Meet Prince Edward’s wife Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh

Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, formerly the Earl and Countess of Wessex, have new titles today.

On March 9, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles III. on the occasion of Edward’s 59th birthday to his youngest brother, Prince Edward, who had conferred the Duchy of Edinburgh. And so Sophie, Edward’s wife, who was married for almost a quarter of a century, is now the Duchess of Edinburgh.

“The new Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are proud to continue Prince Philip’s legacy of promoting opportunities for young people of all backgrounds to reach their full potential,” said Buckingham Palace opinion added.

Here’s more about Edward and Sophie’s history so far – including details about their children, one of whom is the new Earl of Wessex.

Born Sophie Helen Rhys-Jones, the new Duchess grew up in Kent, England, to “quintessentially middle-class” parents – a secretary and a tire salesman vanity fair. Sophie graduated from West Kent College and started a career in public relations for radio stations and travel companies.

Edward met Sophie in 1993 when she was a tennis player modeling in promotions for his Prince Edward Summer Challenge. vanity fair reports. “The chemistry that existed between them from the start was clear,” their boss Brian MacLaurin said, according to the magazine.

Edward proposed to Sophie in December 1998 while on holiday in the Bahamas and they were married on June 19, 1999 at St George’s Chapel in the Royal Residence of Windsor. Thousands of members of the public watched the wedding on large video screens from just outside the chapel, and their cheers for the happy couple could reportedly be heard inside.

Sophie apparently had a fan in the late Queen Elizabeth II.”[Sophie] is trusted and relied on by the Queen in a way I couldn’t say applies to the Duchess of Cambridge [Kate Middleton] or the Duchess of Cornwall [Camilla, now queen consort]’ said a royal aide Daily Mail in 2016. “She’s like another daughter of Her Majesty, they’re so close.”

Edward and Sophie welcomed their daughter Louise in November 2003 and their son James just over four years later. And the couple chose not to give Louise a princess title or James a prince title People reports.

“We’re trying to get them to understand that they most likely have to work to make a living,” Sophie explained The times in 2020, per People. “So we made the decision not to use HRH titles. They have them and they can choose to use them over 18, but I think that’s highly unlikely.”

Instead, Louise is styled as Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, while James was – until this year – known as Viscount Severn. Now that Edward is Duke of Edinburgh, James carries his father’s old title and is now Earl of Wessex. According to the official line of successionEdward is 13th in line to the British throne, James is 14th and Louise is 15th.