Did the Earl and Countess of Wessex really choose their royal titles because of a favorite movie?
And why do people think Sophie holds the royal family together? Here's what we know.
As far as royal weddings go, the marriage of Prince Edward and Sophie was relatively
low-key. They were wed in June of 1999 at St. George's Chapel
in Windsor. Even though this is the same chapel where Prince Harry married Meghan,
the Duchess of Sussex, there was none of the ceremonial pomp attached to the day.
As Tatler reported, there were no official state ceremonial or military activities as
part of the festivities. The bride's gown appeared simple and elegant. The
designer of the dress, Samantha Kewsick, told the publication that the fabric was
dyed to match the exact color of the stone steps of St. George's chapel.
While the wedding was a decidedly less lavish affair than those of heirs closer to the throne,
the number of television viewers was a staggering 200 million.
When Prince Edward married Sophie, the two chose to become Earl and Countess of Wessex
instead of Duke and Duchess. According to Express, Prince Edward reportedly liked the character of
Lord Wessex in the film "Shakespeare in Love" and requested that name instead of an existing title.
No Wessex property goes with the title,
but the queen later named them the Earl and Countess of Forfar in Scotland as well.
According to People magazine, the couple realize that they and their children would not be major
members of the royal family and would need to work for a living. Edward and Sophie's children did
not receive His and Her Royal Highness titles and are not known as "princess" or "prince."
When the couple's first daughter, Louise,
was born, she was a month premature and was in a neo-natal unit after a traumatic delivery.
Lady Louise developed an eye condition, which was later corrected by surgery.
Because of these two events early in her experience as a mother, the Countess of
Wessex has chosen to offer her patronage to organizations that support both maternal and
baby nutrition and care. When visiting a hospital in India, she connected with the mothers who
had recently delivered premature children. One of Sophie's staff told People magazine,
Sophie has also worked tirelessly in support of World Sight Day to help fight trachoma,
a disease that causes blindness. In October 2022,
she appeared in Malawi to celebrate the announcement of a cure.
In 2019, she joined in International Women's Day to announce her commitment to
champion women who have suffered from conflict-related sexual violence. Sophie's
friend Mark Foster-Brown told the Evening Standard,
The Countess of Wessex doesn't just show up to make appearances in support of her
charities — she puts in the legwork, too. In 2016, for example, she cycled 445 miles from
Holyroodhouse to Buckingham Palace to raise money and awareness for The Duke of Edinburgh's Award.
"It's, um, probably harder than I thought and there have definitely
been moments when I've thought, 'what on Earth have I decided to do?'"
Sophie blogged about her cycling experiences. As hard as it was,
the countess was ready for such a challenge because she's a lover of sports. In fact,
she met her future husband while playing tennis in 1993.
She also shares a passion for parasports, much like Catherine, Princess of Wales,
and the two work hard to bring attention to events and tournaments that disabled
competitors can take part in, according to Hello! magazine.
Over the years, Sophie developed a strong relationship with Queen
Elizabeth The Second and Prince Philip. The countess lost her own mother to cancer in
2005 and took to calling the queen "mama," as People magazine reported. Biographer
Ingrid Seward wrote in her book, "Prince Philip Revealed: A Man of His Century,"
After he died, Sophie told the BBC that grieving his death would take a long time.
"Well he's left a giant-sized hole in our lives."
She went on to explain,
"You hear a piece of music or you'd do something and suddenly you,
you know, get taken off your knees."
Following the death of Prince Philip, Sophie grew even closer to the queen.
The Evening Standard reported she was often the royal chosen to take his
place next to the queen because she found Sophie's presence reassuring.
The two of them would also watch old movies
and documentaries together. A royal source told The Sun,
During the queen's funeral, Sophie was thrust into the national eye as the rock
of the royal family. People mag reported she was seen putting her arm around several
key members of the family. A guest who attended the funeral said of Sophie,
The designer of her funeral dress revealed on Instagram that the
panels of the Countess's coat dress were embroidered with lilies of the
valley — the queen's favorite flowers. It also included flowers that had been
in her wedding bouquet — a touching tribute to the late monarch's love for her husband.