New images of Duke of Edinburgh with his dogs released for 60th birthday

Prince Edward, handed the Order of the Thistle, said the monarchy is ‘as important as ever’

Duke of Edinburgh with his dogs Teal (labrador), Mole (cocker spaniel), and Teasel (labrador puppy) (Chris Jelf/PA Wire)

The King has given his brother the Duke of Edinburgh the highest honour in Scotland as four new images of him are released to celebrate his 60th birthday.

Prince Edward was handed the Order of the Thistle as a personal gift from the King which did not require prime ministerial advice.

The three other new recipients of the order are anthropologist Professor Dame Sue Black, distinguished lawyer Baroness Helena Kennedy and Scotland’s first black professor, Sir Geoff Palmer.

Duke of Edinburgh with his labrador puppy Teasel (Chris Jelf/PA Wire)

The new appointments are effective from Sunday, and the installation ceremony is expected to take place over the summer.

The order has a complement of 16 knights and ladies, and in addition, the Queen, the Princess Royal and the Duke of Rothesay, as the Prince of Wales is known in Scotland, are Royal Knights of the Thistle.

Charles made Edward the Duke of Edinburgh to mark his 59th birthday, and he had his first solo engagement with the title at the Palace of Holyroodhouse a few days later, hosting participants in the Duke of Edinburgh Awards.

Duke of Edinburgh with his labrador puppy Teasel (Chris Jelf/PA Wire)

Queen Elizabeth II granted him the additional title of Earl of Forfar to mark his 55th birthday, and he holds several patronages of Scottish charitable organisations including the Edinburgh International Festival.

Professor Dame Sue Black who has been appointed to the Order of the Thistle by King Charles III (St John's College, Oxford/PA Wire)

Prof Black is an anatomist and forensic anthropologist whose research on human morphology and biometrics has been used to assist with international war-crime investigations and to identify those involved in mass-fatality events.

Baroness Helena Kennedy who has been appointed to the Order of the Thistle (Anthony Devlin/PA Wire)

Baroness Kennedy is the recipient of 42 honorary degrees from many universities, including those of Glasgow and Edinburgh, in recognition of her work on women and the law and on widening participation in higher education.

She has also been honoured by the governments of France and Italy for her considerable work on women’s rights.

Sir Geoff pioneered the use of the scanning electron microscope to study cereal grains using research from his PhD, sits on the boards of community organisations and has received honorary degrees from various academic institutions.

Sir Geoff Palmer who has been appointed to the Order of the Thistle by King Charles III (Andrew Milligan/PA Wire)

He has published books on race relations and cereal science and technology.

In newly released images, Edward is pictured smiling with his three dogs, labrador Teal, cocker spaniel Mole and labrador puppy Teasel.

The King’s brother, the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II, will celebrate on Sunday.

Duke of Edinburgh with Teal (labrador), Mole (cocker spaniel), and Teasel (labrador puppy) (Chris Jelf/PA Wire)

In a rare newspaper interview, Edward told the Daily Mail: “Our role – being part of the monarchy – in trying to bring people together is as important as ever, if not more so today.

“I think we all wonder how we can reach out to those communities who perhaps don’t always think that this, the monarchy, is something for them.”

The duke carried out a series of engagements with the Duchess of Edinburgh earlier this week, ahead of his milestone birthday.

He was presented with a Leeds Rhinos rugby shirt with “HRH 60” on the back to mark the date, during a visit to Headingley Stadium in Leeds on Friday.

Edward noticed the detail on the back and said to his wife: “Yours is more subtle than mine.”

He told the young players: “Thanks a bunch. I really need to be reminded.”

Sophie then paid a tearful tribute to Edward at the end of the Community Sport and Recreation Awards, saying he was “the best of fathers, the most loving of husbands and he is still my best friend” and she was “so proud of the man he is”.

The slimmed-down working monarchy has been under increasing pressure, with some leading members of the royal family ruled out of public-facing duties.

Charles, 75, is undergoing treatment for cancer and the Princess of Wales is recuperating from abdominal surgery.