The Queen's favourite cousin turns 89 today

He stood by Queen Elizabeth's side for her entire 70-year reign and now continues to loyally serve the King. 

Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, turns 89 today and has dedicated his life to the monarchy. 

He inherited his title at just six years old when his father, Prince George, passed away in a plane crash in 1942.

Edward was particularly close with Elizabeth, who was his first cousin, and she attended his christening when she was nine. 

He was one of three dukes who paid homage to her during her Coronation in 1953, and since then has been a working member of the Royal Family.

Edward promised Elizabeth he would be her 'liege man of life and limb' and, decades later, he is still serving and involved with over 140 charities and other organisations.

His steadfast loyalty was on display in May 2021 when he was the Queen's 'plus one' at Trooping the Colour following the death of Prince Philip the previous month.

The following year, he walked behind the Queen's coffin as it was carried to Westminster Abbey during her funeral procession. 

Despite stepping down from some roles recently, including as Colonel of the Scots Guards in April this year, the Duke remains very active.

In May he celebrated 55 years as president of the RNLI, and visited Fraserbrugh Lifeboat Station to mark the occasion. 

Born October 9, 1935 to Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark and Prince George, the Duke was named after his father's elder brother, Edward.

The Daily Mail reported at the time how a black cat was seen 'sat on the doorstep of the house and groomed itself'. It was seen as a 'crowning confirmation of good luck' for the new royal baby.

Edward's birth was celebrated with the 'firing of the Park and Tower guns,' the newspaper reported.

He grew up with two younger siblings - Princess Alexandra and Prince Michael.

Edward was educated at Eton and then boarded at Le Rosey School in Switzerland before starting his military training at Sandhurst in 1953.

Many Royals have followed in his footsteps since including Prince William and Prince Harry who both graduated from the military school.

He served in the military for 21 years and was based in conflict zones including Northern Ireland and Cyprus.

The Duke has always been a keen driver. In 1954 he was involved in a car accident which left him in hospital with concussion -  but it in no way deterred him from getting back behind the wheel. 

Just three months later the Duke's new car collided with a fallen tree, leaving him with a scratch above his right eye.

But it was in July 1955 that the Duke had a real dance with death. The then 19-year-old's 2.5-litre Sunbeam convertible hit a tree and plunged into a ditch near Sandhurst.

Prince Edward, his head bleeding and bruised, had to crawl from the twisted wreckage.

In his most recent accident, in June 2019, the Duke's Jaguar collided with a Mini being driven by a university student.

The young woman later recalled her 'terrifying ordeal', which saw the Duke allegedly pull out in front of her car, forcing her to slam on the brakes and then crash into the central reservation.

Edward met his wife, Katharine Worsley, in the 1950s when he was serving at the Yorkshire base of his regiment, the Royal Scots Greys.

The couple married in 1961 and thousands of people lined the 23-mile route between the wedding venue, York Minster, and Katharine's family home.

Her wedding dress was made of 250 yards of organdie that was woven with masses of silver thread.

They spent their honeymoon in a secluded villa in Majorca, before celebrating the birth of their first child the following year.

The arrival of George, Earl of St Andrews, was followed by Lady Helen in 1964 and Lord Nicholas six years after that. Socialite Lady Amelia Windsor is one of his grandchildren.

But the family unit was hit by tragedy in 1975 when, according to reporting at the time, the Duchess underwent an abortion after contracting German measles while pregnant.

Another pregnancy two years later ended with a stillbirth that triggered a bout of severe depression for the Duchess.

While she had returned to royal duties by 1979, the death of her baby son, named Patrick, continued to hit her hard and she spent seven weeks in hospital for treatment and rest.

The Duke's own relationship with his wife was suffering too and there were reports that he had consulted the Queen about the possibility of divorce. After she allegedly advised that they try to stay together, the couple did not split.

Though they are still formally together, they have lived separately for many years, with Katharine shunning her HRH title and preferring to use her first name rather than being addressed as a duchess.

The couple's official residence is Wren House at Kensington Palace.