Prince Edward, Duke of Kent
Encyclopedia
The Duke of Kent graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...

 on 29 July 1955 as a Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...

 in the Royal Scots Greys, the beginning of a military career that would last over 20 years. He was promoted to captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...

 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
Major-General (United Kingdom)
Major general is a senior rank in the British Army. Since 1996 the highest position within the Royal Marines is the Commandant General Royal Marines who holds the rank of major general...

 on 11 June 1983 and Field Marshal
Field Marshal (UK)
Field Marshal is the highest military rank of the British Army. It ranks immediately above the rank of General and is the Army equivalent of an Admiral of the Fleet and a Marshal of the Royal Air Force....

 on 11 June 1993.

Marriage

The Duke of Kent married Katharine Worsley at York Minster
York Minster
York Minster is a Gothic cathedral in York, England and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe alongside Cologne Cathedral. The minster is the seat of the Archbishop of York, the second-highest office of the Church of England, and is the cathedral for the Diocese of York; it is run by...

 on 8 June 1961. Katharine is the only daughter of Sir William Arthrington Worsley, 4th Bt.
William Worsley
Col. Sir William Arthington Worsley of Hovingham, 4th Baronet was an English amateur first-class cricketer, who captained Yorkshire County Cricket Club in 1928 and 1929, his only seasons of first-class cricket...

, and his wife, Joyce Morgan Brunner. After their wedding, she was styled Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Kent, though in 2002, she abandoned the style of Royal Highness and has expressed a preference to be known as Katharine Kent, or Katharine, Duchess of Kent, the latter the typical style of a divorced or widowed peeress, which she is not.

The Duke and Duchess of Kent have three children, none of whom carries out royal duties:
  • George, Earl of St Andrews
    George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews
    George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews is the son of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and his wife, Katharine, Duchess of Kent...

    , born 26 June 1962; married Sylvana Tomaselli
    Sylvana Windsor, Countess of St Andrews
    Sylvana Palma Windsor, Countess of St Andrews , is the wife of George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews, the eldest son and heir of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent. Lady St Andrews was born in Placentia, Newfoundland and Labrador, the daughter of Maximilian Karl Tomaselli, formerly of Salzburg, and Josiane...

  • Lady Helen Taylor
    Lady Helen Taylor
    The Lady Helen Taylor A first cousin once removed of Queen Elizabeth II, she is a great-granddaughter of King George V of the United Kingdom and is in the line of succession to the British throne....

    , born 28 April 1964; married Timothy Taylor
  • Lord Nicholas Windsor
    Lord Nicholas Windsor
    The Lord Nicholas Windsor is the youngest child of the Duke and Duchess of Kent, a great-grandson of King George V of the United Kingdom, and a first cousin once removed of Queen Elizabeth II....

    , born 25 July 1970; married, 2006, Paola Doimi de Lupis de Frankopan
    Lady Nicholas Windsor
    Lady Nicholas Windsor is the wife of Lord Nicholas Windsor, son of the Duke and Duchess of Kent.-Family History:...

    , in Vatican City, becoming the first British royal in history to do so.


The couple also had a stillborn child on 5 October 1977.

The Duchess of Kent later converted to Roman Catholicism in 1994. Despite this, the Duke of Kent did not lose his place in the line of succession due to the Act of Settlement 1701
Act of Settlement 1701
The Act of Settlement is an act of the Parliament of England that was passed in 1701 to settle the succession to the English throne on the Electress Sophia of Hanover and her Protestant heirs. The act was later extended to Scotland, as a result of the Treaty of Union , enacted in the Acts of Union...

, in that The Duke married a fellow member of the Church of England in 1961, who only subsequently converted to Roman Catholicism. 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
Kensington Palace
Kensington Palace is a royal residence set in Kensington Gardens in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It has been a residence of the British Royal Family since the 17th century and is the official London residence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Duke and...

