Rebel prince or same old story? Prince Edward might not be the most famous royal around,
but he's no stranger to rocking the boat.
In 1987, Prince Edward took part in a charity event that wasn't exactly seen
as becoming for a royal. The Grand Knockout Tournament was a televised
charity game show event that pitted an array of celebrities against each other
in a series of challenges. Members of the royal family took part in the show too,
playing the roles of team captains while dressed in medieval-themed costumes.
The royals who were brave enough to associate themselves with the TV special included Sarah,
Duchess of York, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Princess Anne, and Prince Edward.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Queen Elizabeth II wanted absolutely nothing to do with the
bizarre spectacle. The TV special portrayed the family in a fairly undignified manner,
which evidently went against royal protocol at the time.
It also didn't help that Edward left a presser in a huff after receiving unfavorable reviews,
as journalists in attendance simply laughed when he asked how they liked the TV special.
"What did you think of it?"
"Thanks."
"I thought it was good!"
While it wasn't exactly a hit with the critics, the show did pretty well: 18 million
brits watched the royals and their celebrity colleagues participate in the shenanigans.
Female royal wedding guests traditionally wear extravagant headpieces known as fascinators.
However, this tradition was cast aside when Prince Edward and his wife, Sophie,
asked their guests to abide by a "no headpiece" rule when they tied the knot in 1999. Alas,
the queen herself broke that rule when she sported her own feather fascinator.
Though Sophie did not want to see hats on her big day,
that's not to say she is not a fan of a chic headpiece. For example,
the Duchess of Edinburgh donned a pink fascinator as a guest at Mike and Zara Tindall's wedding in
2011. She was also seen in a leopard print hat at King Charles III and Queen Camilla's civil
ceremony in 2005. Sophie also wore a headpiece during her own wedding: the Anthemion Tiara,
an item that is believed to have been made out of pieces from Queen Elizabeth II's collection.
Prince Edward and Sophie's royal wedding was unusual in more ways than one. For example,
the intimate nature of the ceremony meant that no military or ceremonial
state officials were invited. What's more, they chose not to share a kiss
in front of the cameras, a tradition that had been established by Charles and Diana.
By all accounts, these were not so much acts of rebellion as they were a concerted
attempt by the royals to remain under the radar following Princess Diana's death,
which had occurred just two years earlier. DC Jewellery founder Daniel O'Farrell later
spoke to The Express about why Edward's wedding was so intentionally unconventional. He said:
"Sophie, the Countess of Wessex and Prince Edward are among the most
unpretentious members of the British Royal Family and their wedding in 1999 clearly
reflected this. The bride and groom insisted on an informal family affair,
minus all the ceremonial fuss and fanfare of Prince Edward's siblings' weddings."
He went on to confirm the dress code for the wedding,
including that pesky "no hats" rule, telling the publication:
"In fact, the couple wanted their guests to be comfortable and requested everyone
to come dressed in evening gowns or smart attire, but without any hats or headpieces."
On the day of Prince Edward's wedding,
he was set to receive the royal title of Duke of Cambridge. He declined the offer,
however, and settled on the title of Earl of Wessex instead. Supposedly, Edward's desire
to go with a different title was inspired by a movie. A courtier told The Telegraph in 2020:
"Prince Edward was going to be the Duke of Cambridge,
but he watched the film Shakespeare in Love, which had a character called the
Earl of Wessex. He liked the sound of it and asked the Queen if he could have that instead."
"l have an ancient name which will bring you preferment... when your grandson is a Wessex."
Of course, Edward is now the Duke of Edinburgh, but that did not come about
until 2023. King Charles III granted his brother the title following Queen
Elizabeth II's passing. The title was last held by Edward's father, Prince Philip.
Few royals have rejected the titles assigned to them and their children; notably, even the
estranged Duke and Duchess of Sussex seem to be just fine with their children holding HRH titles.
Prince Edward decided against this, however, as he and Sophie didn't want their children
to become too comfortable with royal life. In a 2020 interview, Sophie told The Times:
"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.
They have them and can decide to use them from 18, but I think it's highly unlikely."
Edward and Sophie have also made efforts to protect the kids' privacy, which might be
another reason why they weren't given HRH titles. In a BBC interview, Sophie said:
"Certainly when they were very young we tried to keep them out of it."
In 2022, Prince Edward stirred a little controversy after eagle-eyed viewers noticed
he was the only royal who refused to sing the national anthem at that year's Royal Variety
Performance. This was the first event since Queen Elizabeth's passing, meaning that, for the first
time in decades, the anthem featured the words "God Save the King," in honor of King Charles III.
Some viewers speculated that Edward didn't sing along with the lyrics due to some secret
feud with Charles. Body language expert Judi James spoke to The Express about her
interpretation of the prince's silence during the national anthem performance. She claimed:
"Edward's body language gives some clues as to what his intention might have been. He is
clearly adopting a pose of standing to attention while the anthem is sung. He is also doing nothing
to hide his face or his facial expression, suggesting this was no form of oversight."
James ultimately concluded that a blend of respect and affection suggested that
Edward may have been dedicating the moment to his late mother.