Prince Charles is keen to keep a handle on royal titles as part of his future plans for a slimmed-down monarchy, according to a royal expert.
The Queen and Prince Philip announced plans for their son Prince Edward to take on the title of Duke of Edinburgh once the position reverted back to the Crown on his wedding day.
But Prince Charles automatically inherited the title when his father died in April and now there is uncertainty over the future of the dukedom.
Royal commentator Richard Kay suggested withholding the Duke of Edinburgh title would fall into line with Charles' plans to reduce the number of working Royal Family members, reports the Express.
"I suspect it's to do with Prince Charles wanting to keep a handle on royal titles - who they go to,” he told Palace Confidential.
"It's also to do with his vision and framework for the future of a slimmed down monarchy, with fewer working parts to it.
"Having a new Duke of Edinburgh who has a son himself - Edward has a son who would, in due course, inherit the title one day - maybe Charles sees that as spreading it a bit too thin. We don't entirely know."
Prince Edward is currently thirteenth in line to the throne and the youngest of Prince Phillip and the Queen’s children.
He has two children of his own and his youngest and only son, James, Viscount Severn, is already in line to inherit the title of Earl of Wessex at some point in the future.
Mr Kay also suggested the Prince of Wales had been considering making use of the title of Duke of Edinburgh himself, but decided not to once he was reassured the titles he already holds were more senior than his late father's.
"All we know is the wish of the Queen, and it was the wish of Prince Philip, that Prince Edward should, in due course, inherit the title,” he added.
"The nuts and bolts of this are quite simple - on Philip's death, all his titles passed to his oldest son Prince Charles. Charles already has a Scottish title.
"He's the Duke of Rothesay, he uses that title whenever he is north of the border.
"It appears he's been talking to people about using the Edinburgh title, but he was assured the Rothesay title was senior to the Edinburgh title."
Ahead of Prince Edward's wedding to Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999, the Queen and Prince Philip said he would not receive a dukedom like his older brothers because he would someday become the Duke of Edinburgh.
In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: "The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Prince of Wales have also agreed that the Prince Edward should be given the Dukedom of Edinburgh in due course when the present title held now by Prince Philip eventually reverts to the Crown.”
The Duke of Edinburgh title was created for the third time on the occasion of the marriage between the then-Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip of Denmark and Greece.
In order to marry the eldest daughter of the king of England, Prince Philip had to renounce his foreign titles and was introduced into the peerage of Scotland just before his wedding.
The late Duke of Edinburgh brought fame to the title with his international Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme.
Prince Edward took over the leadership of the award a couple of years before Prince Philip retired from public duty in 2017.
