For most of his life, he has tirelessly carried out royal duties and now has the title of the Firm's oldest working member.
But despite his quiet devotion to duty, many are unaware of the turbulent and often dramatic life of the Duke of Kent, a cousin of , who still carries out engagements on behalf of .
His rollercoaster 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 89th birthday today, here we take a look at the Duke of Kent's very colourful past...
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The Duke of Kent, whose first name is Edward, was born on this day in 1935 and is the eldest child of and Princess Marina of in Denmark - making him a first cousin of Elizabeth II. He has a younger sister, , 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, , during World War Two. The crash shook the 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 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.
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 in September 2022 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.
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 with his younger son, who also converted to Catholicism, losing his place in the Line of Succession owing to the constraints of the Succession to the Crown Act 2013.
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.
In 2022, 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 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. Lastyear, .
