New images have been released of Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, to mark his 60th birthday.
In the photos, the King’s youngest brother is wearing a red jumper underneath a dark buttoned waistcoat, and smiling with his three dogs, a labrador called Teal, a cocker spaniel named Mole and a labrador puppy, Teasel.
The King has also appointed his brother to the Order of the Thistle, alongside anthropologist Professor Dame Sue Black, distinguished lawyer Baroness Helena Kennedy and Scotland’s first black professor Sir Geoff Palmer.
Appointments to the order – the highest honour in Scotland – are entirely the decision of the King and do not require prime ministerial advice.
Edward was made Duke of Edinburgh for his 59th birthday and had his first solo engagement with the title at the Palace of Holyroodhouse a few days later, hosting participants in the Duke of Edinburgh Awards.
For his 55th birthday, his mother Queen Elizabeth II gave him the title of Earl of Forfar, to add to his several Scottish charity patronages.
He was made Earl of Wessex before marrying Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999 – a title that is now held by his son James.
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The duke’s latest title comes a day after he wiped away tears while listening to his wife describe him as “the best of fathers” and the “most loving of husbands”.
Speaking at the Community Sport and Recreation Awards in Leeds, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh said her husband “never seeks compliments for himself – which is why I am grateful for this chance to be able to publicly celebrate and compliment him”.
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In her tribute to him on Friday, she added: “Whatever he is doing, he gives 150% of himself and, if all else fails, he gives any energy he has left to our exhausted dogs or laying waste to the garden.”
Sophie said her husband had been “so happy and humbled” when the late Queen Elizabeth II made him a Knight of the Garter in 2006, and “equally delighted and moved” when King Charles made him Duke of Edinburgh last year.
On Saturday, he told the Daily Mail in a rare interview: “Our role – being part of the monarchy – in trying to bring people together is as important as ever, if not more so today.
“I think we all wonder how we can reach out to those communities who perhaps don’t always think that this, the monarchy, is something for them.”
