Sophie, Duchess Of Edinburgh's Marriage To Prince Edward Completely Transformed Her Life

Can you imagine what your life would be like if you married into royalty? If Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh is anything to go by, it would probably change drastically. Sophie came from humble beginnings before she became a senior member of the British royal family. Her father was a tire importer and her mother was a part-time secretary. In 1999, she married Prince Edward, the youngest son of the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. They have two children, Lady Louise Mountbatten Windsor and James Alexander Philip Theo Mountbatten-Windsor, Viscount Severn. Fortunately, her marriage isn't one of the royal marriages that made headlines for all the wrong reasons, but it is an interesting one.

The Duchess of Edinburgh had a career before marrying and has a strong sense of her own style which doesn't always meet royal protocols. In fact, Sophie has even been caught wearing some inappropriate outfits that weren't fit for the palace. It's no surprise then, that Sophie faced media scrutiny and she was forced to leave her career behind once she married Prince Edward. But, there were also positive changes that came with marrying into the royal family. 

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, met Prince Edward unexpectedly. The pair were first introduced in 1993 at one of her work functions, while she was employed at the public relations firm MacLaurin Communications. The firm was in charge of the publicity for the Prince Edward Challenge, a charity tennis event. Then Sophie Rhys-Jones, the future duchess stepped in to take someone's place during a photoshoot and the rest is history.

As much as Sophie enjoyed working and tried to maintain normalcy by continuing to work after marriage, she had to leave behind her career once she entered the royal family. She had co-founded a public relations firm called RJH and a British tabloid writer disguised himself as a potential client. According to Daily Mail, he met with Sophie and recorded her making controversial statements about British politicians, including criticizing Tony Blair, then-prime minister. Sophie was also recorded talking about her future sister-in-law, saying, "People don't want Camilla to be queen." It was hugely problematic when these tapes were made public in 2001 as Sophie was to remain apolitical and inoffensive as a royal. Shortly after the tapes were released, Sophie resigned from her PR company.

In 2002, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, became a full-time working royal. With the queen's approval, she and Edward even doubled their royal commitments. Today, Sophie is the patron of over 70 charities and organizations. The duchess has a particular passion for children and disability rights. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh established a foundation, The Wessex Youth Trust, in 1999 to help, support, and advance registered charities which provide opportunities for children and young people. She is also passionate about preventing avoidable blindness in developing countries.

Other than attending charity functions, Sophie represents the Firm abroad. In particular, Sophie has visited countries such as Ukraine and Democratic Republic of Congo. In an interview with British Blind Sport on their "Golden Legacy Series" podcast, Sophie said, "I spend quite a lot of time going to difficult countries, trying to highlight the work that is going on there, some of the problems they are facing and also trying to highlight some of the good practice that exists out there." 

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, came from Oxford and had no titles or connections to royalty. However, her respect for the monarchy and her work with charities allowed her to build relationships with members of the British royal family, especially the late Queen Elizabeth II. In 2020, E! News reported that the queen's cousin Elizabeth Anson spoke with author Sally Bedell Smith on their special dynamic. "Sophie first of all respects her as the Queen, then as a mother-in-law, but she also understands that she is a human being, and treats her that way," she told the publication.

That relationship extended beyond mere reverence into material support. Back in 2002, after Sophie faced backlash for attempting to leverage royal connections to help her PR firm, the palace did everything to protect her and her future. This included the queen ensuring Sophie and Prince Edward had a place to stay, even after her PR firm shuttered. According to E! News, before Sophie and Edward got married, the Queen also allowed Sophie to stay on the Buckingham Palace grounds, something that was not allowed for anyone else pre-marriage. 

Similar to Meghan Markle, who has undergone a transformation since her marriage to Prince Harry, Sophie struggled with the British tabloids. Particularly, the media often compared her to other members of the royal family. 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.'"

Perhaps the worst moment for Sophie came when The Sun published a topless photo of her. In the documentary "Edward & Sophie: The Reluctant Royals" (via Express), Sophie's friend and former business partner Murray Harkin said: "I remember Sophie ringing me in the early hours of the morning, in floods of tears when she discovered that The Sun had bought the picture and was planning to publish it. She was so upset."