Prince Edward
King Charles granted him a great honor on his 60th birthday
© Dana Press
To mark Prince Edward’s milestone birthday, the palace is not only releasing new photos of the Duke of Edinburgh: As has now become known, Edward was appointed to the Order of the Thistle.
On the occasion of his 60th birthday, new pictures were released by Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, released by Buckingham Palace. In the photos, King Charles’ youngest brother, 75, wears a red sweater under a dark button-down vest and smiles for the camera with his three dogs – a Labrador named Teal, a cocker spaniel named Mole and a Labrador puppy named Teasel. This is reported by “Mail Online”, among others. The black and white version of one of the photos can be seen on X (formerly Twitter).
Prince Edward is appointed to the Order of the Thistle
The King also inducted his brother into the Order of the Thistle, along with anthropologist Professor Dame Sue Black, distinguished jurist Baroness Helena Kennedy and Scotland’s first black professor, Sir Geoff Palmer. Appointment to the Order – Scotland’s highest honor – is solely at the discretion of the King and does not require advice from the Prime Minister.
“The Duke joins 16 knights and ladies, the Queen, the Princess Royal and the Duke of Rothesay [William] as Royal Knights of the Thistle, the highest honor in Scotland,” it says on social media.
Edward was created Duke of Edinburgh on his 59th birthday and made his first appearance with the title a few days later at the Palace of Holyroodhouse when he received attendees at the Duke of Edinburgh Awards. On his 55th birthday, his mother, Queen Elizabeth, †96, gave him the title of Earl of Forfar, which adds to his numerous patronages of Scottish charities. He was created Earl of Wessex before marrying Sophie Rhys-Jones, 59, in 1999 – a title now held by his son James Mountbatten-Windsor, 16.
Loving words from wife Countess Sophie
The Duke’s latest title comes a day after he wiped away tears as he heard his wife, Duchess Sophie, describe him as “the best of fathers” and the “most loving of husbands”. Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, said at the Community Sport and Recreation Awards in Leeds that her husband “never seeks compliments for himself – so I’m grateful for this chance to publicly celebrate and congratulate him.” In her tribute on Friday, she added: “Whatever he does, he gives 150 percent of himself, and when all else fails, he gives whatever energy he has left to our exhausted dogs or to making a mess of the garden .”
Sophie said her husband was “so happy and humble” when the late Queen made him a Knight of the Garter in 2006, and “equally delighted and moved” when King Charles made him Duke of Edinburgh last year.
On Saturday he told the Daily Mail in a rare interview: “Our role – as part of the monarchy – in trying to bring people together is as important as ever, if not more so today.”
Prince Edward was born as the fourth and last child of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, †99, on March 10, 1964 at Buckingham Palace. He is married and, in addition to his son, he and Sophie also have a daughter, Lady Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary Mountbatten-Windsor, 20.
Sources used: twitter.com, dailymail.co.uk