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Prince Edward has held the title the Duke of Kent since he was six years old.
Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, comes from a long lineage of royalty. His father was Prince George, the fourth son of King George V and Queen Mary, and his mother, Princess Marina, was a princess of Greece and Denmark. He also has two younger siblings, Princess Alexandra and Prince Michael of Kent. In 1946, when Edward was just 6 years old, his father died in a plane crash and the young prince became the Duke of Kent.
Prince Edward is a first cousin to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, and he has dedicated his life to service. From 1955 until 1976, he served in the armed forces, and since, has carried out hundreds of royal engagements on behalf of the royal family. Following Prince Philip’s death, he often stood by the Queen’s side during key royal engagements. Upon the death of 96-year-old Queen Elizabeth, he becomes one of few royals still alive that grew up with the late monarch. Here, scroll through all the best photos of the Duke of Kent, now 86, over the years.
Prince Edward was born in October 1935 at No. 3 Belgrave Square in London. Here, his mother, Princess Marina, the Duchess of Kent, takes him for a walk in a pram.
A one-year-old Prince Edward in his stroller.
His mother, Princess Marina, was the daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark and Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia. His father was the youngest son of King George V and Queen Mary.
Here, the Kents posed in the garden of the Buckinghamshire home, with Edward, his younger sister Princess Alexandra, and their dog Muff.
Tragically, Prince George, the Duke of Kent, died in a plane crash in 1942. Upon his death, six-year-old Prince Edward took the title of Duke of Kent.
Edward pulls a cart during a horse show in Windsor.
At the funeral of his uncle, King George VI, a 16-year-old Duke of Kent walked behind the coffin in the funeral procession, alongside Prince Philip (the Duke of Edinburgh), Prince Henry (the Duke of Gloucester), and former King Edward VIII (the Duke of Windsor).
The young duke on a skiing holiday.
The Duke of Kent also played a role in Queen Elizabeth’s coronation: After Prince Philip and his uncle Prince Henry, he was the third to play homage at her throne.
He attended Le Rosey, an all-boys boarding school in Geneva.
The duke pictured here reading from a book on English Social History as he studied for his end of term exams.
A few days before his 21st birthday, Prince Edward takes a photograph with his sister Princess Alexandra (left) and his mother, Princess Marina of Kent at their country home of Coppins in Buckinghamshire.
In 1961, he married Katharine Worsley in York Minster—the first royal marriage to take place there in six centuries. Upon their wedding, Katharine became the new Duchess of Kent.
The Kents welcomed their first son, George, Earl of St Andrews in 1962. George is currently heir apparent to the Dukedom of Kent, and will become the Duke of Kent upon his father’s death.
The Duke of Kent had a ski accident in 1964 at St. Moritz. Here is he navigating his injuries.
The Kents brought their children George, 4, and Helen, 2, to a country fair.
Like his cousins, Prince Edward is an avid horse rider. Here, at the Ascot Racecourse, he rides with Queen Elizabeth II (left) and Princess Margaret (right).
In 1970, Prince Edward and the Duchess of Kent welcomed their third child, Lord Nicholas Windsor. All their children use the surname “Windsor.”
In 1969, the Duke became the president of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC)—the organization that holds Wimbledon. Every year, he participates in the trophy ceremony. Here, he presents the winner’s trophy to American tennis player Billie Jean King.
The Duke of Kent with his daughter Lady Helen Windsor at the Royal Windsor Horse Show.
The Kents pictured on a night out in 1978. Decades later, the Duchess of Kent would share she had an abortion, and a stillborn baby in the 70s. “It had the most devastating effect on me,” she revealed. “I had no idea how devastating such a thing could be to any woman. It has made me extremely understanding of others who suffer a stillbirth.”
Edward often joins other members of the royal family at Sandringham. Here, he and Prince Charles are pictured during a shooting weekend.
Charles and the Duke in a carriage at the Royal Ascot, wearing matching top hats and boutonnieres.
The Duke and Duchess of Kent at the South Atlantic Campaign Memorial service at St. Pauls Cathedral in London.
Prince Edward is the current Grand Master of the Order of St Michael and St George. He also belongs to the Most Noble Order of the Garter, and the Royal Victorian Order.
After his retirement from the army in 1976, he still stayed involved in a ceremonial capacity. In 1983, he was promoted to major-general and in 1993, to field marshal.
The Kents attended the State Opening of Parliament together. In 1994, Katharine converted to Catholicism, after receiving approval from the Queen herself. Though the Act of Settlement of 1701 means any royal family marrying a Catholic relinquishes their place in the line of the succession, this does not apply to Prince Edward because Katharine was not Catholic when they married. Therefore, the Duke of Kent remained in the line of succession.
The Duke of Kent became a freemason in 1963, and was elected a Grand Master in 1967. Here, he celebrates the 275th anniversary of the formation of the first Grand Lodge in England at Earl’s Court, and the 25th anniversary of his appointment as Grand Master.
Throughout the years, Prince Edward is a constant presence at Wimbledon, and has been part of some incredible tennis history, including the first time Roger Federer won the championships.
Prince Edward pictured at the Sovereign’s Parade at the Royal Military Academy. Like other members of the royal family (including Prince William, Prince Harry, and Edward’s younger brother Prince Michael of Kent), he, too, graduated from Sandhurst. The Duke of Kent served in the Royal Scots Greys.
In 2013, he suffered a mild stroke, but soon returned to royal duties.
During the Trooping the Colour, Edward stood alongside Queen Elizabeth when Prince Philip was unable to attend.
He was joined by his daughter, Lady Helen Taylor, at the Royal Ascot.
In 2014, Princess Alexandra and Prince Edward rode in a carriage at Trooping the Colour together. Edward’s wife, the Duchess of Kent, stepped back from royal duties in the early 2000s, so he is largely accompanied by his sister to public events.
Prince Edward presided over the 200th anniversary of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George at St Paul’s Cathedral.
In 2019, Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, began joining Prince Edward during the Wimbledon trophy ceremonies—she would take over his role as president in 2022.
Per the royal family’s website, “The Duke of Kent is passionate that future generations should be encouraged to remember the sacrifice made by so many during the conflicts of World War I and World War II.” He is closely involved in war commemoration; he’s pictured here at the 2020 National Service Of Remembrance.
Following the death of Prince Philip, the Duke of Kent has been by Queen Elizabeth’s side during the annual Trooping the Colour. Here, the two cousins are pictured during the scaled-back 2021 event. The Duke is Colonel of the Scots Guards.
In 2021, Edward presented the trophies at Wimbledon for his last time. Now the honor is passed on to Kate Middleton.
Prince Edward attended his grand-niece Flora Alexandra Ogilvy’s wedding to Timothy Vesterberg alongside his sister Princess Alexandra.
The Duke attended the memorial service for Prince Philip with his daughter-in-law, Sylvana Tomaselli.
At Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, Edward was once more by his cousin Elizabeth’s side.
The Duke of Kent sits with Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester, as the Principal Proclamation is read from the balcony overlooking Friary Court as King Charles III is proclaimed King, at St James’s Palace.