Who Is the Earl Marshal, Duke of Norfolk? All About King Charles' Coronation Organizer

Edward Fitzalan-Howard continues royal tradition held by his family since 1672

King Charles' coronation organizer Earl Marshal, the Duke of Norfolk, uniquely inherited the royal responsibility through his peerage title.

Edward Fitzalan-Howard, the current Earl Marshal and 18th Duke of Norfolk, is the force behind orchestrating the crowning ceremony at Westminster Abbey on May 6. The 66-year-old courtier is a father of five, goes by Eddie to his friends and is considered to be both the most senior lay member of the Catholic Church and senior peer in Britain, The Telegraph reported. The U.K. paper adds that he is also an extensive landowner, reportedly worth over $124 million. The Earl Marshal inherited the unique dukedom when his father, Miles Fitzalan-Howard, died in 2002.

The title of Earl Marshal has been passed down in the Fitzalan-Howard family for 350 years, and with it, the task of planning major royal ceremonial occasions like the State Opening of Parliament, state funerals and coronations for new monarchs, according to Arundel Castle, the family's ancestral seat in West Sussex. The Earl Marshal had been planning Queen Elizabeth's funeral for 20 years, The Times reported, before her death in September.

Related:King Charles' Coronation: All Your Burning Questions About the Crowning Ceremony Answered

The courtier had the honor of being one of the few people present for King Charles' Accession Ceremony at St. James's Palace, two days after Queen Elizabeth's death on Sept. 8. There, he watched on as Prince William, Queen Camilla and Prime Minister Liz Truss signed the Proclamation of Accession of King Charles.

Later, he stood with David Vines White, the Garter Principle King of Arms, on the balcony overlooking the Friary Court for the first public reading of the Principal Proclamation announcing Charles as King, the royal family reported.

Related:Who's Attending King Charles' Coronation? The Complete Guest List (So Far)

In late September, Fitzalan-Howard pled guilty in London court to using his cell phone while driving in April 2022, running a red light in his BMW, ITV News reported.

The outlet said the Duke of Norfolk tried to avoid the ban by making the case that he would suffer "exceptional hardship" without his license as he was tasked with planning King Charles' coronation. The Lavender Hill Magistrates' Court ultimately added six points to his driver's license and banned him from driving for six months, the BBC reported. He was also fined about $850 and ordered to pay another $425 in costs.

"We accept that this a unique case because of the defendant's role in society and in particular in relation to the King's coronation," Judith Way, magistrate chair, said at the time, per BBC. "The hardship needs to be exceptional and although we find inconvenience may be caused, we don't find it exceptional hardship."

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Though there would be just eight months between Queen Elizabeth's state funeral and King Charles' coronation in May, Fitzalan-Howard remains ever dedicated to the duty passed down through his ancestors since 1672.

"I am determined not to charge the state a penny for my work as earl marshal," he told The Times in the fall.

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