 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
Counsellor of State
In the United Kingdom, Counsellors of State are senior members of the British royal family to whom the Monarch, currently Elizabeth II, delegates certain state functions and powers when she is in another Commonwealth realm, abroad or unavailable for other reasons...

 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
The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club , also known as the All-England Club, based at Aorangi Park, Wimbledon, London, England, is a private members club. It is best known as the venue for the Wimbledon Championships, the only Grand Slam tennis event still held on grass...

 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
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves, and places of commemoration, of Commonwealth of Nations military service members who died in the two World Wars...

, the RAF Benevolent Fund
RAF Benevolent Fund
The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund is the Royal Air Force's leading welfare charity, providing financial, practical and emotional support to serving and former members of the RAF - regardless of rank - as well as their partners and dependents.They help members of the RAF family deal with a wide...

, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Royal National Lifeboat Institution
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is a charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of Great Britain, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, as well as on selected inland waterways....

, the Stroke Association, RUSI
Rusi
Ruşi may refer to several places in Romania:* Ruşi, a district in the town of Zlatna, Alba County* Ruşi, a village in Bretea Română Commune, Hunedoara County* Ruşi, a village in Slimnic Commune, Sibiu County...

, and the Ri
Royal Institution
The Royal Institution of Great Britain is an organization devoted to scientific education and research, based in London.-Overview:...

 also Patron of St Mungo's. He also makes the final decision in the award of the Mountbatten Medal
Mountbatten Medal
The Mountbatten Medal is awarded annually for an outstanding contribution, or contributions over a period, to the promotion of electronics or information technology and their application....

.

Edward is President of the Scout Association, and, along with Prince William, visited the Centenary World Scout Jamboree
21st World Scout Jamboree
The 21st World Scout Jamboree was held in July and August 2007, and formed a part of the Scouting 2007 Centenary celebrations of the world Scout Movement. The event was hosted by the United Kingdom, as 2007 marked the 100th anniversary of the founding of Scouting on Brownsea Island.The event was...

 at Hylands Park
Hylands Park
Hylands House is a Grade II* neo-classical villa situated within Hylands Park a 232-hectare park south-west of Chelmsford in Essex in South East England. It is owned and operated by Chelmsford Borough Council.-History:...

, Chelmsford in July 2007.

For almost 29 years Edward as been the Patron of Endeavour a national youth organisation.
He has also served as Royal Bencher of The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...

 since 2001, a position previously occupied by his father.

Freemasonry

The Duke is the Grand Master
Grand Master (Masonic)
In Freemasonry a Grand Master is the leader of the lodges within his Masonic jurisdiction. He presides over a Grand Lodge, and has certain rights in the constituent lodges that form his jurisdiction....

 of the United Grand Lodge of England
United Grand Lodge of England
The United Grand Lodge of England is the main governing body of freemasonry within England and Wales and in other, predominantly ex-British Empire and Commonwealth countries outside the United Kingdom. It is the oldest Grand Lodge in the world, deriving its origin from 1717...

, the governing body of Freemasonry
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...

 in England and Wales. Prince Edward has served in that office since 1967.

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, Baron Downpatrick, Royal Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...

, 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
Personal Aide-de-Camp
A Personal Aide-de-Camp is a senior officer of the military of any Commonwealth realm who is appointed to act as the honorary military attendant to the monarch or any of his or her viceroys...

 to Her Majesty.

Honours

British Honours
  • Royal Knight of the Garter
    Order of the Garter
    The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...

     (KG, 1985)
  • Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
    Order of St Michael and St George
    The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....

     (GCMG)
    • He has also served as Grand Master of the Order of St Michael and St George
      Order of St Michael and St George
      The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....

       since 1967.
  • Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
    Royal Victorian Order
    The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...

     (GCVO, 1960)
  • Personal Aide-de-Camp
    Personal Aide-de-Camp
    A Personal Aide-de-Camp is a senior officer of the military of any Commonwealth realm who is appointed to act as the honorary military attendant to the monarch or any of his or her viceroys...

     to HM The Queen (ADC(P))
  • Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal
    Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal
    The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal was a commemorative medal made to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.-Issue:For Coronation and Jubilee medals, the practice up until 1977 was that United Kingdom authorities decided on a total number to be produced, then allocated a proportion to...

