London: Prince Edward, the youngest of Queen Elizabeth II's four children, will inherit his father Prince Philip's title of the Duke of Edinburgh, according to a media report.
In recent years, the 51-year-old Prince has taken an increasingly active role with the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme. He is expected to be at the forefront of its 60th anniversary celebrations next year.
Prince Edward is rarely in the royal limelight, preferring to remain in the background quietly supporting his parents. But in a sign of growing influence, the Earl of Wessex will become the next Duke of Edinburgh, The Sunday Times reported quoting sources.
"The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is very much Prince Edward's thing. That is a big part of what he does now because he will be the next Duke of Edinburgh," a royal source was quoted as saying.
Prince Philip is president and patron of about 800 organisations and when Edward becomes the Duke of Edinburgh it is thought that he will also take on many of these roles.
The dukedom of Edinburgh was bestowed on Philip by George VI shortly before his wedding to the then Princess Elizabeth in 1947. Upon his death, the title will revert to the crown and will need to be recreated as a dukedom for Edward by the monarch.
Hugo Vickers, the royal biographer who knows the duke, said: "Prince Edward has never been personally ambitious...He has taken on the role with the (Duke of Edinburgh's) award to support his father, so it's a wonderful thing that he could take on his title when the time comes."
Prince Edward is the youngest of the four children and the third son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. At the time of his birth, Edward was third in line to succeed his mother but is currently eighth in line to the throne.
