Inside Duchess Sophie’s rise to ‘Royal Family secret weapon’ as she’s set for ‘huge reward

Duchess Sophie has been part of the Royal Family for 25 years and recently has been playing an increasingly important role.

Duchess Sophie entered the Royal Family 25 years ago when she married Prince Edward (Image: Getty)

Duchess Sophie entered the Royal Family 25 years ago when she married Prince Edward, and has since become the Firm’s “secret weapon”

Before marrying Edward, Sophie worked in PR PR. She worked at Capital Radio before launching her own agency, RJH Public Relations, with Murrary Harkin.

The now-Duchess met the prince in the late 1980s and the pair reconnected in 1993. They dated for five years before getting engaged in the Bahamas in 1998.

In 1999, they married in St George’s Chapel in Windsor. It was a low-key event with no state or military involvement, though it was broadcast.

Over the next few years, Duchess Sophie gave birth to the couple’s two children – Lady Louise Windsor, 20, and James, Viscount Severn, 16.

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh have been married for 25 years (Image: Getty)

Sophie and Edward decided not to give their children the title of His or Her Royal Highness. They attended local schools and Louise even had a job at a garden centre before attending St Andrews University.

The Queen is said to have “trusted” and “relied” on Sophie to a greater extent than many in her inner circle. Some royal experts claimed she saw Sophie as “more like a daughter” than a daughter-in-law.

Following the deaths of the Queen and Prince Philip, Prince Edward was made the Duke of Edinburgh in 2023, making Sophie the Duchess.

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After Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and Prince Andrew stepped back from royal duties, and following the cancer diagnoses of the King and Princess Kate, Sophie and Edward came under the spotlight more than ever.

The couple took on more engagements and have found themselves front and centre. In 2023, Prince Edward took on 297 royal engagements, the third most of any royal, while Sophie completed 219 engagements.

Duchess Sophie has now become so important to the Royal Family that she has been branded their “secret weapon” by Tatler magazine.

According to new reports, King Charles may reward the couple by offering them Royal Lodge, a prominent property on the Windsor Estate currently occupied by Prince Andrew, Edward’s older brother.