Prince Edward and Sophie Step Out in Scotland as the New Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh

Prince Edward and Sophie are in the city of their new titles.

A few hours after Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles had given his younger brother a 59th birthday present by conferring the title of Duke of Edinburgh on him, Prince Edward and Sophie appeared at an official event in the city.

Prince Edward's wife, Sophie, is now the Duchess of Edinburgh — a title last held by her mother-in-law, the late Queen Elizabeth. The couple's 15-year-old son, James, now holds Edward's previous title of Earl of Wessex.

They met with members of the Ukrainian community at Edinburgh's City Chambers to mark one year since the city's formal response to the invasion of Ukraine. During the reception, Prince Edward and Sophie met members of the Ukrainian and Eastern European diaspora in Edinburgh, including families who have made the city their home since the beginning of the conflict last year.

In a speech, Prince Edward said, "Thank you very much indeed for welcoming us to Edinburgh today on, indeed, a very special and slightly overwhelming day." He then referred to Sophie as "my wife and Duchess," prompting laughs from the crowd.

"But I also want to express my thanks to everyone who has worked so hard to make our Ukraine friends feel so very welcome," he added.

The previous holder of the Duke of Edinburgh title was King Charles and Prince Edward's late father, Prince Philip. When he died in 2021, the title had passed to Charles as his eldest son. On Friday morning, the King's office said that he had awarded it to Prince Edward.

In their statement, the palace said, "His Majesty The King has been pleased to confer the Dukedom of Edinburgh upon The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Forfar, on the occasion of His Royal Highness's 59th birthday," Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Friday. "The title will be held by Prince Edward for His Royal Highness's lifetime."

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"The Dukedom was last created for Prince Philip in 1947, upon his marriage to Princess Elizabeth, who held the title of Duchess of Edinburgh before acceding to the throne in 1952," the release added. "The new Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are proud to continue Prince Philip's legacy of promoting opportunities for young people of all backgrounds to reach their full potential."

In a week full of royal title news, the announcement followed Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's children's titles being updated on the royal family's website on Thursday to read "Prince Archie of Sussex" and "Princess Lilibet of Sussex." They were previously styled as "Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor" and "Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor."

Prince Edward's new status had long been a wish of his father.

In 1999, a statement from Buckingham Palace which announced the couple would be titled the Earl and Countess of Wessex also noted, "The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales have also agreed that the Prince Edward should be given the Dukedom of Edinburgh in due course, when the present title now held by the Prince Philip eventually reverts to the Crown."

Towards the end of his life, Prince Edward continued representing Prince Philip at award ceremonies for the Duke of Edinburgh volunteering program for young people, which Queen Elizabeth's husband created.