Prince Edward, Duke of Kent

Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick; born 9 October 1935), is a grandchild of King George V and Queen Mary. He has held the title of Duke of Kent since 1942.

The Duke of Kent carries out royal duties on behalf of his first cousin, Queen Elizabeth II. He is perhaps best known as President of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, presenting the trophies to the Wimbledon champion and runner-up. He also served as the United Kingdom's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment, retiring in 2001. He is also the President of the Scout Association, the President of the Royal United Services Institute, the President of the Royal Institution of Great Britain and the Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England (since 1967).

At the time of his birth, Prince Edward was 7th in the line of succession to his grandfather, behind his three uncles, his cousins Elizabeth and Margaret, and his father. As of the birth of Zara Phillips' first child, the Queen's fourth great-grandchild, on 17 January 2014, Prince Edward is in 33rd position. As of the death of the 7th Earl of Harewood in 2011, he is the Queen's eldest living paternal cousin, though he is 9 years younger than the Queen herself.

On 21 March 2013, it was reported that the Duke had suffered a mild stroke in the early hours of 18 March 2013.

Early life
Prince Edward was born on 9 October 1935, at No. 3 Belgrave Square, London. His father was Prince George, Duke of Kent, the fourth son of George V and Mary of Teck. His mother was Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent (née Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark), the daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark, and Grand Duchess Helen Vladimirovna of Russia. As a grandson of a British sovereign in the male line, he was styled as a Prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland with the prefix, His Royal Highness, styled HRH Prince Edward of Kent.

The Prince was baptised in the Private Chapel of Buckingham Palace on 20 November 1935 by the Archbishop of Canterbury Cosmo Lang. His godparents were: King George V and Queen Mary (his paternal grandparents); the Prince of Wales (his paternal uncle); the Princess Royal, Countess of Harewood (his paternal aunt); the Duke of Connaught (his great-great-uncle, whose son, Prince Arthur of Connaught, stood proxy); the Duchess of Argyll (his great-great-aunt); and the Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark (his maternal grandfather).

Education
Prince Edward began his schooling at Ludgrove, a preparatory school in Berkshire, before going on to Eton College and then Le Rosey in Switzerland. After school he entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst where he won the Sir James Moncrieff Grierson prize for foreign languages.

Prince Edward speaks fluent French.

Duke of Kent
On 25 August 1942 Prince Edward's father, the Duke of Kent, was killed when his plane crashed in bad weather in Caithness. Prince Edward, then aged 6, succeeded his father as Duke of Kent, Earl of St Andrews and Baron Downpatrick. He later took his seat in the House of Lords in 1959.

As a royal duke, he was destined for royal duties at an early age. At the age of 16 he walked behind the coffin of his uncle, George VI, at his state funeral in 1952. In 1953, he attended the coronation of his cousin, Elizabeth II, paying homage at her throne after her crowning (following the Dukes of Edinburgh and Gloucester).

Military service
The Duke of Kent graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on 29 July 1955 as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Scots Greys, the beginning of a military career that would last over 20 years. He was promoted to captain on 29 July 1961. The Duke of Kent saw service in Hong Kong from 1962–63 and later served on the staff in Eastern Command. He was promoted to Major on 31 December 1967. Later in 1970, the Duke commanded a squadron of his regiment serving in the British Sovereign Base Area in Cyprus, part of the UN force enforcing peace between the Greek and Turkish halves of the island. He was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel on 30 June 1973. The Duke retired from the Army on 15 April 1976. He was subsequently promoted Major-General on 11 June 1983 and Field Marshal on 11 June 1993.

Marriage and issue
The Duke of Kent married Katharine Worsley at York Minster on 8 June 1961. Katharine is the only daughter of Sir William Arthrington Worsley, 4th Bt., and his wife, Joyce Morgan Brunner. After their wedding, she was styled Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Kent, though in 2002, she ceased to use the style of Royal Highness and has expressed a preference to be known as Katharine, Duchess of Kent, the latter the typical style of a divorced or widowed peeress, which she is not. However she remained legally HRH The Duchess of Kent.

The Duke and Duchess of Kent have three children, none of whom carries out royal duties:


 * George, Earl of St Andrews, born 26 June 1962; married Sylvana Tomaselli
 * Lady Helen Taylor, born 28 April 1964; married Timothy Taylor
 * Lord Nicholas Windsor, born 25 July 1970; married, 2006, Paola Doimi de Lupis de Frankopan, in Vatican City, becoming the first British royal in history to do so
 * stillborn child, born and died 5 October 1977.

The Duchess of Kent converted to Roman Catholicism in 1994. Because this conversion did not occur until many years after their marriage, it did not cause the Duke to lose his place in the line of succession (the Act of Settlement 1701 only applies where the spouse is a Catholic at the time of marriage). The couple's son Lord Nicholas also converted to Roman Catholicism following his mother's example.

