Duchess Sophie of Edinburgh: from PR officer to stepping in for the King

2023 has seen the rise and rise of Duchess Sophie, the royal family's 'secret weapon'. Her Royal Highness, as she has been known since the beginning of this year, has stepped in for the King on numerous occasions, as well as stood together with the Princess of Wales to show a united front against potential bad press against the royals. 

According to a poll done by YouGov reflecting Q3 of 2023, she is just behind the King himself in the rankings. She has 50% popularity, above her royal-born husband, Prince Edward and above the Queen Consort herself. 

It was March 10 when Buckingham Palace announced King Charles III's new hierarchy in the royal family. The sovereign named his younger brother, Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh and Sophie, the Duchess. But the couple have not had an easy ride through the royal ranks.

A statement from Buckingham Palace said: "His Majesty The King has been pleased to confer the Dukedom of Edinburgh upon The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Forfar, on the occasion of His Royal Highness’s 59th birthday. The title will be held by Prince Edward for His Royal Highness’s lifetime."

It is a title that belonged to the late father of Charles and his siblings: Prince Philip. He held the title for most of his life. "The dukedom was last created for Prince Philip in 1947, upon his marriage to Princess Elizabeth, who held the title of Duchess of Edinburgh before acceding to the throne in 1952," the palace's statement said.

"The new Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are proud to continue Prince Philip's legacy of promoting opportunities for young people of all backgrounds to reach their full potential," the statement closed.

Sophie, Prince Edward's wife, has had an eventful spell as a working royal. She promptly became popular for her down-to-earth nature, her modesty and let's not forget the casual accomplishment of becoming one of the late Queen's favourites.

After Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan stepped back from their senior royal duties, it was a natural move for the Palace to call upon their most valuable players to warm up and prepare themselves for more royal tasks.

It looks as if Sophie is ready for the challenge - or at least now she is. Certainly this has not always been the case; the story of the Duchess has been rather reluctant from the beginning. The documentary, 'The Reluctant Royals' (Channel 5) outlines the events of her courtship with Edward and the battle with becoming royal.

Sophie Rhys-Jones was born into a 'normal' family. Her father ran an import-export business selling car tires to Hungary, and her mother was a part-time secretary.

She worked for a short time in a bar, then later as a press officer for Capital Radio (a London-based music station).

According to Britanica, she became romantically involved with an Australian ski instructor and followed him to Australia. But, years later, she would meet her true love.

In 1993 Sophie met Edward when her company took on publicity for one of his charity events. The documentary reveals he was expecting Sue Barker, but Sophie stood in.

Having a non-royal relationship was impossible and her life changed drastically. She was the 'commoner' who was marrying in to the royal family. After the terrible marriages Edward's brothers were living, the world was watching to see how this relationship would turn out. She was surrounded by paps.

Edward told the press to back off and allow them to keep their relationship private; but this was never going to happen. Press followed her everywhere: it was overwhelming and she had a hard time.

Then, it got worse. The press started comparing Sophie to Diana. Both blonde, young women entering the life of the royal family from different worlds.

The palace never released a statement, but the Queen decided she wanted Sophie to understand what marrying into the royal family meant. So, she gave Sophie a 'free pass' to Buckingham Palace - she could come and go as she pleased, as the Channel 5 documentary states.

After 5 years of romance, the couple (much to the anticipation of the press) announced their engagement. They spoke openly about their relationship for the first time. He even kissed her for the cameras, which was a shocking, modern approach - something that had never been done before.

The late Queen had respect for Sophie for various reasons - one being that she was incredibly down to earth. She was a woman who worked hard and she wasn't going to cause trouble.

But, as many know, the Queen didn't exactly pick her words well when describing her son's new bride. She said that Sophie 'wouldn’t stick out in a crowd'. Which was actually meant as a compliment.

Sophie Rhys-Jones married Prince Edward on June 19, 1999. The couple insisted it would be an informal, family occasion. The wedding was attended by Britain’s royal family on the grounds of Windsor Castle and watched on TV by an estimated 200 million viewers around the world.

Sadly for Sophie she will not be known as Princess until her husband is next in line to the throne, like the other Princesses: such as Princess Charlotte, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice. These women are all directly descended from the late Queen Elizabeth.

Writing in Vanity Fair, royal commentator Katie Nicholl claimed: “The Countess of Wessex had wanted to be known as Princess Sophie, but the Queen would not allow it.”

After the wedding, Sophie began to reduce her PR work. She soon left her firm and her and her husband realised they couldn't have a private life and still be part of the royal family. They gave up their careers and focused on royal duties.

After marrying the Queen’s youngest son, both Sophie and Edward were granted the same privilege as other royal newlyweds. The Queen bestowed a new title upon them.

Welcome, 'The Earl and Countess of Wessex'. Why that title? Apparently because after watching Colin Firth play Lord Wessex in the film, ‘Shakespeare in Love’, Edward wanted it.

The new Countess changed her professional name to Sophie Wessex. She was known for being down-to-earth and self-confident, and she was viewed by some as someone who might help the royal family’s image. Especially after the aftermath of the death of Diana.

Kara Nobel who worked with Sophie at Capital Radio sold a photo to the Sun tabloid of a photo from 11 years previously where her chest was partially exposed. The royal family and the public agreed it was nasty and inappropriate. The Queen even released a statement in support of Sophie. Nobel was sacked. The Sun gave a rare apology and made a donation to a charity of Sophie's choice.

Sophie’s first pregnancy in 2001 was atopic and she sadly lost the baby after just 6 weeks of pregnancy. She had to be air lifted to hospital after losing a lot of blood. Because of this traumatic event Sophie is now patron of Thames Air Ambulance, whose paramedics saved her life.

Sophie gave birth to a daughter, Louise, in 2003 and a son, James, in 2007.

Over time, Sophie has proven herself to be 'one of the royals', even with a few slip-ups along the way. She certainly has the confidence of King Charles.

"He will need them, and they are the ones who will set the tone and be there," as quoted on Express.co.uk from an exclusive interview with royal historian, Marlene Koenig. The historian discussed Charles' plans before he took the throne and how Sophie, Countess of Wessex would be a big part of them.

Sophie said, "I think it must be a fairly lonely place being the Queen. As a female in the top job it's important I think to have somebody that you can lean on, that you can discuss things with, that she can be open and honest with behind closed doors." The Queen's death was a great loss for the Duchess.

Between the Duke’s death in April 2021 and Her Majesty's death in September 2022, Sophie drove the 10 miles from her Bagshot Park home to Windsor Castle every few days and most weekends to spend time with Elizabeth II, according to a report by the Express online. The new Duchess of Edinburgh certainly focuses on the same ideals as the late Queen: family and duty come first.