EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION

Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, was born on 9 October 1935 at the family's London home, 3 Belgrave Square. He was baptised as Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick.

His father was Prince George, Duke of Kent, the younger brother of King George VI and King Edward VIII. His mother, Princess Marina, was the daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece.

He has two younger siblings: Prince Michael of Kent, and Princess Alexandra.

The Duke's family moved from London to Buckinghamshire in 1936 shortly after his birth.

In 1942 Prince George, Duke of Kent died in a tragic wartime flying accident near Caithness in Scotland while on active service.

The title Duke of Kent passed to the present Duke. It dates back to the eleventh century when William I conferred it on his half-brother Bishop Odo. It was revived at the end of the eighteenth century, when it was given to Queen Victoria's father Edward. The current Duke's father, Prince George, had received the title in 1934 when he married Princess Marina of Greece.

The Duke's schooling began at Ludgrove preparatory school in Berkshire (where, more recently, Prince Harry was also a pupil). He later went on to Eton and then Le Rosey in Switzerland.

At Eton he enjoyed rowing and in Switzerland he captained his regimental ski team in the Army championships.

The Duke of Kent assumed his Royal role while still at school. Aged 16, he walked behind the coffin of his uncle, King George VI, at his State funeral. In 1953, he attended the Coronation of his cousin, Queen Elizabeth II, paying homage after Prince Philip and Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester.

After school he entered Sandhurst, where he won the Sir James Moncrieff Grierson prize for foreign languages and qualified as an interpreter of French.