Table of Contents
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What is TRH The Earl and Countess of Wessex's postal address?
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How do I invite the Earl and Countess of Wessex to our function, school or to became our patron?
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Does the Earl and Countess of Wessex receive money from the civil list?
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Why doesn't HRH Sophie, the Countess of Wessex have the title of princess?
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Why doesn't Lady Louise Windsor have the title of princess or have a HRH title?
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How can the Earl of Wessex succeed the title of Duke of Edinburgh?
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I have problems searching for the Earl and Countess of Wessex online, please help.
What is TRH The Earl and Countess of Wessex's address?
You can write to the Earl and Countess of Wessex at:
Buckingham Palace
London SWIA 1AA
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How do I address the Earl and Countess of Wessex ?
In speaking to the Earl and Countess of Wessex it is best to address them as 'sir', 'ma'am.' or formally as Your Royal Highness . When speaking of the Wessex's in third person, His or Her Royal Highness is used. If you want to write to the couple you can simply address the letter to Prince Edward, Sophie or Louise.
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Do I bow or curtsey to the Earl and Countess of Wessex ?
It has became common practice in Britain to bow or curtsey to HM Queen Elizabeth II only. If you are not a subject of the United Kingdom, or a member of the Commonwealth, you do not have to bow at all. If you wish to pay such a respect to the Earl and Countess of Wessex it is best to do a simple bow of the head or a small curtsey. Women may 'bob' as well.
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How do I invite the Earl and Countess of Wessex to our functions, school or to became our patron?
If you have a worthy charity or function that you wish to invite the Earl and the Countess of Wessex to, you can write to your local- Lord Lieutenant , who can advise and get in touch with the Earl and Countess's private secretary. The Lord Lieutenant will than correspondent between Buckingham Palace, the Earl and Countess of Wessex's office and your organisation. It is advisable that you specify which royal you are inviting. If you live outside of the United Kingdom or if you wish you can correspond directly with the Earl and Countess of Wessex's Private Secretary, you can write to him at the same address I gave you earlier.
It should be noted that the itineraries of all royals are prepared well in advance, approximately a year for overseas visits and six months for engagements in the United Kingdom. So invitations should be submitted well in advance of the suggested visit. You should not be discouraged if your invitation is not accepted, try again at another time.
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Does the Earl and Countess of Wessex receive money from the civil list ?
The Earl and Countess of Wessex do not receive money from the civil list. In fact only the Duke of Edinburgh receives an annual parliamentary allowance from parliament which enables him to carry out public duties. Since 1993, the finances of other royals (except the Prince of Wales) has worked on an odd system. They still receive parliamentary annuities but the amount is paid back to them by the Queen. So in a round about way the Queen pays for the royal family.
The income of the Royals is set every ten years. The Earl of Wessex received an increase of £45,000 upon his marriage. In 2000 the annual amounts payable to members of the Royal Family were set as following:
Parliamentary annuity (not repaid by The Queen)
| HRH The Duke of Edinburgh | £359,000 |
Parliamentary annuities (repaid by The Queen)
| HRH The Duke of York | £249,000 |
| TRH The Duke and Duchess of Kent | £236,000 |
| HRH The Princess Royal | £228,000 |
| HRH Princess Alexandra | £225,000 |
| TRH The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester |
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| HRH The Earl of Wessex | £141,000 |
| HRH Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester | £87,000 |
This is the finances of the royals as it appears on the Official Royal Family site. I have written to the web master to ask him to update the site as you can see it might not have been updated, after the Earl and Countess of Wessex retired from their businesses. There had been much speculation in the press about them receiving an increase and the Countess of Wessex is not even represented on this list. Unfortunately I have not received any verification on this. If anybody can assist me, I would be more than thankful. Please note this list was published before the death of HRH Princess Alice, the Duchess of Gloucester.
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Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, Viscount Severn and Lady Louise Windsor falls seventh, eighth and nineth respectively, in the currently line of succession. They will be pushed further down the line by any future children of TRH Prince William of Wales, Prince Harry of Wales, Prince Andrew, Duke of York and his daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
Where can I see the Earl and Countess of Wessex?
If you live in the United Kingdom the Earl and Countess of Wessex undertake a number of engagements every year. A full list of this year's engagements is available on this site as it becomes available from Buckingham Palace. The Earl and Countess of Wessex also undertake a number of engagements outside of the United Kingdom, so you have to watch your local press and this site to see when they are coming to your area.
Why was the title Wessex chosen for Prince Edward?
Upon his marriage to Sophie Rhys-Jones, Prince Edward was given the title of Earl of Wessex and Viscount Severn. The title of Wessex is a new creation that mirrors the old title of Earl of Wessex in medieval English times. It is impossible to say with any clarity why the title was recreated. It is understood that this was done in order to stay in tune with the current New Labour government in England that wish to modernise the royal family and peerage system. It is also possible that the Earl of Wessex did not want a high profile title. It might also have been known to the royal family that Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh's wished for his younger son to be given the title of Duke of Edinburgh in recognition of his hard work in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and thus Edward is merely in waiting for his dukedom. The exact reasoning behind the bestowing of the title might never be known.
Why doesn't HRH Sophie, the Countess of Wessex have the title of princess?
In the British peer system, only women born royal can hold the title of Princess, such as Princess Anne, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. Women who marry into the family are given the titles of their husbands, such as Diana, Princess of Wales, Sarah, Duchess of York and Sophie, Countess of Wessex. Another way to denote their rank would be the Victorian fashion of using the husband's rank, such as Princess Michael of Kent and Princess Andrew of Greece. In this notation Sophie's title would be Princess Edward of Great Britain and Ireland.
Why doesn't Louise have the title of princess or hold an HRH title?
It was decided before the Earl and Countess of Wessex's wedding that any children they have, would not receive the title of His or Her Royal Highness. They would instead be given the honorary title of children of an Earl of the realm. Thus Louise received the title of The Honourable Lady Mountbatten-Windsor and a boy would received the title of The Honourable Lord followed by his name. The eldest son of the Earl and Countess of Wessex would also receive the title, The Honourable Viscount Severn.
This decision was the person choice of the Earl and Countess of Wessex in consultation with HM the Queen. It can only be speculated that it was done in order to allow their children to live as normal a life as possible and in keeping with the ideas of a smaller royal family.
How can the Earl of Wessex succeed the title of Duke of Edinburgh?
The Earl of Wessex will not succeed the title of Duke of Edinburgh. When the current Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip dies, the title will pass to Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales. The title will thus remain with Prince Charles until he becomes king, if he is already king the title becomes part of the crown and he can legally pass it on to his younger brother. Thus the title to be received by the Earl of Wessex will be a new creation of the title Duke of Edinburgh.
I have problems searching for the Earl and Countess of Wessex online
This is a problem a lot of people have as often you are immediately overwhelmed with links related to Prince Edward Island, Canada. I'm afraid that I haven't yet figured out how to filter those pesky hits myself. The best thing to do is to search for Prince Edward Wessex, or Edward Sophie Wessex. On an advanced search that enables you to say what you don't want, say 'not Island'. It might save you a lot of time and frustration. Caution is however needed as I often find the most interesting sites when I am simply wondering through those unwanted hits.