HRH The Earl of Wessex - Information, Royal Family

HRH The Earl of Wessex

Full name: Edward Antony Richard Louis Mountbatten Windsor

Full title: HRH The Earl of Wessex

Born: London, March 10 1964, youngest child of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh.

Education: Heatherdown Preparatory School, Ascot, Gordonstoun School, Scotland, and Jesus College, Cambridge, where he studied history. He graduated as a Bachelor of Arts in 1986.

Marriage and family: Married Sophie Rhys-Jones on June 19 1999 in St George's Chapel, Windsor. Miss Rhys-Jones is now known as HRH The Countess of Wessex.

They have one daughter, Louise, born November 8th 2003, she is eighth in line to the throne. They have agreed that any offspring will not have the title His or Her Royal Highness, instead they will have courtesy titles as children of an earl.

Official roles: The Earl of Wessex and Viscount Severn; Trustee of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme; Patron of several theatrical and musical organisations, including the National Youth Music Theatre and the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester; the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland; and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Chorus.

President of the Commonwealth Games Federation; Patron of the Ocean Youth Club; Patron of the Scottish Badminton Union; Commander of the Royal Victorian Order.

Life and times

After three years as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Marines, Prince Edward caused a stir by breaking with family tradition and quitting the Services.

He joined the Theatre Division and Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Theatre Company before forming Ardent Productions Limited in 1993, a television production company of which he was Director of Production, however, he gave that up to concentrate solely on royal duties.

The arts are one of his great loves, and he is especially interested in organisations which bring the arts to young people. Since achieving the gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award he has been closely involved with the work of the charity and travels widely to represent it.

The Earl enjoys a number of sports, such as horse-riding, sailing, skiing, badminton and the unusual game of Royal or Real Tennis, which he took up at university after injury ended his rugby days.