We’re taking a step back in time to the young years of Prince Edward to take a glimpse into what life was like for the royal.
Keep reading and take a scroll down memory lane with the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip…
Prince Edward is the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip (Credit: James Gray/ANL/Shutterstock)
Prince Edward when he was young
These days, Prince Edward is 15th in line to the British throne.
He is now known as the Duke of Edinburgh and, since 2002, has fulfilled thousands of engagements for the British monarchy.
But once upon a time, Prince Edward was third in line to the throne and had a successful future ahead of him.
Although a date isn’t given, this image below was likely taken in 1980. It depicts a teenage Edward watching the veterinary inspection at the Badminton Horse Trials, alongside his mother, the queen.
Prince Edward was often snapped with his royal relatives (Credit: James Gray/Daily Mail/Shutterstock)
Edward’s formative years were punctuated by education and brushes with the spotlight.
Edward was born on March 10, 1964 at Buckingham Palace in London to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.
Even in 2025, he is still the most recent child to be born to a reigning British monarch.
His birth was apparently the only one witnessed by his father, the then Duke of Edinburgh.
Prince Edward’s education
Edward’s early years were spent being tutored by a governess at Buckingham Palace. He then attended Collingham College in Kensington.
He later followed in the footsteps of his older brothers and his father by moving to Gordonstoun school in Northern Scotland.
He was appointed head boy in his final term there. After achieving A-Levels, Edward spent a year as a house tutor in New Zealand.
After 12 months he returned to the UK to read History at Jesus College, University of Cambridge.
During his time abroad he was visited by Princess Diana and Prince Charles during their official tour of New Zealand.
Prince Charles and Princess Diana visited Edward when he was tutoring in New Zealand in the April of 1983 (Credit: Shutterstock)
The newlyweds visited Edward at the Whanganui Collegiate School, where he was teaching.
A young Prince Edward at university
The image below shows Prince Edward cycling to his first lesson at Cambridge university in 1983.
Prince Edward on his first day at term reading History at Cambridge University (Credit: James Gray/Daily Mail/Shutterstock)
It seems his punctuality paid off and Edward graduated in 1986 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.
Following his graduation, Edward joined the Royal Marines.
The Royal Marines had reportedly sponsored his tuition at Cambridge on condition of his future service (he had signed up to join the service three years prior).
Prince Edward doing his three day assessment course before joining the Royal Marines at Lympstone in 1986 (Credit: John Walters/ANL/Shutterstock)
Much to his father’s reported displeasure, Edward dropped out of the commando course after completing just one-third of the 12-month training.
Despite reports, it was also claimed that Prince Philip had been sympathetic of Edward’s choice to drop out.
Prince Edward dropped out of the Royal Marines
Buckingham Palace said at the time that Edward’s change of heart came after “much consideration”.
They also said that he was leaving with great regret “but has concluded that he does not wish to make the service his long-term career”.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s love of acting
After leaving the military service, Edward pursued a very different career, as portrayed by this snap of the prince donning a Shakespearean doublet at the dress rehearsal of In The Taming Of The Shrew.
Prince Edward had a passion for acting (Credit: Keith Waldegrave/Mail On Sunday/Shutterstock)
The young prince was passionate about acting and entertainment and even commissioned the 1986 musical Cricket from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice for his mother’s 60th birthday celebration.
Prince Edward would go on a very different path to his fellow royal brothers (Credit: Photo by Clive Limpkin/ANL/Shutterstock)
Thus, leading to a job offer at Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Theatre Company, where he worked as a production assistant.
It was here that he met actress Ruthie Henshall, who he went on to reportedly date off and on for six years. All the while, Edward was beginning to catch the attention of the public.
Prince Edward on stage in 1985 (Credit: Shutterstock)
Edward went on to produce the TV show, The Grand Knockout Tournament, informally known as It’s a Royal Knockout, on June 15, 1987.
The production included four teams sponsored by him and his royal siblings, which competed for charity.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t a hit with the critics.
Even the queen was said to be unimpressed by the concept, with her courtiers allegedly advising against it.
Despite this, the programme raised over £1,500,000 for its selected charities.
In 1993, the prince founded the television production company Ardent Productions, which was involved in a string of documentaries and dramas.
Edward’s early life focused on education before he pursued a career in entertainment after dropping out of the military (Credit: David Hartley/Shutterstock)
Prince Edward’s production company drama
However, this endeavour also seemed to also face criticism.
The prince was accused of using his royal connections for financial gain. Ardent was even described as “a sad joke” by industry experts.
Edward’s productions were better received in the US. Especially a 1996 documentary about his great-uncle Edward VIII, which was a hit worldwide.
Meanwhile, Ardent productions was still suffering and the company was said to have reported losses each year, except the one year Edward didn’t take a salary from the company’s earnings.
Prince Edward shared a close friendship with Princess Diana (Credit: Mike Hollist/Daily Mail/Shutterstock)
Things went from bad to worse for Edward’s Ardent productions and a two-man film crew filming for the company later allegedly invaded the privacy of Prince William when he was studying at the University of St Andrews in 2001.
In doing so, the company went against industry guidelines regarding the privacy of members of the royal family.
And of course, this was said to have left the then-Prince of Wales (Charles, now King Charles) fuming.
The following year, Edward stepped down as production director and joint managing director of Ardent.
Prince Edward’s younger years
Although Edward’s career was turbulent, he enjoyed downtime like the rest of his royal relatives.
Edward is a fan of sport (Credit: James Gray/Daily Mail/Shutterstock)
He was a fan of rugby and enjoyed equestrian sports.
Prince Edward photographed at the 1982 Royal Windsor Horse Show (Credit: Shutterstock)
The now Duke of Edinburgh never neglected his royal duties or his love of the entertainment industry.
Edward now holds 70 charity and organisation patronages. He is probably most notably a patron of the National Youth Theatre.
His charity work is fittingly focused on the arts and athletics.
Edward wed Duchess Sophie in 1999 and the couple went on to welcome two children, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Earl of Wessex.
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