Inside the life of oldest working royal who is part of hidden organisation
He's tirelessly carried out royal duties for most of his life and is now the Firm's oldest working member. But despite his devotion to duty, many are unaware of the turbulent and often dramatic life of the Duke of Kent, a cousin of the late Queen, who still carries out engagements on behalf of the new monarch, King Charles.
His roller coaster life has seen him combine his royal service with heading up one of the most secretive organisations and experiencing religious scandal within his own family. And as he marks his 88th birthday today, here we take a look at the Duke of Kent's very colourful past...
The Duke of Kent with the Princess of Wales at Wimbledon in 2021 (Corinne Dubreuil/AbacaPress / SplashNews.com)The Duke of Kent, whose first name is Edward, was born on this day in 1935 and is the eldest child of Prince George and Princess Marina of Greece in Denmark - making him a first cousin of Elizabeth II. He has a younger sister, Princess Alexandra, and a younger brother, Prince Michael of Kent.
At the age of just six, and just after the birth of Princess Michael, his father George was tragically killed in an RAF plane crash in Caithness, Scotland, during World War Two. The crash shook the Royal Family to its core and six-year-old Edward then inherited his father's titles of Duke of Kent, Earl of St Andrews and Baron Downpatrick.
Like Princes William and Harry, although much earlier, he was educated at both Ludgrove Prep School as well as Eton College before he went to Le Rosey Institute in Switzerland. And like the young princes, he also attended the Sandhurst Military Academy, which set him up for a distinguished 20-year career in the Army.
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The Duke with his wife Katharine (Getty Images)The Duke's first big moment in royal life came in 1953 when as an 18-year-old he took part in the late Queen's Coronation and solemnly pledged to be her "liege man of life and limb" - a promise he upheld until she died last year at the age of 96. Later that decade, he met his future wife Katharine Worsley, the daughter of a Yorkshire landowner, and in 1961, the couple tied the knot in a glitzy wedding at York Minster that captivated the country's imagination.
The couple have three children - George, Earl of St Andrews, Lady Helen Taylor and Lord Nicholas Windsor. They also have 10 grandchildren, including the model who was once dubbed the world's most beautiful royal Lady Amelia Windsor.
The Duke devoted his life to serving his cousin the late Queen (Getty Images)
The 88-year-old had a distinguished Army career (Getty Images)However, the couple suffered heartbreak in 1977 when their son Patrick was stillborn. The Duchess of Kent later opened up about how she suffered from severe depression after this and reports once suggested she and the Duke had been on the verge of splitting, although they decided to remain together.
In 1994, the Duke and his wife made headlines, when she she converted to Roman Catholicism. While this was a significant move for a member of the Royal Family to make, it did not affect Edward and his place in the line of succession. It has, however, impacted members of his immediate family as many of them have lost their place in the Line of Succession owing to the constraints of the Succession to the Crown Act 2013.
The Duke at King Charles' Coronation with sister Princess Alexandra (left) and the Duchess of Gloucester (right) (Getty Images)Both the Duke and Duchess's official home is Wren House at Kensington Palace, although Katharine has all but retreated from public life. She is hardly ever seen with her husband now and does not use the title or HRH status.
During that time, Edward has dedicated his time to causes such as the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, the Stroke Association and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. From 1969 to 2021, he was president of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club and would famously present the winners of Wimbledon with their trophies each year.
Interestingly, one of the duke's most famous associations is the Freemasons. He was initiated into the secretive organisation in 1963 and has risen through the ranks ever since. In 1967, he was made the Grand Master and marked his 50th anniversary as a Freemason in 2013.
Last year, he made the shock move of releasing a memoir - although he had the blessing of the late Queen and it proved non-controversial in the slightest when compared to Harry's. He wrote about the former monarch: "I always felt I wanted to support her. That's by far the most important thing in life."
He remained close to the late Queen and joined her for two of her final appearances on the Buckingham Palace balcony to commemorate her historic Platinum Jubilee. Despite his age, he was also seen walking behind her coffin in Westminster Abbey after her death and was one of few guests to have attended her funeral and that of her father George VI in 1952. Earlier this year, he attended the Coronation and featured in the official photos, while today, the official Royal Family Twitter account sent out a public birthday message.
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