Duke of Edinburgh: Encyclopedia II - Duke of Edinburgh - History of title

Duke of Edinburgh - History of title

The Dukedom was first created on July 26, 1726, in the Peerage of Great Britain. The title was bestowed on the eldest son of The Prince of Wales, Prince Frederick Lewis (or Louis), who would later become Prince of Wales himself. Upon Frederick's death, the title was inherited by his son Prince George. When Prince George became King George III, the Dukedom "merged into the crown," and ceased to exist.

King George III then revived the title on November 19, 1764 for his younger brother, Prince William of Wales, the full form of the title being "Gloucester and Edinburgh". The title passed to the Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh's only son, William Frederick, who died without a male heir, causing the title to become extinct.

The title was next bestowed on Queen Victoria's second son, Alfred, this time in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Upon Prince Alfred's death, the title again became extinct. The title was most recently given to Philip Mountbatten on November 20, 1947, the night before his marriage to Princess Elizabeth, who became Queen Elizabeth II in 1952.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "History of title", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki