King Charles saving Edinburgh title for Princess Charlotte: Details

King Charles is reportedly holding out on making his brother Prince Edward the Duke of Edinburgh because he wants to hand the coveted Duchy to Prince William and Kate Middleton’s daughter Princess Charlotte.

The 74-year-old monarch’s decision to withhold the title from his younger brother, currently the Earl of Wessex, has been the point of discussion since he ascended the throne; it was long thought that Edward would inherit the Duchy of Edinburgh from his father, the late Prince Philip.

However, sources now tell The Mail on Sunday that King Charles has entirely different plans for the coveted title.

An insider said: “Discussions are under way, but the favoured outcome for the King is that this title ought to go to Princess Charlotte.”

“It would be a fitting way to remember the Queen – who, of course, had the title Duchess of Edinburgh – and a way for His Majesty to honour the line of succession,” the source explained.

Little Princess Charlotte’s importance in the line of succession was also explained by a royal insider, who shared: “Charlotte’s position is historically significant because she is the first female member of the Royal Family whose place in the line of succession will not be surpassed by her younger brother.”

“So, it is constitutionally significant that Charlotte should be given such a corresponding title, because it is not beyond the realms of possibility that she will accede the throne if, for example, Prince George does not have children,” the insider continued.

It is pertinent to note that when Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, was expecting her first child with William, the future King, the rules of royal primogeniture were changed to grant the same rights to a girl as that to a boy.

This means that Princess Charlotte remains third in line to the throne, despite a little brother, Prince Louis, being born after her. Her position in the line of succession can only change once her older brother Prince George has kids of his own.

As for the Duchy of Edinburgh; it is one of the most senior titles in the royal family, and has only been granted three times in the history of the British crown.

It was first created by George I in 1726 for his grandson Prince Frederick. It was then recreated by Queen Victoria in 1866 for her second son Prince Alfred. George VI then granted it to Prince Philip when he married the then-Princess Elizabeth in 1947.