. The couple got married in 1999. They currently (August 2009) have two children who are not to be titled with the style of Royal Highness as a result of the Princess’ roots, her family not being of royal blood. The rules and decisions regarding the titles and honours that royal children should receive during their life, are agreed upon by the Queen and her political advisors at the moment of the children’s birth.
Prince Edward carries out a set of royal duties and obligations on behalf of the Queen, duties that he manages with the help of his wife, Princess Sophie of Wessex. The most notable of these duties that also constitutes the main royal obligation of Prince Edward at this time is that he stands in for his father, the Duke of Edinburgh, in many of the elderly man’s former obligations with the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme and as President of the Commonwealth Games. For all the effort and the determination with which the Prince fulfils his royal obligations he receives Civil List remuneration from the Queen, along with other means of financially rewarding his work for the Royal Family.
Among his other distinctions and titles, in 1994, Prince Edward received a proposition from Estonian leaders, to become the King of Estonia.
Prince Edward also has military distinctions. In the period 1986-1987 he was made Second-Lieutenant in the Royal Marines and fulfilled this function for almost a year. Moreover, he was later given the honour or becoming a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, a fact that recognises his dedication to serving the British Royal Family and fulfilling his duties.
- Full Name: Edward Antony Richard Louis
- Father: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
- Mother: Queen Elizabeth II
- Born: 10 March 1964
- Married: 1999, to Sophie, Countess of Wessex
- Children: Lady Louise Windsor (b: 2003) and Viscount Severn ( b: 2007)
