It was the royal romance many only dream of when Queen Elizabeth’s youngest son Prince Edward fell in love with commoner Sophie Rhys-Jones.
Over the years, the husband-wife duo have spoken frequently about their enduring love for one another, the former Earl of Wessex referring to his wife of almost 25 years as his “rock”.
“[Sophie] is critical, absolutely critical,” the 60-year-old shared with British broadcaster ITV in March, 2024.
“She’s been an absolutely brilliant rock and I’m incredibly lucky that I found Sophie and that she found me. We’ve been a really brilliant partnership. We’re very lucky, we’ve got two, of what we would think are particularly brilliant children, who are forging such different paths for themselves. I think that’s also equally fascinating.”
Scroll on to take a look back at the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh’s relationship over the years…
How did Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie meet?
Unlike other members of the royal family, it wasn’t love at first sight for the now Duke and Duchess.
In fact, when they first crossed paths in 1987 at Capitol Radio, where Sophie was working at the time in public relations, Edward was actually dating Sophie’s friend!
Fast forward to 1993 and the pair reunited when Sophie was managing the publicity for the single prince’s Real Tennis Challenge Event. Here, they bonded over their shared love of sports, the outdoors, and the arts. – the rest, as they say, is history!
But the early stages of their relationship weren’t without their difficulties as the media became aware of this royal romance. Prince Edward even released a rare statement pleading with the press to respect his and Sophie’s privacy at the tail end of their first year together.
“I am taking this unusual step of writing to you directly in the hopes of stopping your reporters and photographers from destroying that part of my life that I am entitled to regard as private and more importantly, Sophie’s life.”
While this heartfelt plea did fall on sympathetic ears, the media frenzy only grew as Edward and Sophie were spotted together at more royal engagements, a sure sign of how serious their relationship was.
When did Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie marry?
On 6 January 1999, the prince announced his engagement to his commoner fiancée Sophie, after proposing to his future wife with a two-carat oval diamond flanked by two heart-shaped gemstones that were set in 18 white carat gold.
The ring itself was made by Asprey and Garrard (now known as Garrard & Co) and was purchased for an estimated £105,000.
The engagement itself took place in the Bahamas, with Edward telling reporters at the time that it was a surprise to even himself that it had taken him so long to propose.
“It’s impossible to understand why it has taken me this long, but I don’t think it would have been right before, and I don’t think she would have said yes.’”
Unlike his three older siblings, there was significantly less fanfare when it came to the wedding of Prince Edward and Sophie – with no ceremonial state, or even military, involvement.
This decision was made purposely by the lovebirds who chose to celebrate with their nearest and dearest rather than turn their wedding into a state occasion.
That being said, despite being ‘relatively’ lowkey, 200 million viewers were glued to their television screen to watch the nuptials unfold at St George’s Chapel in Windsor on 19 June 1999.
For the occasion, Sophie wore a stunning silk organza dress designed by Samantha Keswick that was decorated with a jaw-dropping 325,000 crystals and pearls. She was also gifted the stunning Anthemion tiara by the Queen from her own private jewellery collection.
The celebrations continued at the Waterloo Chamber and the Grand Reception Room before the newlyweds’ honeymooned at the beloved royal residence Balmoral Castle.
Who are the children of Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie?
After two years of marriage, the couple sadly suffered from an ectopic pregnancy in 2001. After another two years of trying for a baby, Sophie gave birth to their daughter Lady Louise Elizabeth Alice Mountbatten-Windsor on 8 November 2003.
After a placental abruption, little Louise was delivered prematurely via an emergency C-section. Unfortunately, her father was overseas in Mauritius on a royal tour at the time and missed the birth of his firstborn.
In a highly unusual move, Her Majesty rushed to St George’s Hospital in Tooting, Londo,n to offer her support to Sophie and her granddaughter who was receiving neonatal care.
Their second child, James Mountbatten-Windsor, the now Earl of Wessex, was born on 17 December 2007.
Following in the footsteps of Princess Anne, the parents opted not to give their children prince and princess titles to allow them to pave their own way in life without any obligation to the crown.
Both Louise and James can, however, choose to receive the titles if they decide to use the designation His or Her Royal Highness, but their mother believes it will be “highly unlikely” that they will take this path.
“We try to bring them up with the understanding they are very likely to have to work for a living. Hence we made the decision not to use HRH titles,” the duchess shared with the Times of London in 2020.
Where do Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie live?
Alongside their two children Louise and James, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh live in the royal residence Bagshot Park in Surrey, located just 17km away from Windsor Castle.
The 120-room residence, set within 51 acres, has been home to a family of four since July 1999 when they commenced a lease of the land from The Crown Estate for 50 years.
In 2023, Prince Edward reportedly extended this lease by another 150 years for a rumoured £5 million so future generations could continue living at the palatial property.
