It’s 24 years since Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones were married at St George’s Chapel Windsor after a tumultuous five-year relationship.
The 59-year-old Duke of Edinburgh, the youngest son of the late Queen and Prince Philip, first met the unexpected Sophie in 1987 while she was working in public relations for Capital Radio.
But their healing story only began after a second encounter six years later when Sophie, now 58, was in charge of promoting Edward’s Real Tennis Challenge.
Two children and more than two decades later, Prince Edward is the only sibling of the Queen who never divorced.
So what is the secret of their enduring love story? Here, FEMAIL looks into the blissful marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh…
It’s 24 years since Prince Edward and Sophie were married at St George’s Chapel Windsor after five years of dating
After celebrating their 24th wedding anniversary in June, Prince Edward and Sophie, who have two children, Lady Louise Windsor, 19, and James, Viscount Severn, 15, have been growing stronger (pictured in 2022).
Their first date is said to have been a tennis match followed by dinner at Buckingham Palace.
After celebrating their 24th birthday in June, Prince Edward and Sophie, who have two children, Lady Louise Windsor, 19, and James, Viscount Severn, 15, have been growing from strength to strength.
Early in their relationship, the couple was pressured to get engaged.
Edward released a statement that said: “I am taking this unusual step of writing to you directly in hopes of stopping your reporters and photographers from destroying the part of my life that I am allowed to consider private and what more importantly, Sophie’s life.”
Edward grew weary when repeatedly asked if he would propose, and reportedly told a Radio Times reporter, “If you shut up, mind your own business and let me do it when I want , you’re much more likely to happen.’
It has been claimed that interviewing the late Diana, Princess of Wales on Panorama the year before had derailed all previous engagement attempts and the prince had instead decided to wait.
Finally, while on holiday in the Bahamas in December 1998, Prince Edward proposed to his longtime girlfriend Sophie with an Asprey and Garrard engagement ring valued at an estimated £105,000.
In 2007, the couple had also given birth to their second child, James, at the same hospital, this time with a much more uncomplicated delivery
Prince Edward and Sophie on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping the Color in June 2023
They announced their engagement the following month, in January 1999, when they were both 34 years old.
When asked why it took the king so long to propose, Edward told reporters, “It’s impossible to understand why it took me so long, but I don’t think it would have been right before and I don’t think so either.’ She would have said yes.’
On 19 June 1999, the Queen’s youngest son married his bride in a relatively low-key ceremony attended by 500 guests at St George’s Chapel in Windsor.
There was a ceremonial state or military participation. Nevertheless, 200 million viewers tuned in to follow the event on television.
The couple welcomed their children in 2003 and 2007, opting to deviate from royal protocol and welcome them to Frimley Park NHS Hospital in Surrey.
Prince Edward pictured chatting to Sophie Rhys-Jones at the Real Tennis Marathon in the early stages of their relationship in December 1993
Prince Edward and then-girlfriend Sophie Rhys Jones on board the Royal Yacht Brittania at Cowes in July 1994
The birth of Lady Louise was a tough experience for Sophie, who had an emergency c-section a month before her due date.
The official announcement at the time read: “HRH and her daughter are both stable.” “As a purely precautionary measure, the baby was taken to the regional neonatal unit at St George’s Hospital in Tooting.”
Sophie herself lost nine liters of blood due to internal bleeding.
While baby Louise received specialist care at St George’s Hospital, Sophie stayed a further 16 days at Frimley Hospital, 35 miles away.
In 2007, the couple had also given birth to their second child, James, at the same hospital, this time with a much more uncomplicated delivery.
Fifteenth in line to the throne and youngest grandchild of the late Queen Elizabeth II, he was born James Alexander Philip Theo Mountbatten-Windsor in Surrey on 17 December.
The Prince and his wife attended the Duke of Edinburgh Awards Christmas Party in 1995
Sophie Rhys-Jones and Prince Edward smiled at photographers in the grounds of St James’s Palace when they announced their engagement in January 1999
When he was born, James (who was described by his father as “very cute and very cuddly”) was eighth in line to the throne.
When Prince Edward tied the knot with Sophie, they decided that all future children should bear courtesy titles instead of being called prince or princess, to which the late monarch agreed.
It is believed that James’ style as Viscount Severn (one of his father’s subsidiary titles) was chosen to recognize Sophie’s Welsh origins, as the name derives from the River Severn in Wales.
Today’s Edinburghs wanted their children to live as normal a life as possible under the circumstances, without the burden of such titles.
Sophie is devoted to her children and fiercely protective of them as she suffered serious medical complications and an ectopic pregnancy giving birth to Louise.
“She’s gone through a lot to get a family, and she and Edward have never relied on nannies.” ‘ says Penny Mountbatten.
Prince Edward, Lady Louise Windsor, James Viscount Severn, Sophie, Duchess of Kent on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the annual Trooping the Color ceremony on June 15, 2013
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, James, Viscount Severn and Lady Louise Windsor react during the Platinum Party at Buckingham Palace on June 4, 2022 as part of the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations
And because the Queen lived nearby, she spent a lot of time with Louise and James when they were little, and often watched Mr. Tumble on CBeebies when they were little.
The pair have become hard-working and cherished senior royals, but it wasn’t always like this; After their marriage, a series of arguments ensued, with Sophie bragging to the News of the World ‘Fake Sheik’ about her PR firm’s royal connections.
Edward’s film company Ardent then attempted to circumvent a ban on filming his nephew Prince William at the University of St Andrews. There was also his disastrous performance on It’s a Knockout at the Alton Towers in June 1987.
Both have been heavily criticized for trying to capitalize on royal connections. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh reportedly received a one-off payment of £250,000 to end their controversial business career in 2002. This payment is said to have been issued as “compensation” for lost earnings.
James was photographed looking chic during a rare public appearance in May for the coronation of King Charles
James (pictured, second from left) joined his family and other members of the Company during King Charles’ coronation
Sophie was spectacularly involved in a humiliating “stabbing operation” staged by News of the World after speaking to a “fake sheikh” posing as a potential client. Her taped indiscretions to high-ranking politicians were extremely embarrassing.
Since then she has made the turning point.
The Countess is now the second hardest working female queen after Anne and has received much praise for her work on preventable blindness and the issue of sexual violence in war.
Granting Edward and Sophie the titles of Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh shows how far they have both come from a rocky start.