King Charles appoints Duke of Edinburgh to Scotland’s Order of the Thistle in honor of his 60th birthday

King Charles had a special birthday present for his youngest brother, Prince Edward.Chris Jelf/WPA Pool/Shutterstock

King Charles lll awarded his youngest brother, Prince Edward, Scotland’s Order of the Thistle to mark his 60th birthday on Sunday.

“On the occasion of The Duke of Edinburgh’s 60th birthday tomorrow, His Majesty The King has been graciously pleased to appoint His Royal Highness to the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle,” a statement posted to the royal family’s Twitter page on March 9 read.

The award, which can only be bestowed by the reigning monarch, is the highest royal honor in Scotland.

The reigning monarch paid tribute to his brother by bestowing him with the Order of the Thistle. Getty Images The youngest child of the late Queen Elizabeth ll posed for new photos with his dogs on his milestone birthday. Chris Jelf/WPA Pool/Shutterstock

It recognizes 16 men and women, or members of the royal family, who have made a contribution to national life.

Along with Edward, who celebrated his milestone birthday with a new snap of himself posing with his three dogs, the Order of the Thistle was also awarded to anthropologist Professor Dame Sue Black, lawyer Baroness Helena Kennedy and the country’s first black professor Sir Geoff Palmer, among others.

Last year, Charles’ wife Queen Camilla was among the 16 recipients.

“His Majesty The King has been graciously pleased to appoint His Royal Highness to the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle,” a statement from the palace read Sunday. Getty Images Edward previously gave a rare interview after his brother gave him the Duke of Edinburgh title in 2023. Getty Images

The King also honored his youngest brother in 2023 by giving him the title of the Duke of Edinburgh, which was previously held by their father, Prince Phillip.

During an appearance on “Love Your Weekend,” Edward spoke to gardening expert Alan Titchmarsh about the “weight of expectation” that accompanied the title.

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“It was a huge privilege … there’s an awful lot of legacy that came with that title and everything that my father had done,” he said in the interview, which aired Saturday.

“Especially when you’re not inheriting it, this is a choice … that comes with all the expectations that people have. It’s just the weirdest and strangest feeling. You walk into a room and, particularly still today, there are name places on a card and I still look around going ‘Yes, but where am I sitting?’”

“It was a huge privilege … there’s an awful lot of legacy that came with that title,” he said in a TV appearance. Getty Images The Duke of Edinburgh title was previously held by the pair’s father, Prince Philip. Getty Images

Philip was the Duke of Edinburgh when he died in April 2021 at age 99.

His late wife, Queen Elizabeth II, previously held the title of Duchess of Edinburgh before acceding the throne in 1952. In fact, the Dukedom was created for Philip upon his marriage to the queen, who passed away in 2022.

Though the title briefly went to Charles until he officially became king, a Buckingham Palace statement noted that the position will be “held by Prince Edward for His Royal Highness’s lifetime.”