Dismissing the Prime Minister, comparisons to the people's princess, and locking her
place in the "New Firm."
Going from a working girl to a Duchess wasn't the only change Sophie Rhys-Jones encountered
after marrying Prince Edward.
Although Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh has grown into a key member of the royal family,
she was hardly born into the role.
Unlike her husband, Prince Edward, who received extensive training to prepare him for palace
life, Sophie was raised in a more typical setting.
When she entered the world on January 20, 1965, the future Duchess of Edinburgh had
no titles and was thus known simply as Sophie Rhys-Jones.
She grew up in a small village in Kent with parents who likely never imagined that their
daughter would one day marry into Britain's most famous family.
With her father being a tire importer and her mother working as a secretary and charity
worker, it’s obvious Sophie wasn’t raised in a royal environment; but that didn’t
prevent her parents from giving her a top-notch education.
She started out at the exclusive Dulwich Preparatory School, and later on enrolled at Kent College, Pembury.
Sophie ultimately headed off to West Kent College, Tonbridge, where she underwent secretarial training.
In the Channel 5 documentary, "Edward and Sophie: The Reluctant Royals," royal journalist
Ayesha Hazarika explained that the intensity of Sophie's academic background actually stemmed
from her parents' emphasis on learning.
"They were not super wealthy, but they believed in investing in education."
It's no secret that the women of the British royal family receive much more media scrutiny
than their male counterparts.
"Any comments about the stories in the papers this morning Sophie?"
"I think you're all getting a LITTLE too excited."
Due to this dynamic, its suggested that royal princes were, for many years, encouraged to
select their brides based on the merit of their past behavior.
The most obvious example of this is seen between King Charles and Camilla, Queen Consort.
Back in the day, King Charles was apparently encouraged not to marry Camilla because of
her history as a party girl.
As royal expert Penny Junor wrote in her book "The Firm" -
"[A]ny 'past' always ruled [women] out as possible brides.
Camilla Parker-Bowles… fell into that category."
Interestingly, when Prince Edward started dating Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1993, his future
wife already had quite a bit of a past.
During her youth, Sophie had worked in a bar.
After her bar experience, she set off to Switzerland, where she became a concierge at a ski resort.
During this time, she fell for an Australian ski instructor, who she followed back to his
home country.
She remained there even after the pair ultimately parted ways, and traveled the country with
a yacht enthusiast.
These adventures, however, weren't expected of a royal bride of Sophie's generation.
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh is a unique royal for several reasons aside from her past experiences;
she also stands out from the other high-ranking women of her generation because of the way
she met Prince Edward.
Many of the other royal wives her age met their beaus through family or other close connections.
Sarah Ferguson, for example, grew up in the same circles as Prince Andrew.
Similarly, Princess Diana had such strong familial ties to the monarchy that she was
one of Edward's playmates during her childhood.
Sophie Rhys-Jones, on the contrary, didn't grow up with any of the same royal connections.
She didn't have the chance to meet Prince Edward until 1993, and, when they did eventually
get the chance to talk, it was at one of her work functions.
At the time, Sophie was employed at the public relations firm, Maclaurin Communication and Media.
The group happened to be in charge of the publicity for the Prince Edward Challenge
— a tennis-based charity event organized by the prince himself.
When the star of the event, tennis powerhouse Sue Barker, called off a photo shoot with
Edward, Sophie stepped up and took the professional athlete's place.
From there, sparks flew.
In her book "Prince Edward," royal biographer Ingrid Seward noted that Edward asked for
Sophie's number that same day.
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh suffered greatly at the hands of the British media.
During the early years of her romance with Prince Edward, tabloids would compare her
unfavorably to Princess Diana.
As royal expert, Kinsey Schofield, told FOX -
"There were constant comparisons of the women, and some royal watchers even accused Sophie
of trying to 'steal Princess Diana's style.'"
"The best thing Sophie can do for herself is to establish her own identity and step
out of Diana's shadow."
Sophie spoke out against the way the press portrayed her as a faux version of the People's Princess.
Daily Mail quoted her frustration when she said -
"The public have put me on the plinth vacated by Diana…
I don't deny that we do look alike… but I couldn't ever compete with Diana's image.
I am not Diana."
Unfortunately, Sophie's struggle with the press reached its peak in 1999 when The Sun
published a topless photo of Prince Edward's future bride.
The photograph had been taken in Spain, just over a decade before.
Its publication for all of Britain to see left Sophie feeling absolutely humiliated.
After the extreme disrespect from the British tabloids towards Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh,
it probably wasn't astounding to hear that Prince Edward asked the press for privacy
leading up to their wedding.
He even implied that they should stand down during a press conference held at St. James Palace.
In the end, despite their desire for a more intimate wedding, Edward and Sophie's nuptials
were televised and viewed by 200 million people from around the world.
Even so, the event was a modest affair when compared to other royal unions of that generation.
There was no military presence at their wedding, nor was it considered an official state ceremony.
As a result, the couple was permitted to enjoy a slightly more exclusive event, even if it
still captured the interest of the public.
Interestingly, privacy wasn't the only anti-royal thing that Edward and Sophie requested at
their wedding.
