How well do you know Prince Edward, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip's youngest
son? The prince hasn't really dominated newspaper headlines the way his siblings have. Here's
the truth about Prince Edward.
If you think Prince Edward looks way younger than Prince Charles, that's because he is.
Prince Edward on March 10, 1964. He's some 16 years younger than his oldest sibling,
born several years into Queen Elizabeth's reign.
The birth of Prince Edward shook things up in the royal family in more ways than one;
in fact, the birth of the Queen's youngest child made for its own interesting bit of
royal history. According to the book My Husband and I: The Inside Story of 70 Years of Royal
Marriage, Ingrid Seward revealed that the queen's husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, was
actually the first royal father in modern history to witness the birth of his child.
Seward wrote,
"The Queen, by then aged 37, had asked him to be there; she'd been keenly reading women's
magazines that stressed the importance of involving fathers in childbirth and had become
fascinated by the idea."
"Inevitably, it's an awkward situation to be in."
Though most of us mere commoners might cherish normal childhood memories, the childhood memories
Prince Edward reminisces about are vastly different, like that time he met his idol
at the age of 5. Incredibly, a young Prince Edward was given this chance when the palace
arranged for him to meet Neil Armstrong, the very first person to land on the moon. The
prince reportedly told Armstrong he wanted to one day become an astronaut too.
Other unique childhood experiences include being presented to the public on the balcony
at Buckingham Palace at three months old, learning how to ride a pony at just 2 years
old, and being taught privately at Buckingham Palace by a governess for the first few years
of his schooling.
After completing his studies, Prince Edward dutifully joined the Royal Marines. There,
he spent time as a university cadet. After three years, however, he left the military.
It turns out the queen's youngest child had his sights set on a much more glamorous career
in show business.
It would seem that Prince Edward, unlike his big brothers, did not like military life and
all it entailed. Believe it or not, Prince Edward resigned from the Marines, allegedly
after an argument with his father, to build a career in theater. He ended up working with
none other than Andrew Lloyd Webber, and the prince took a role as a production assistant
at Really Useful Group, which was owned by Webber, during his foray into musical theater.
Edward had reportedly connected with Webber after working with him on a production for
the queen's birthday celebrations. But as a production assistant with the company, he
wasn't exactly seeing his name up in lights. In 1988, company director Bridget Hayward
told the Los Angeles Times,
"It is the very lowest rung."
After working for Really Useful Group for a few years, Prince Edward joined another
theater troupe, Theatre Division. This job was short-lived, and the company reportedly
shut down the next year due to unsustainable debts.
In 1987, the prince was involved in the filming and broadcasting of a reality TV game show
featuring various members of the royal family as well as international celebrities.
"I only hope that you've enjoyed yourselves. Have you?"
Though it was widely ridiculed and considered somewhat of a disaster, Prince Edward thought
otherwise, which perhaps explains why he decided to form a television production company after
the demise of his theater career.
The prince went by plain old Edward Windsor when he formed Ardent Productions. The independent
production company worked on several projects, including Edward on Edward, a documentary
in which Prince Edward explores the controversial life and abdication of his uncle Edward VIII.
However, the company and its productions did not have a great reputation, and an industry
rival told The Guardian,
"They're a sad joke in the industry, really."
The company folded nine years after its inception.
Prince Edward's most prominent relationship is the one that he shares with his wife, Sophie
Rhys-Jones. The pair met under surprisingly normal circumstances, as far as first royal
meetings go. Per The Sunday Post, the lovebirds first locked eyes at a Real Tennis Challenge
event organized by the prince. Rhys-Jones reportedly handled the public relations work
for the event. The pair dated for six years before they announced their engagement in
January 1999. The royal engagement announcement read,
"The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are delighted to announce the engagement of their youngest
son, Prince Edward, to Miss Sophie Rhys-Jones."
When proposing, Edward presented Sophie a fabulous diamond ring fit for a princess.
Six months after the pair announced their engagement, Prince Edward and his bride wed
on June 19, 1999. The pair was determined to ensure their wedding was an intimate family
affair, despite it also being a lavish royal wedding.
The wedding was held at St George's Chapel, on the Windsor Castle grounds. The event was
attended by royals, but was viewed on TV by about 200 million people worldwide. This day
was a notably happy day for the family, amidst the recent aftermath of Princess Diana's death
and the failed marriages of Prince Edward's older siblings.
Queen Elizabeth presented the new bride with a gorgeous tiara to wear on the day. It featured
stunning jewels from the senior royal's private jewel collection, and was designed by former
Crown Jeweller David Thomas. Sophie Rhys-Jones reportedly presented her groom with a pocket
watch made of 18-carat gold.
Traditionally, most male children of the sovereign of Britain are given the title of duke once
they marry. According to Royal Central, Prince Edward was instead given the title of Earl,
which reportedly caused some confusion and unrest for onlookers.
British royal titles can seem a little confusing, but they make a lot of sense when considered
in order. The reigning sovereign's male children are always given the title "His Royal Highness
The Prince" followed by their first name. They receive an additional title after getting
married. Of these titles, duke is the highest honor, followed by prince, earl, viscount,
and baron.