    , 1953
  • United Nations Medal
    United Nations Medal
    The term United Nations Medal refers to one of several international decorations which are issued by the United Nations to the various militaries of the world for participation in joint international military and police operations such as peacekeeping, humanitarian efforts, and disaster relief...

     for the UNFICYP
    United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus
    The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus was established in 1964 to prevent a recurrence of fighting between the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots and to contribute to the maintenance and restoration of law and order and a return to normal conditions...

     mission, 1970
  • Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal
    Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal
    The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 1977 to mark the 25th anniversary of the accession to the throne of Queen Elizabeth II...

    , 1977
  • Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
    Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
    The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of the accession to the throne of Queen Elizabeth II...

    , 2002


Foreign Honours Knight Commander of Order of Saints George and Constantine
Order of Saints George and Constantine
The Royal Family Order of Saints George and Constantine was an order of the Greek royal family. For the duration of its existence, it was the second highest decoration awarded by the modern Greek state and the Greek crown, after the Order of the Redeemer...

 (KSGC) Order of Tri Shakti Patta, 1st Class Knight Grand Band of the Order of the Star of Africa Grand Cordon of the Order of the Renaissance
Order of the Star of Jordan
The Order of the Star of Jordan or The Order of Hussein ibn Ali is an award and military decoration of the sovereign state of Jordan and is awarded for military or civil merit. It was founded in honour of his father, by King Abdullah I on 22 June 1949, King Abdullah ibn Hussain...

 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
Order of Charles XIII
The Order of Charles XIII is a Swedish order of knighthood, founded by King Charles XIII in 1811. The Lord and Master of the Order is the King of Sweden, currently His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf. The order can only be conferred on Freemasons of Protestant faith...

 (2000) Canadian Forces Decoration
Canadian Forces Decoration
The Canadian Forces Decoration is a Canadian award bestowed upon members of the Canadian Forces who have completed twelve years of military service, with certain conditions. By convention, it is also given to the Governor General of Canada upon his or her appointment as viceroy, which includes the...

  (CD)

Military ranks

  • 2Lt, 1955–?: Second Lieutenant, Royal Scots Greys
  • 1962–1963: Service in ; subsequently in Eastern Command
  • 1970–?: I/C, squadron in Akrotiri and Dhekelia
    Akrotiri and Dhekelia
    The Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia are two British-administered areas comprising a British Overseas Territory on the island of Cyprus administered as Sovereign Base Areas of the United Kingdom...

    ,  Cyprus
  • Lt Col, 1976: Retired from the British Army
    British Army
    The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...

     as Lieutenant-Colonel

Honorary ranks

  • Maj Gen, 11 June 1983: Promoted to Major-General
  • AVM, 15 June 1985: Promoted to Air Vice-Marshal
    Air Vice-Marshal
    Air vice-marshal is a two-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in...

  • FM, 11 June 1993: Promoted to Field Marshal
    Field Marshal (UK)
    Field Marshal is the highest military rank of the British Army. It ranks immediately above the rank of General and is the Army equivalent of an Admiral of the Fleet and a Marshal of the Royal Air Force....

  • Air Chf Mshl, 1 July 1996: Air Chief Marshal
    Air Chief Marshal
    Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...


Honorary military appointments

British
  • Colonel
    Colonel
    Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...

    , Scots Guards
    Scots Guards
    The Scots Guards is a regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army, whose origins lie in the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland...

  • Colonel-in-Chief
    Colonel-in-Chief
    In the various Commonwealth armies, the Colonel-in-Chief of a regiment is its patron. This position is distinct from that of Colonel of the Regiment. They do not have an operational role. They are however kept informed of all important activities of the regiment, and pay occasional visits to its...

    , Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
    Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
    The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division.The regiment was formed on April 23, 1968, as part of the reforms of the army that saw the creation of the first 'large infantry regiments', by the amalgamation of the four English fusilier...

  • Colonel-in-Chief, Devonshire and Dorset Regiment
    Devonshire and Dorset Regiment
    The Devonshire and Dorset Regiment, usually just known as the Devon and Dorsets, was an infantry regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1958 by the amalgamation of two county regiments:*The Devonshire Regiment*The Dorset Regiment...

  • Colonel, 1st Battalion, The Rifles
    The Rifles
    The Rifles is the largest regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of five regular and two territorial battalions, plus a number of companies in other TA battalions, Each battalion of the Rifles was formerly an individual battalion of one of the two large regiments of the Light...

  • Deputy Colonel-in-Chief, Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
    Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
    The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, and the senior Scottish regiment. It was formed on 2 July 1971 at Holyrood, Edinburgh, by the amalgamation of the 3rd Carabiniers The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys) (SCOTS DG) is a cavalry regiment of...

  • Honorary Air Commodore
    Air Commodore
    Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...

    , RAF Leuchars
    RAF Leuchars
    RAF Leuchars is the most northerly air defence station in the United Kingdom. It is located in Leuchars, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland, near to the university town of St Andrews.-Operations:...



Commonwealth
  • Colonel-in-Chief, of  Canada The Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment)

Other appointments

  • Chancellor of the University of Surrey
    University of Surrey
    The University of Surrey is a university located within the county town of Guildford, Surrey in the South East of England. It received its charter on 9 September 1966, and was previously situated near Battersea Park in south-west London. The institution was known as Battersea College of Technology...

  • Freemasonry
    Freemasonry
    Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...

    : Grand Master
    Grand Master (Masonic)
    In Freemasonry a Grand Master is the leader of the lodges within his Masonic jurisdiction. He presides over a Grand Lodge, and has certain rights in the constituent lodges that form his jurisdiction....

     of the United Grand Lodge of England
    United Grand Lodge of England
    The United Grand Lodge of England is the main governing body of freemasonry within England and Wales and in other, predominantly ex-British Empire and Commonwealth countries outside the United Kingdom. It is the oldest Grand Lodge in the world, deriving its origin from 1717...

     and First Grand Principal of the Supreme Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of England
  • Patron of The Ski Club of Great Britain
  • Patron of the British Computer Society
    British Computer Society
    The British Computer Society, is a professional body and a learned society that represents those working in Information Technology in the United Kingdom and internationally...

    , UK
  • Patron of Trinity College of Music
    Trinity College of Music
    Trinity College of Music is one of the London music conservatories, based in Greenwich. It is part of Trinity Laban.The conservatoire is inheritor of elegant riverside buildings of the former Greenwich Hospital, designed in part by Sir Christopher Wren...

    , London
  • President of The Scout Association
    The Scout Association
    The Scout Association is the World Organization of the Scout Movement recognised Scouting association in the United Kingdom. Scouting began in 1907 through the efforts of Robert Baden-Powell. The Scout Association was formed under its previous name, The Boy Scout Association, in 1910 by the grant...

  • Patron of Restore Burn and Wound Research
    Restore Burn and Wound Research
    Restore – Burn and Wound Research was founded in 1991 to support research into burns and burn treatment, and also for research in reconstructive surgery, particularly for patients with breast cancer. The project is based in the Plastic Surgery Unit at Stoke Mandeville Hospital Stoke Mandeville...

  • Patron of The Aidis Trust

Arms

The Royal Arms differenced by a label of five points argent, the first, third and fifth points charged with a blue anchor, and the second and fourth points with a red cross.

Crest: On the coronet of children of other sons of the Sovereign, composed of four crosses-patées alternated with four strawberry leaves a lion statant guardant or, crowned with the like coronet and differenced with a label as in the Arms.

Supporters: The Royal Supporters differenced with the like coronet and label.

Ancestry



External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK