Prince Edward, the Earl of Sussex, is titled differently than his brothers, Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall, and Prince Andrew, the Duke of York. He reportedly waived his privilege to be titled as a duke when he got married to Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999.
According to The Telegraph, Prince Edward asked his mother, Queen Elizabeth, to name him as Lord Wessex, and his wife the Lady of Wessex, because he apparently loved the sound of it after hearing it in the movie Shakespeare in Love. However, Wessex does not exist in the current regions of the United Kingdom, although it was prominent during the old Anglo-Saxon period of England in the 10th Century. So, because he couldn't be the Duke of Wessex as the dukedom was non-existent, the Queen gave Prince Edward the title Earl of Wessex, and Sophie was named the Countess of Wessex.
But according to Daily Express, even as the title of Earl is less prominent than Duke, Prince Edward and Sophie could one day inherit the dukedom of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. Technically, the heir to the throne inherits their father's title, which would mean that Prince Charles should become the Duke of Edinburgh when the time comes. Only, Queen Elizabeth reissued this particular title to Prince Edward since Prince Charles was destined to be King of England.
As the heir to the Duke of Edinburgh's title and privileges, Prince Edward has been performing his duties on behalf of Prince Philip, who retired from his royal public life in 2017. Since then, Prince Edward has been taking quite an active role in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme that looks after over 800 organizations supported by Queen Elizabeth's husband. Sources said that this is pretty much Prince Edward's thing to do.
Meanwhile, there have been reports that Prince Philip, who is now 98 years old, doesn't feel as energetic as he used to be. Insiders said that the duke has been quite unwell in the past few weeks and has been resting at Queen Elizabeth's Sandringham estate.
Before this, Prince Philip was still riding the carriage, fishing, and driving up their royal estates. He's no longer allowed to drive on public roads though since his car accident in January.
Despite the physical weakness, the source said that Prince Philip's mind remains sharp as ever. But, Queen Elizabeth and him are still doing a lot of sacrifices for the crown as Her Majesty is still actively doing her duties despite feeling isolated and cut off without Prince Philip by his side. The elderly royals haven't been seeing each other regularly since Queen Elizabeth is at Buckingham Palace on most days. They do, however, talk every night, according to palace sources.
