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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Laura Elston & Lee Dalgetty & Angus Hyde

New Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh welcomed by crowds on the Royal Mile

Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, now the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, arrived at City Chambers on Friday having just been conferred their new roles.

They stepped out on the Royal Mile to a crowd of residents, making their way around to speak to those who had gathered.

Reportedly, it was the late Queen's wish that the Prince would take on the role of her late husband. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh's son, 15-year-old James, Viscount Severn is the new Earl of Wessex.

READ MORE - Duke of Edinburgh title given to Prince Edward by King Charles III

Speaking from the City Chambers ahead of the Duke's visit this afternoon, Lord Lieutenant Robert Aldridge said: “It is a pleasure to welcome the newly named Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh to the Capital today.

"The Duke already has a strong bond with Capital in his current roles of Patron of the Edinburgh International Festival and Duke of Edinburgh Award and I’m very much looking forward to this continued relationship. I’m sure as his father before him the Duke will take the name of our capital across the world and continue the important work of developing the Duke of Edinburgh Award and the fantastic opportunities it affords for young people of all backgrounds.

“It will be my privilege and honour to personally represent His Royal Highness in Edinburgh and on this historic day I look forward to welcoming the Duke on behalf of the city and wishing him many happy returns.”

This is the second title change to happen within the Royal Family this week, with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex now using Prince and Princess titles for their children Archie and Lilibet.

Buckingham Palace said in a statement: "His Majesty The King has been pleased to confer the Dukedom of Edinburgh upon the Prince Edward, on the occasion of HRH's 59th birthday today. The title will be held for HRH's lifetime.

"The dukedom was last created for Prince Philip in 1947, upon his marriage to Princess Elizabeth, who held the title of Duchess of Edinburgh before acceding to the throne in 1952.

"The new Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are proud to continue Prince Philip's legacy of promoting opportunities for young people of all backgrounds to reach their full potential."

The dukedom, which has historically been hereditary, will not pass down to the Edinburghs' son James when Edward dies. This paves the way for one of the Prince and Princess of Wales' children to potentially be given the title in the future, with Prince Louis the most likely candidate.

Edward will also remain for his lifetime the Earl of Forfar, another of his titles, but will use the Duke of Edinburgh because it is the more senior Scottish title.

When Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones married in 1999, they were given the titles the Earl and Countess of Wessex. Buckingham Palace, at the time, also announced that Edward would eventually one day succeed his father as the Duke of Edinburgh, but not until after the death of both Philip and the Queen.

When the Queen passed away six months ago, Charles was reported to be reluctant to hand the dukedom over to Edward when he became king.

Edward appeared to be aware of the uncertainty, hinting in a TV interview in the aftermath of Philip's death: "It was sort of a pipe dream of my father's... and of course it will depend on whether or not the Prince of Wales, when he becomes king, whether he'll do that."

The changes were swiftly updated on the royal family's website on Friday morning, just minutes after the official announcement.

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