Today, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex celebrates his 50th birthday. To commemorate it, here is a listing of 50 facts about one of the lesser-known, albeit integral, members of the Royal family.
1. Prince Edward was born on March 10, 1964 at Buckingham Palace.
2. He is the third son and fourth and youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
3. His full name is Edward Antony Richard Louis.
4. As the son of a Sovereign, he was styled at birth as His Royal Highness The Prince Edward.
5. He was baptized at the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle on May 2, 1964 by Robin Woods, Dean of Windsor.
6. Edward's godparents were: Prince Richard of Gloucester (Queen's first cousin), Katherine, Duchess of Kent (wife of the Queen's first cousin, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent), Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark (paternal aunt), Louis, Prince of Hesse and by Rhine (first cousin), and Antony Armstrong-Jones, Earl of Snowdon (maternal uncle via marriage).
7. His first public appearance was following the 1964 Trooping the Colour, when the Queen brought him (aged only two months) out onto the Buckingham Palace balcony in her arms before the crowds below.
8. He was educated by governesses at Buckingham Palace up to the age of seven.
9. The Prince attended Gibbs School in Kensington, and then Heatherdown Preparatory School near Ascot for his primary education.
10. For secondary education, Edward followed in the footsteps of his father and brothers by attending Gordonstoun School in Moray, Scotland, where he was made Head Boy in his last term and obtained a C-grade and two D-grades at A-level in History, English Literature, and Economic and Political Studies.
11. While at Gordonstourn, the Prince played rugby squash, as well as other sports, took gliding lessons, and was a keen skier and sailor. He also began his participation in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award.
12. Edward took a gap year, during which he was a house tutor and junior master for two terms in 1982 at the Collegiate School in Wanganui, New Zealand.
13. At Wanganui, he taught English and History and supervised activities, such as Drama and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award expeditions.
14. Back in Britain, Edward attended Jesus College, Cambridge, where he studied History and graduated in 1986 with lower second-class honors. He later obtained a Master of Arts from Cambridge in 1991.
15. At Cambridge, he participated in a number of theatrical productions and was active in sports, including learning to play Real/Royal Tennis.
16. He was also a University cadet with the Royal Marines, but left the military service within a year of his 1986 graduation from Cambridge.
17. Edward earned a Gold Award from the Duke of Edinburgh's Award for several achievements, including planning and executing a 60-mile four-day group trek from Blair Atholl to Tomintoul through the Cairngorms.
18. The Prince made a foray into the entrainment industry by first working as a production assistant for Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Theater Company - participating in productions such as The Phantom of the Opera, Starlight Express, Cats, and Aspects of Love.
19. In 1987, Edward produced his first television program - a charity event known as the The Grand Knockout Tournament (It's a Royal Knockout!) in which teams lead by Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Sarah, Duchess of York, and Prince Edward himself competed in a series of games to raise money for charities represented by the team leaders. The Queen and her courtiers were adamantly opposed to it, but Edward went ahead, and the event raised over £1 million.
20. Under the name Edward Windsor, the Prince organized Ardent Productions, which specialized in the production of dramas and documentaries - most notably Edward on Edward, a documentary about his great-uncle, Edward VIII (the Duke of Windsor).
21. In 2002, the Prince stepped down from his active role at Ardent to support the Queen's Golden Jubilee and become a full-time working member of the Royal family.
22. Edward met his future wife, Sophie Rhys-Jones, in 1994 when he was starting Ardent Productions and she was running her own public relations firm.
23. During their courtship, Edward attempted to avoid press attention by using the alias "Richard" in telephone conversations with Sophie, and when picking her up from her London apartment, he would have his protection officer ring the doorbell and escort her to the car.
24. After six years, Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones announced their engagement on January 6, 1999.
25. The Prince proposed to Rhys-Jones with a Asprey & Garrard engagement ring - estimated to be worth £105,000 - which contained a two-carat oval diamond flanked by two heart-shaped gemstones set in 18-carat white gold.
26. The wedding of Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones took place on June 19, 1999 at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, which was attended by over 500 guests and watched by over 200 million people around the world.
27. The couple broke the tradition of Royal marriages - especially those involving the child of a Sovereign - by requesting that it not be a state occasion, which meant some ceremonial aspects and the military were not involved and political figures such as Prime Minister Tony Blair were not invited.
28. On the morning of the wedding, the Queen conferred to Prince Edward the titles Earl of Wessex and Viscount Severn. The Wessex title had not been used in nearly a thousand years, but Edward was drawn to it by watching Shakespeare in Love, a 1998 film in which Colin Firth played the character with the said title. The original Earldom of Wessex covered the southwestern counties of England. Severn is a reference to his wife's Welsh ancestry.
