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Privacy NoticeThe Order of Succession is something that cannot be altered by personal preference. While the British royals understand this, it would seem that one foreign country had not grasped this as they made a rather strange offer to the Duke of Edinburgh in 1994. Huge socio-political change in the country at the time prompted them to ask the late Queen’s youngest son, Prince Edward, to serve as their head of state. The unusual offer was called “charming” but had to be sensibly declined by Buckingham Palace. However, had the unique offer been accepted, it would have changed everything that has unfolded since.
The couple became the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh in March 2023
(Image: 2022 Max Mumby/Indigo)
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1994, several new countries were created in Eastern Europe, one of which was Estonia. During Estonia’s first elections, the Independent Royalist Party wished for the country to be a monarchy. They won eight seats in Parliament and went about trying to find someone to take on the top job. The Sunday Telegraph revealed at the time that the leader of the party had written to the Royal Family to ask if Prince Edward would become their king as they thought he was “perfect” for the role. Sign up to OK!’s royal newsletter to get updates sent to your inbox for free
The offer was made to Prince Edward in 1994
(Image: Getty)
It was further said that the country would be honoured if he would accept as the party admired him “enormously”. Following the unusual request, Buckingham Palace are reputed to have written back, saying that it was “a charming idea but a rather unlikely one”. While the odd offer was made to Prince Edward, both he and Sophie saw a huge shift in their titles in March earlier this year when they became the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. The title bares an extra significance for Sophie as the last Duchess of Edinburgh was the late Queen – with whom she shared an especially close bond – who was styled that way from her wedding in 1947 until her accession in 1952. The Duchess previously recalled the moment she and Prince Edward were told Prince Philip would like them to take on the Dukedom of Edinburgh in an interview with the Telegraph. She said: “We sat there slightly stunned. He literally came straight in and said, ‘Right. I’d like it very much if you would consider that’.”
The couple almost had another title
(Image: Getty Images/Pool)
This was not the only title that the couple could have had. Before their wedding day in 1999, an announcement from the palace shared that the couple would be known as The Earl and Countess of Wessex. This news took royal fans by surprise because it was widely assumed that Edward, as the Queen’s youngest son, would receive a Dukedom like his older siblings. Interestingly, it later emerged that the late Queen did offer the title of Duke of Cambridge (which Prince William and Kate hold, alongside their Prince and Princess of Wales titles) to Edward and Sophie. But, in a surprising twist, Edward declined.
The couple married in 1999
(Image: PA)
In choosing to become an Earl, Prince Edward broke tradition – becoming the first Royal in his position since the time of the Tudors. Yet, this wasn’t a sign of disrespect from the Queen; on the contrary, it was Edward who had requested the unique title of Earl of Wessex. The Earldom of Wessex hadn’t been used since the 11th century, but Edward reportedly had a chat with the Queen about reviving it, influenced by a character called Lord Wessex from his favourite film, Shakespeare in Love. Adding context to Edward’s peculiar request, a Royal insider shared with the Telegraph in 2010: “He liked the sound of it and asked the Queen if he could have that instead.”Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnSophie, Duchess of EdinburghPrince EdwardRoyal Family
