Second Creation (current)
| Earldom of Wessex | |
| Creation date | 19 June 1999 |
|---|---|
| Created by | Elizabeth II |
| Peerage | Peerage of the United Kingdom |
| First holder | The Prince Edward |
| Present holder | The Prince Edward |
| Heir apparent | James, Viscount Severn |
| Remainder to | heirs male of the body of grantee |
In 1999, Queen Elizabeth II's youngest son, Prince Edward, married Sophie Helen Rhys-Jones. Younger sons of the monarch have customarily been given dukedoms at the time of their marriage, and experts had suggested the former royal dukedoms of Cambridge and Sussex as the most likely to be granted to Prince Edward. Instead, the Palace announced that Prince Edward would eventually succeed to the title Duke of Edinburgh, currently held by his father. In the meantime, in keeping with the tradition of a monarch's son receiving a title upon marriage, but preserving the rank of duke for the future, Prince Edward became the first British prince in centuries to be specifically created an earl, rather than a duke. The Sunday Telegraph reported that he was drawn to the historic title Earl of Wessex after watching the 1998 film Shakespeare in Love, in which a character with that title is played by Colin Firth.
The current Earl of Wessex is also Viscount Severn; this title is used as a courtesy title by the Earl's son, who was born on 17 December 2007.
The heir apparent is the present holder's son James, Viscount Severn (b. 2007). The Earl's son is currently the only person in the line of succession to the titles of Earl of Wessex and Viscount Severn.
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Famous quotes containing the word creation:
“As the truest society approaches always nearer to solitude, so the most excellent speech finally falls into Silence. Silence is audible to all men, at all times, and in all places. She is when we hear inwardly, sound when we hear outwardly. Creation has not displaced her, but is her visible framework and foil. All sounds are her servants, and purveyors, proclaiming not only that their mistress is, but is a rare mistress, and earnestly to be sought after.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)