30-04-2025
Britain's Prince Edward visiting Philadelphia to dedicate Bicentennial Bell
Britain's Prince Edward is making a special two-day visit to Philadelphia — and while here, he'll help dedicate a gift that his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, gave to the City of Brotherly Love nearly 50 years ago.
Prince Edward will be appearing at the dedication ceremony for the Bicentennial Bell at the Benjamin Rush Garden, at 3rd and Walnut streets inside Independence National Historic Park.
Gifted to the U.S. by Queen Elizabeth II in 1976, the Bicentennial Bell celebrates 200 years of freedom.
National Park Service
What is the Bicentennial Bell?
The bell, a replica of the Liberty Bell, was gifted to the United States in 1976 when Queen Elizabeth II visited Philadelphia for the Bicentennial celebration — 200 years after the 13 colonies declared independence.
Queen Elizabeth II visits the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia on July 8, 1976 as part of the city's Bicentennial celebration.
Kent Gavin/Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix via Getty Images
The bell bears an inscription, "For the people of the United States, from the people of Britain, 4 July 1976 / Let Freedom Ring."
The bell was in storage for a decade before it got its new home in the Benjamin Rush Garden — as a centerpiece.
Who is Prince Edward?
Prince Edward is the current Duke of Edinburgh after his brother, King Charles III, gifted him the title on his 59th birthday in 2023.
Edward is the youngest of the late Queen Elizabeth II's children. He is also Earl of Wessex and Forfar.
Prince Edward has made multiple trips to the U.S. and was involved in theater productions in his younger years; he also had his own TV production company.
In 2012, he visited Girard College to plant a tree in honor of the Diamond Jubilee (60th anniversary) of his mother's reign.
King Edward VII, the prince's great-great-grandfather, also planted a tree on the campus in 1860 to mark the kingdom's relationship with the City of Brotherly Love.