29.The Earl and Countess of Wessex have two children: Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor (born on November 8, 2003) and James Mountbatten-Windsor, Viscount Severn (born on December 17, 2007).
30. At the time of his own birth, Prince Edward was third in line to the Commonwealth thrones. He is now eighth in line to succeed his mother.
31. The Earl and Countess of Wessex live with their children at Bagshot Park near Windsor.
32. The Prince's range of hobbies includes music, gardening, sailing and playing Real Tennis.
33. In 1986, he commissioned Cricket, a musical for his mother's 60th birthday from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, which was performed at Windsor Castle. It was the last original on which the two men collaborated.
34. The Prince served as a supporter (royal equivalent for "best man") at the weddings of both of his brothers, Prince Charles and Prince Andrew. In turn, they served as supporters at his own wedding.
35. Edward works in support of the Queen and in the interests of the many charities and organizations of which he is associated.
36. He is involved with 79 organizations and holds 8 military appointments.
37. As a veteran and admirer of stage, screen, and the arts, he is Patron of a number of organizations in these fields. These include the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, London Mozart Players, Windsor Festival, Haddo House Choral and Operatic Society, Northern Ballet, National Youth Theater of Great Britain, National Youth Orchestras of Scotland, and the Orpheus Center Trust.
38. The Earl is also involved with a number of Livery Companies (guilds), including the Worshipful Company of Fuellers, the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers, Coopers of Glasgow, Coopers of London, and the Worshipful Company of Gardeners.
39. An avid sportsman, the Earl of Wessex is associated with several sporting organizations, including being President of the Sport and Recreation Alliance. He is also Vice Patron of the Commonwealth Games Federation, as well as Patron of the British Paralympic Association, BadmintonScotland, the Tennis and Rackets Association, and the International Real Tennis Professionals Association.
40. He opened the 1990 Commonwealth Games in New Zealand and the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Malaysia.
41. In the United Kingdom, Edward currently holds numerous honorary military titles and appointments, including Royal Colonel of 2nd Battalion The Rifles, Royal Honorary Colonel of the Royal Wessex Yeomanry and the London Regiment, Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, and Honorary Air Commodore of Royal Air Force (RAF) Waddington.
42. In Canada, the Earl is Colonel-in-Chief of the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment, Prince Edward Island Regiment, and the Saskatchewan Dragoons. He is also Honorary Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
43. The Earl of Wessex makes visits to his military units and their families at their local bases or overseas wherever they are deployed.
44. This year, the Earl of Wessex is the Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland - the British monarch's official representative to the General Assembly.
45. In February and March 2012, The Earl and Countess of Wessex participated in a major tour of the Caribbean members of the Commonwealth on behalf of the Queen for the Diamond Jubilee. Highlights included the Independence Day celebrations in Saint Lucia, a joint address to both houses of the Barbados Parliament, and a visit to sites affected by volcanic eruptions in Montserrat.
46. Since receiving his Duke of Edinburgh's Gold Award in 1986, Edward has actively supported the work of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award in the UK and its international component, and his role has been growing as his father has reduced his own commitments. Edward is Trustee of both the UK and the International awards.
47. Edward's work with the D of E awards includes promoting and representing it at home and aboard. He has visited the award's branches in other countries (including the USA) and hands out the Gold Awards on behalf of his father.
48. As Earl of Wessex, Edward is the first son of a Sovereign since George I of Great Britain not to be a duke.
49. He is expected to become Duke of Edinburgh following the death of his father and the accession of his brother, Prince Charles, as King.
50. At present, Edward's full title and style is His Royal Highness The Prince Edward Antony Richard Louis, Earl of Wessex, Viscount Severn, Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, Aide-de-Camp to Her Majesty.
Photo Credit: Northern Ireland Office via Flickr cc
3 comments:
Thank you for posting the interesting facts on Prince Edward. I read them all, and one in particular jumped out at me: his involvement with the Duke of Edinburgh Awards. Having never heard of this organization, much less that it is a presence in the U.S., I checked out their website. Must say, that I am very impressed with the involvement to inspire young people to achieve goals that empower them and help to give them confidence. I am very impressed, and this is something that really speaks to my heart. I may become involved with this in a volunteer capacity.
You're very welcome, and thanks for reading, as always.
I'm happy to know that you're considering to be involved in the D of E awards. It would have been nice if my Scoutmaster's had told us about it, for I believe our experiences could have been enhanced by the awards program
Anyway, I wish you well if you decide to get involved. I'm sure they will have a place for a person like you, and I'm happy to have introduced you to it.
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