Want to know more about Sophie, Countess of Wessex? Read on for all the facts about this low-key royal.
WATCH: Sophie Wessex slams Charles and Camilla in secret recording
She was born a ‘commoner’
Sophie Rhys-Jones was born on January 20, 1965 in Oxford. She is the second child of Christopher Bournes Rhys-Jones, a retired salesman, and the late Mary Rhys-Jones, who was a secretary. She has one older brother named David.
Sophie married Prince Edward in 1999
Prince Edward married Sophie, who worked in PR at the time, in St George’s Chapel, Windsor, on June 19, 1999.
Her title is Sophie, Countess of Wessex
Upon her marriage to Prince Edward in 1999, Sophie became known as Her Royal Highness The Countess of Wessex.
In March of 2019, Edward was granted a title to use in Scotland: Earl of Forfar. So when he and Sophie are north of the English border, they’ll be known as the Earl and Countess of Forfar.
Sophie and Edward have two children
The Earl and Countess have a daughter, Lady Louise Windsor, and son, James, Viscount Severn.
The Countess is one of the Queen’s favourite people
Sophie is one of the Queen’s trusted confidants. “[The Countess] is probably the best example of an outsider coming into the family and learning on the job,” royal biographer Robert Jobson told the Telegraph.
“She’s very much the Queen’s favourite, and you’ll notice that whenever there is a family holiday or gathering, Sophie and Edward often stay a while longer than the rest.”
Sophie is a full-time working royal
According to her biography on the royal family’s website, she is the patron of over 70 charities, many of which support young people and children, and avoidable blindness.
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