HRH The Duke and Duchess of Kent
Full name: Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick
Born: London, October 9 1935, eldest son of Prince George and Princess Marina. He is a cousin of The Queen, and his father was the fourth son of King George V. His mother was the daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece.
Education: Ludgrove preparatory school in Berkshire, Eton and then Le Rosey in Switzerland.
Marriage and family: Married Katharine Worsley, youngest child and only daughter of Sir William and Lady Worsley on June 8 1961 in York Minster.
They have three children - George, Earl of St Andrews (b. June 1962), Lady Helen Taylor (b. April 1964) and Lord Nicholas Windsor (b. July 1970). None of their children carry out official royal duties.
Official roles: Duke of Kent; Personal Aide de Camp to The Queen; Colonel of the Scots Guards and Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, of the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment and of the Lorne Scots Regiment (in Canada); Deputy Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and Honorary Air Chief Marshal.
Vice-Chairman of the British Overseas Trade Board (BOTB); Knight of the Garter; Patron of more than 100 diverse charities and organisations including the British Computer Society and the Leukaemia Research Fund.
President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the RAF Benevolent Fund, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, the Automobile Association, the Engineering Council and the Stroke Association; Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society and Visitor of Cranfield University; Chancellor of Surrey University and honorary graduate of the Universities of Durham, Leeds and York.
Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of Freemasons of England; Patron of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Trinity College of Music and the Hanover Band; President of the Football Association, the Wimbledon All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club and President-in-Chief of the British Racing Drivers' Club.
Life and times
The Duke of Kent inherited his title after the tragic death of his father, killed in a flying accident while on active service in 1942.
After school he entered Sandhurst, where he won the Sir James Moncrieff Grierson prize for languages and qualified as an interpreter of French.
The Duke's Army career with the Royal Scots Greys lasted 21 years, including taking command of a regiment serving in Cyprus as part of the United Nations force. The Duke retired in 1976 with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, and was promoted to Field Marshal in June 1993.
He is now heavily involved in promoting British trade abroad as Vice-Chairman of the British Overseas Trade Board (BOTB), joining many overseas trade missions and visiting companies across the United Kingdom.
He also travels widely on public business, and has represented The Queen at many important overseas occasions.
One of his most well-known public roles is as President of the Football Association, through which he has become a familiar sight at the annual FA Cup final at Wembley.
Activities and interests
The Duke's sporting interests include skiing, flying and tennis. He is an opera fan and an enthusiastic photographer.