Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie Were Nearly Given Prince William and Princess Kate's Titles Until Edward Made Unusual Request

Long before Prince William and Kate Middleton became the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, those titles were nearly bestowed on another royal couple. Back in 1999, when Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's youngest son, Prince Edward, married PR executive Sophie Rhys-Jones, there was every expectation that the newlyweds would be granted a dukedom—a tradition for royal sons on their wedding day. But in a surprising twist of fate, one Hollywood movie changed all of that—and paved the path for Prince William to be given the title 12 years later.

According to reports from the time, the late Queen had intended to grant Edward and Sophie the titles of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. But instead, Queen Elizabeth's youngest son made a request that changed royal history.

Ahead of Prince William's 2011 wedding to Kate Middleton, a royal source told the Telegraph, "Prince Edward was going to be the Duke of Cambridge, but he watched the film Shakespeare in Love, which had a character called the Earl of Wessex. He liked the sound of it and asked The Queen if he could have that instead."

It was an unusual request, not just because of the movie, but because an earl is a significantly lower-ranked title, falling under both a duke and a marquess. As the highest title available to nobility outside of a prince or king, royal sons such as Prince Andrew, Prince William and Prince Harry all received dukedoms as wedding gifts.

Some royal watchers raised eyebrows at the departure from tradition, but given Prince Edward's love of theatre and acting, choosing a title with ties to a popular movie suited his approach to royal life.

Despite initially missing out on a dukedom, the royal formerly known as "Prince Brat" was recognized for his loyalty and dedication to the Crown in a touching gesture by King Charles. On his 59th birthday, Prince Edward was finally given his dukedom, becoming the Duke of Edinburgh—the title once held by his late father, Prince Philip. All's well that ends well, indeed.