The queen wasn't throwing any shade on her youngest son by bestowing him with the title
of earl, however. Interestingly, it appears Prince Edward actually requested the title
Earl of Wessex, which was reportedly inspired by Colin Firth's character, Lord Wessex, in
Prince Edward's favorite film, Shakespeare in Love.
Upon Prince Philip's death, Prince Charles inherited his father's title of Duke of Edinburgh,
but Prince Edward may inherit the title one day after Charles becomes king.
Prince Edward bid farewell to his career in the entertainment industry in 2002 and devoted
himself to his work as a royal. In a statement, Prince Edward said,
"[W]e are required more than ever to support the Queen and to help my family shoulder some
of the increasing responsibilities and workload into the future."
Prince Edward's departure from the industry may not have been entirely because of his
dedication to his family, though. The Guardian noted that his company, Ardent Productions,
simply wasn't very successful, and that the company reportedly lost millions in its nine-year
run.
Per the royal family's official website, Prince Edward's many tasks include work with The
Duke of Edinburgh's Award, overseeing his youth fund, The Earl and Countess of Wessex
Trust, and supporting several charities as well as arts and athletic organizations.
These days, Prince Edward and Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, are often seen in the
company of their two children. Though life is peachy now, the couple reportedly struggled
to conceive, and reportedly turned to IVF. Though Rhys-Jones became pregnant in late
2001, the pregnancy was ectopic and thus not able to be carried to full term. She became
pregnant again in 2003 with the pair's oldest child, Lady Louise Windsor, and gave birth
prematurely. In 2007, the family welcomed another child, a boy they named James and
whose title is Viscount Severn.
Imagine being close friends with the Queen of England. This scenario is very much a reality
for Sophie Rhys-Jones. A royal source told the Daily Mail,
"She is trusted and relied on by the Queen in a way I couldn't say applied to the Duchess
of Cambridge or the Duchess of Cornwall [...] She is like another daughter to Her Majesty, they
are that close."
The Countess of Wessex's status within the family could have changed when Camilla Parker
Bowles and Kate Middleton entered the family in 2005 and 2011, respectively. However, this
doesn't seem to have affected Sophie's relationship with Queen Elizabeth at all.
"She sees quite a lot of us. Lucky her."
On the contrary, the Daily Mail reported that their bond may have gotten stronger. A palace
source revealed to the publication that the Queen speaks to her daughter-in-law just like
she spoke to her sister Princess Margaret before her passing. The queen is also a mother
figure in Sophie's life, as her own mother sadly passed away in 2005.
Though parents often claim to not have a favorite child, many have admitted that they do, and
this may also be true within the royal family. Indeed, Prince Edward was thought to be his
father's favorite child. This claim was backed up by the fact that Prince Edward's portrait
was the only one that hung in Prince Philip's study.
Perhaps this was also why Prince Phillip seemed to want Prince Edward and his wife to oversee
his royal duties after he took a step back from public life. And it appears that the
public like Edward and Sophie, too. A royal source revealed to Express,
"Edward has moulded into a quiet and efficient figure who does not seek attention or acquire
headlines. He and Sophie are liked for being dutiful and uncomplaining."
Though Prince Edward supports many charities and organizations, he is particularly committed
to the Duke of Edinburgh's Award program, which encourages young people to develop employable
skills. It was set up by Edward's father Prince Phillip back in 1956. Edward completed the
program himself and was presented a Gold Award in 1986. Now that he is older and committed
to his royal duties, he acts as the Chairman of the Trustees of The Duke of Edinburgh's
International Award Foundation. The organization celebrated its 60th birthday in 2016, and
an impressive 2.5 million youths are reported to have received awards for their involvement
in the program. The prince also supports several art and sporting organizations.
Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones are quite charitable as a couple too. Just before their wedding,
the pair established The Wessex Youth Trust, which focused on assisting charities that
work with Britain's youth. Though the organization was rebranded as The Earl and Countess of
Wessex Trust in 2019, their goals and initiatives remain much the same.
Though many of the royals live in London, Prince Edward and his family choose to call
a beautiful castle in Bagshot Park, Surrey their home. The prince and his wife, and the
couple's two children, isolated in their home like much of the world in spring 2020 amid
the COVID-19 pandemic.
Both the prince and Sophie began working remotely from the beautiful Surrey estate. Just like
the rest of us commoners all over the world, they were forced to switch to video and phone
calls instead of attending physical meetings and events. The pair also reportedly busied
themselves with local voluntary work during this time.
This time at home has also meant spending more time with the family pets. In addition
to having two dogs, Edward revealed in a video interview with the Orpheus Centre,
"We've also got a tortoise, who basically runs the house!"
Like the rest of the royal family, Prince Edward was devastated when his father, Prince
Philip, died. Two days after his father's death, Edward revealed,
"It's been a bit of a shock. However much one tries to prepare oneself for this it's
still a dreadful shock and we're still trying to come to terms with that."
Prince Philip had a close bond with Edward, and the tribute the prince paid to his father
after his death reflects that. The Earl of Wessex wrote on Instagram,
"[Philip] had a unique ability to make a lasting impression in a remarkably short time. I,
like all my family, have a lifetime of lasting impressions, inspiration, shared passions
and love."
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