Sophie of Edinburgh, the English duchess who could have become queen of Estonia

A very special destiny
From a middle class family
An early career in public relations
Married to Prince Edward
Sumptuous wedding
The Countess of Wessex
Mother of two children
A memorable gaffe
Finding her place in the Firm
A different royal destiny?
A request from Estonian monarchists
Edward's response
A new title for the couple
Sophie was a close friend of Queen Elizabeth
The role of mediator
A very special destiny

Did you know Sophie Rhys-Jones, the wife of Prince Edward and the Duchess of Edinburgh, could have ascended the throne of another European state? A portrait in pictures.

From a middle class family

Born in 1965 in Oxford, Sophie Rhys-Jones came from a middle-class English family. Her father was a sales director for an import-export company and her mother was a secretary involved in charitable activities.

An early career in public relations

Sophie began her professional career in public relations. At first, she worked for the British radio station Capital. In 1996, she created her own agency, RJH Public Relations, which she managed until 2001.

Married to Prince Edward

The young woman's destiny changed when she met Prince Edward, the fourth and youngest child of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. He proposed to her in 1998, five years after they met.

Sumptuous wedding

Their wedding in Windsor was broadcast on television and drew an estimated 200 million viewers. From the ceremony to the bride's look, the wedding was sumptuous!

The Countess of Wessex

By marrying Edward, Sophie Rhys-Jones became the Countess of Wessex. Her husband had received the title of Count from his mother on the occasion of his marriage.

Mother of two children

The couple had two children, Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, born in 2003, and James, Viscount Severn, born in 2007 (pictured).

A memorable gaffe

In 2001, the Countess made a memorable gaffe that ended her PR career: she described the Queen as "such a dear old lady" to a journalist disguised as a sheik. She thought the man was a potential client for her agency, Vanity Fair reported.

Finding her place in the Firm

"Certainly it took me a while to find my feet," she said in Vanity Fair. "The frustration was I had to reduce my expectations of what I could actually do." Becoming part of the British royal family is not easy.

 

A different royal destiny?

An unusual fact reported by Gala was that Edward's wife could have become queen in her own right. Not of England, of course, but of Estonia!

A request from Estonian monarchists

Indeed, Prince Edward was asked to mount the Estonian throne in 1994, shortly after the fall of the USSR and the country's independence. The leader of the Estonian Royalist Party saw him as the ideal candidate to occupy the position.

Image: Stanislav Rabunski / Unsplash

Edward's response

Edward had politely refused this flattering request, replying that the idea was "inconceivable but charming", Gala reports.

A new title for the couple

Although he's not reigning over any country, the couple recently gained ground: on Edward's 59th birthday, his brother, King Charles III, granted him the title of Duke of Edinburgh. The Countess of Wessex therefore became the Duchess of Edinburgh.

Sophie was a close friend of Queen Elizabeth

Sophie had a very close relationship with Queen Elizabeth, who died in 2022. A source from the Daily Telegraph, cited by Vanity Fair, indicated that she had been the late monarch's "favorite daughter-in-law".

"Mama"

The Countess of Wessex had also given her mother-in-law the very affectionate nickname "Mama" during a public speech.

The role of mediator

"Sophie is made for the role of mediator", the same source from the Daily Telegraph said. "She has her feet on the ground and is happy to do what she has to do". Although she missed out on the Tallinn palace in Estonia, the Duchess of Edinburgh should continue to play an important role in the English royal family!

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