Prince Charles is refusing to give his brother Edward the Duke of Edinburgh title as had been planned, a source has said.
As the only son of The Queen not to be a duke, it was expected that Edward, the current Earl of Wessex, would one day inherit his dad's title.
The Queen and Prince Philip originally stated that Edward would inherit the title "in due course" when he married Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999.
When Prince Philip, 99, died earlier this year, Prince Charles was given the title, in keeping with royal tradition, with it expected that Edward would become Duke of Edinburgh once his brother became King.
It's now being claimed that Charles, who is widely believed to favour slimming down the monarchy, is not keen on the idea, reports the Sunday Times.
A source told the newspaper said: “The prince is the Duke of Edinburgh as it stands, and it is up to him what happens to the title. It will not go to Edward.”
Another source in close contact with the prince, said: “Edinburgh won’t go to them [the Wessexes] as far as the prince is concerned.”
It is a very different tone to the message from the Palace in 1999 when Edward got married.
At the time Buckingham Palace said in a statement: “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.”
Once Charles becomes King, the Duke of Edinburgh title will go back to the Crown.
After Prince Philip's death Charles, who is known as the Duke of Rothesay in Scotland, reportedly considered using the Edinburgh title but was advised against it.
Edward previously noted how the final decision remains with Charles.
He also shared how the title "theoretically" could have gone to Prince Andrew if had not been made the Duke of York in 1986 when he married Sarah Ferguson.
Edward told the BBC: “It was fine in theory, ages ago when 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, so we’ll wait and see. So yes, it will be quite a challenge taking that on.”
Philip is said to have personally asked Edward to take on the title.
Sophie, Countess of Wessex, told the Daily Telegraph: “We sat there slightly stunned. He literally came straight in and said, ‘Right. I’d like it very much if you would consider that’.”
The Earl of Wessex has already taken on some of Philip’s patronages and is trustee of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme that was founded in 1956 with the aim to help young people build life skills.
A Clarence House spokesman told the Sunday Times: “We do not comment on matters related to the accession.”