The Duke and Duchess of Kent reside at Wren House, Kensington Palace, in London.

Royal duties
The Duke of Kent has performed royal duties on behalf of his cousin, the Queen, for over 50 years. The Duke has represented the Queen during independence celebrations in the former British colonies of Sierra Leone, Uganda, Guyana, Gambia and most recently Ghana for their (Ghana's) 50th Independence Anniversary Celebration. He has also acted as Counsellor of State during periods of the Queen's absence abroad.

One of the Duke's major public roles for many years was Vice-Chairman of British Trade International, and later as the United Kingdom's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment. This position saw the Duke travel abroad to represent the British government in fostering trade relations with foreign countries and organisations.

His other interests include serving as the president of the Wimbledon All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, a position he succeeded from his late mother, Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent. His other roles include President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the RAF Benevolent Fund, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, the Stroke Association, RUSI, the Royal Institution and is Patron of St Mungo's. He also makes the final decision in the award of the Mountbatten Medal.

Edward is President of the Scout Association, and, along with Prince William, visited the Centenary World Scout Jamboree at Hylands Park, Chelmsford in July 2007.

For almost 29 years Edward has been the Patron of Endeavour a national youth organisation. He has also served as Royal Bencher of The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn since 2001, a position previously occupied by his father.

Freemasonry
The Duke is the 10th Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England, the governing body of Freemasonry in England and Wales. He has served in that office since 1967, thus being the longest serving Grand Master.

Scouting
The Duke has served as the President of The Scout Association since 1975.

Titles and styles

 * 9 October 1935 – 25 August 1942: His Royal Highness Prince Edward of Kent
 * 25 August 1942 – : His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent

The Duke's current full style is Field Marshal His Royal Highness Prince Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick, Duke of Kent, Earl of Saint Andrews and Baron Downpatrick, Royal Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Grand Master and Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, Personal Aide-de-Camp to Her Majesty.

Military ranks

 * 29 July 1955 - 29 July 1957: Second Lieutenant, Royal Scots Greys
 * 29 July 1957 - 29 July 1961: Lieutenant, Royal Scots Greys
 * 29 July 1961 - 31 December 1967: Captain, Royal Scots Greys
 * 31 December 1967 - 30 June 1973: Major, Royal Scots Greys
 * 30 June 1973 - 15 April 1976: Lieutenant-Colonel, Royal Scots Greys. Retired on 15 April 1976

Honours
See also List of honours of the British Royal Family by country


 * Orders
 * 1960 Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO)
 * Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG)
 * 1967 Principal Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 1985 Royal Knight of the Order of the Garter (KG)


 * Decorations
 * 🇨🇦 Canadian Forces Decoration  (CD)


 * Medals
 * 1937 King George VI Coronation Medal
 * 1953 Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal, 1953
 * 🇺🇳 1970 United Nations Medal for the UNFICYP mission, 1970
 * 1977 Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal, 1977
 * 2002 Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, 2002
 * 2012 Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, 2012

Foreign Honours
 * 🇬🇷 Knight Commander of Order of Saints George and Constantine (KSGC)
 * Member 1st Class of the Order of Tri Shakti Patta (Three Divine Powers) or Jyotirmaya-Subikhyat-Tri-Shakti-Patta
 * 🇱🇷 Knight Grand Band of the Order of the Star of Africa
 * 🇯🇴 Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance
 * 🇳🇴 Grand Cross of the Order of St Olav
 * 🇵🇱 Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland
 * 🇸🇪 Knight of the Order of Charles XIII (2000)

Appointments

 * Personal
 * Personal Aide-de-Camp to Her Majesty The Queen (AdC(P))


 * Academic
 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 University of Surrey, Chancellor

Honorary military appointments

 * Honorary ranks
 * 11 June 1983 - 10 June 1993 Honorary Major General
 * 15 June 1985 - 30 June 1996: Honorary Air Vice Marshal
 * 11 June 1993: Honorary Field Marshal
 * 1 July 1996: Honorary Air Chief Marshal


 * Appointments
 * 🇨🇦 Canada
 * 🇨🇦 Colonel-in-Chief, of The Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment) (11 June 1977 – present)


 * United Kingdom
 * Colonel, of the Scots Guards
 * Colonel-in-Chief, of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
 * Colonel-in-Chief, of the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment
 * Colonel, 1st Battalion, of The Rifles
 * Deputy Colonel-in-Chief, of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
 * Honorary Air Commodore, of the RAF Leuchars

Other appointments

 * Freemasonry: Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England and First Grand Principal of the Supreme Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of England
 * Patron of the Royal Institution of Australia
 * Patron of the Ski Club of Great Britain
 * Patron of the British Computer Society, UK
 * Patron of Trinity College of Music, London
 * President of The Scout Association
 * Patron of Restore Burn and Wound Research
 * Patron of The Aidis Trust
 * Patron of The Institute of Export