Apparently, the couple asked guests to break tradition and attend the event without any
of the fancy hats that British royals are so famous for wearing.
Elizabeth, The Queen Mother blatantly ignored this rule and showed up at the wedding in
an enormous purple feather hat.
Despite marrying into the royal family, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh did her best to maintain
a sense of normalcy in her life.
One of the ways that she sought to do so was by continuing her career, rather than following
the traditional path of becoming a full-time working royal.
Unlike other royal wives, Sophie owned her own company at the time of her royal wedding.
In fact, during the courtship phase of her relationship with Prince Edward, Sophie joined
forces with her friend, Murray Harkin, to co-found a public relations firm, which they
dubbed R-J H.
Years later, Sophie publicly recognized just how unconventional her career choice was for
a royal woman of her generation.
The Daily Mail reported that the Duchess acknowledged this in a speech at a dinner for the 100 Women
in Hedge Funds when she said -
"I am rare because I am one of the few ladies in the British Royal Family who has had a
professional business career and their own company."
However, Sophie's non-traditional path could also be seen as a strength.
In her speech, the Duchess expressed that her past career had the potential to help
her understand issues related to women in business, saying -
"Perhaps I am able, through my own experience, to have a deeper appreciation of the corporate
world and what it's like to have to climb the career ladder."
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh may’ve tried to pursue her own career outside of the royal
family, but ultimately, her efforts towards maintaining a sense of normalcy fell short.
In 2001, just two years after officially joining royalty, Sophie was targeted by a British
tabloid writer who disguised himself as a potential client for the duchess' public relations
firm, R-J H.
Under the guise of considering R-J H for a sizable PR account, the writer met with Sophie
and recorded her making several inappropriate statements about British politicians.
The Duchess was caught red-handed saying then-Prime Minister Tony Blair was, quote, "ignorant
of the countryside," and even made negative comments about the prime minister's wife.
For Sophie, this incident wasn't just hugely embarrassing — it was also career-ending.
For one thing, as a member of the royal family, Sophie was supposed to remain apolitical.
For another, the tapes showed that Sophie faced a conflict of interests when it came
to running her business and maintaining her position as the wife of a British prince.
Shortly after the tapes were released, Sophie resigned from her PR company.
The Irish Times quoted the duchess' apology, with her saying -
"I am deeply distressed by the carrying out of an entrapment operation on me and my business
but I also much regret my own misjudgment in succumbing to that subterfuge."
Once it became clear that Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh couldn’t continue to balance
her career with her title, she began to devote her full attention to royal life.
In 2002, she officially committed herself to the call of the crown and became a full-time
working royal.
In the Channel 5 documentary, "Edward & Sophie: The Reluctant Royals," royal journalist Rebecca
English compared the similarities of Edward and Sophie striving for careers outside of
the royal family with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's experience, saying:
"It should I think probably have been a very salutary lesson to Harry and Meghan that when
you try to do this, this doesn't actually work."
Rather than try to exit the royal family to focus on her career, the Duchess of Edinburgh
poured her energy into serving the crown.
With the approval of Queen Elizabeth, Sophie and Edward doubled their royal commitments.
Ultimately, this dedication to the monarchy is what allowed Sophie to thrive in her new role.
As royal expert, Duncan Larcombe, told GoodtoKnow -
"Both Meghan and Sophie's initial struggles show just how difficult it is for somebody
who has a successful career to join the Royal Family."
While it was likely challenging for Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh to undergo this evolution,
her respect for the crown allowed her to build strong relationships with other members of
the royal family.
One of her closest connections was with Queen Elizabeth, who went out of her way to help
Sophie recover from the scandal that brought her career to an end.
One such demonstration of support for the Edinburgh's was financial.
Following Sophie and Edward's 2002 decision to become full-time working royals, Queen
Elizabeth began paying for their living expenses out of her own private funds.
Ultimately, Sophie appears to have lived up to her late mother-in-law's expectations.
During the two decades after her PR scandal, the Duchess of Edinburgh did such high-quality
charity work that the Queen took note.
After all, before her death, Queen Elizabeth left many of her favorite royal patronages
to Sophie.
As an anonymous royal insider told The Mirror -
"The Queen and the [Duchess] had a fantastically warm and joyful relationship.
Her Majesty admired Sophie's quiet sense of duty, her strong work ethic, and the way she
balanced her public and family lives."
While it's clear that Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh didn’t have the easiest time adapting to
royal life at first, she ultimately became a key member of the royal family.
Among rumors that King Charles would like to cut certain members out of the monarchy,
it seems that Sophie won’t be on the chopping block.
Prior to her death, Queen Elizabeth is said to have presented her idea of a "New Firm,"
composed of six important members, in addition to the Queen and her heir.
Both Prince Edward and Sophie were apparently included in this royal dream team, alongside
the likes of Camilla, Queen Consort, Princess Anne, Prince William, and Princess Catherine.
Since the Queen's passing, we have seen Sophie step into an expanded royal role.
She has taken on many of the duties that would normally belong to the palace's two absent
members, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
As one royal insider divulged to The Sun -
"She's very popular with other senior royals like Charles and Camilla, and has proved to
be extremely good at public engagements."