"His Majesty The King has been pleased to confer the Dukedom of Edinburgh upon The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Forfar, on the occasion of His Royal Highness's 59th birthday," an official bulletin from Buckingham Palace said.

Prince Edward is the youngest of the late Queen's four children.

The Dukedom was last created for his father Prince Philip before his marriage to the then Princess Elizabeth in November 1947.

Prince Philip died in 2021 at the age of 99 and was said to have been keen for the title to pass to Edward.

Prince Philip had been CGF President for over 30 years and also initiated the Duke of Edinburgh’s award scheme which encouraged outdoor activities and self reliance. 

"The new Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are proud to continue Prince Philip’s legacy of promoting opportunities for young people of all backgrounds to reach their full potential," the Palace statement continued.

The Prince is currently in Edinburgh with his wife Sophie, who becomes Duchess of Edinburgh, a title last held by the late Queen before her accession to the throne in 1952.

He was only six when the Commonwealth Games were first staged in Edinburgh in 1970, but when the Games returned to the city in 1986, he joined other members of the Royal Family and even participated in a Mexican wave at Meadowbank during the athletics.

Prince Edward succeeded his father as CGF President after the 1986 Games.

It was at the 1990 Games in Auckland that he first read the Queen’s message to Commonwealth athletes and opened the Games on her behalf.

Earlier in the Ceremony, he had received the traditional Maori challenge to a stranger and watched as athletes participated in the Hongi, a ritual of friendship.

Prince Edward also read the Queen's message at the 1998 Opening Ceremony when the Games were held in Kuala Lumpur.

After the reorganisation of the CGF, he became its Vice-Patron with the duty of closing the Games, a role he has performed at every Games since Melbourne 2006 including the most recent on in Birmingham last August,

On the final day of Birmingham 2022, he had presented the medals at the men’s hockey.

The title Duke of Edinburgh will be held by Prince Edward for his lifetime.