| Earldom of Forfar held with Earldom of Wessex | |
| Creation Date: | 10 March 2019 |
| Creation: | Second |
| Peerage: | Peerage of the United Kingdom |
| First Holder: | Lord Archibald Douglas |
| Present Holder: | Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh |
| Heir Apparent: | James, Earl of Wessex |
| Remainder To: | the 1st Earl's heirs male of the body lawfully begotten |
| Status: | Extant |
| Family Seat: | Bagshot Park |
Earl of Forfar is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of Scotland and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The name of the earldom refers to Forfar, the county town of Angus, Scotland. The current holder is Prince Edward, son of Elizabeth II and brother of Charles III.
The title was first created in 1661 in the Peerage of Scotland as a subsidiary title to the Earldom of Ormond. This first creation of the title became extinct in 1715.[1]
The dignity of Earl of Forfar in the Peerage of the United Kingdom was granted in 2019 to Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, on the occasion of his 55th birthday. This earldom was given in addition to the two titles (Earl of Wessex and Viscount Severn) that he received on his wedding day and afforded Prince Edward and his wife Sophie a Scottish title to use when in Scotland before they had the Dukedom of Edinburgh. [1] Unlike his brother (Prince Andrew, Earl of Inverness) and nephews (Prince William, Earl of Strathearn and Prince Harry, Earl of Dumbarton), Prince Edward did not receive a Scottish title on the occasion of his marriage.
The County of Forfar, renamed Angus in 1928, contains Glamis Castle, the seat of the Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne, from whom Prince Edward's grandmother Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother was descended.
In July 2019, the Earl and Countess visited Forfar on their first official visit to the town since the Queen granted the title in March 2019.[2] He was presented with 'Earl of Forfar' tartan, to decorate the Earl and Countess, by a town firm – the Strathmore Woollen Company. The weave is based on the existing Forfar tartan, which it designed in 2004 on the colours from the Forfar coat of arms. The geometry remains virtually the same, but the colours have been strengthened, with Azure blue replaced by the St Andrew's blue of the Scottish flag, and white yarns replaced by a brown to reflect the rich agriculture of the surrounds.[3] [4] [5]
The couple visited Forfar again in the summer of 2021.[6]
Subsidiary title was Lord Wandell and Hartside (Peerage of Scotland, 1661).
| Prince Edward
House of Windsor
2019–present
also: Duke of Edinburgh (2023), Earl of Wessex (1999), Viscount Severn (1999)| | 10 March 1964
Buckingham Palace, London
son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip| 19 June 1999
Sophie Rhys-Jones
2 children|
now old|-|}