Earl of Wessex rather than a duke. His wife Sophie became "The Countess of Wessex". "The Sunday Telegraph" newspaper reported that he was drawn to the historic title of Earl of Wessex after watching the 1998 film "Shakespeare in Love", in which a character with the title 'Lord Wessex' is played by Colin Firth. The current Earl of Wessex is also Viscount Severn. This subsidiary title is used as a courtesy title by the Earl's son and heir to his title, who was born on 17 December 2007. Earl of Wessex Earl of Wessex is a title that has been created three times
Earl of Wharncliffe Earl of Wharncliffe Earl of Wharncliffe, in the West Riding of the County of York, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The title was created in 1876 for Edward Montagu-Stuart-Wortley-Mackenzie, 3rd Baron Wharncliffe. He was a descendant of Edward Wortley Montagu (grandson of Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich,) and his wife, the author Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. Their daughter, Mary, married the future Prime Minister John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute (see the Marquess of Bute for earlier history of the Stuart family). Their second son, the Hon. James, succeeded to the Wortley estates in