Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex’s ‘extremely tight’ marriage details unveiled

Royal weddings are a large affair – and Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie’s ‘extremely tight’ marriage is the only one of their generation to truly last the test of time.

While King Charles, Princess Anne and Prince Andrew all divorced their spouses in the 1990s, for Edward it was the decade that he finally tied the knot with Sophie, and their marriage is still going strong to this day. The Duke of Edinburgh, 60, and the 59-year-old Duchess of Edinburgh met for the first time in 1987, but it took six years until they would cross paths again at a charity event and begin their life together.

They married in 1999 in a non-state ceremony at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, with most of those in attendance being members of their families. Even then-Prime Minister Tony Blair was not invited.
Over 25 years, the couple’s enduring relationship has been a source of inspiration for royal fans – and it’s something once put down to their “great friendship”. In an interview shortly after announcing their engagement, Sophie said: “I think we share a number of interests, we laugh a lot and we have a great friendship.

Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex’s ‘extremely tight’ marriage details unveiled
Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie tied the knot over 25 years ago and their marriage is still going strong – the couple’s ‘great friendship’ is one of the reasons their love has lasted

Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie have had a strong and lasting marriage.

Royal weddings are a large affair – and Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie’s ‘extremely tight’ marriage is the only one of their generation to truly last the test of time.

While King Charles, Princess Anne and Prince Andrew all divorced their spouses in the 1990s, for Edward it was the decade that he finally tied the knot with Sophie, and their marriage is still going strong to this day. The Duke of Edinburgh, 60, and the 59-year-old Duchess of Edinburgh met for the first time in 1987, but it took six years until they would cross paths again at a charity event and begin their life together.

They married in 1999 in a non-state ceremony at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, with most of those in attendance being members of their families. Even then-Prime Minister Tony Blair was not invited.

Over 25 years, the couple’s enduring relationship has been a source of inspiration for royal fans – and it’s something once put down to their “great friendship”. In an interview shortly after announcing their engagement, Sophie said: “I think we share a number of interests, we laugh a lot and we have a great friendship.”

Exploring why Edward and Sophie’s marriage has lasted when other royal love stories have not, royal expert Ingrid Seward has suggested he chose more carefully than his siblings. She said: “The failures of the marriages of Edward’s beloved sister Anne and then, in rapid and ever more embarrassing succession, Andrew and Charles, made him even more determined to put caution before commitment.”

Edward was in fact dating one of Sophie’s friends when they first met in 1987, and Sophie – then known by her maiden name Rhys-Jones – was working at Capital Radio. Six years later they met again at one of Edward’s events, the Real Tennis Challenge, where Sophie was in charge of publicity, reports the Express. They quickly bonded over their love of sports, arts and spending time outdoors, and soon afterwards they began dating.

Their first date is thought to have been a tennis match and dinner at Buckingham Palace – and before long, rumours began to swirl about their blossoming romance. In late 1993, Edward took what was then an unorthodox approach to handling royal gossip and spoke to the press directly. In a move later copied by Harry in the early days of his life with Meghan Markle, Edward said: “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.”

They married on June 19, 1999, in front of 500 guests at St George’s Chapel in Windsor. It was widely believed at the time that the couple would be given the titles Duke and Duchess of Sussex or Cambridge, but Edward instead made a special request that he be created the Earl of Wessex, making Sophie Countess of Wessex. He is said to have grown fond of the Earl title after watching the 1998 hit film, Shakespeare in Love.

The couple welcomed two children in the 2000s. Their eldest daughter Lady Louise Windsor was born in 2003 and their son James, Earl of Wessex in 2007. Edward and Sophie kept the Wessex title until 2023, when title changed following the deaths of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip saw them become the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. In Scotland, they are officially known as the Earl and Countess of Forfar.