Guest
Sophie Helen Rhys-Jones (January 20, 1965) is a member of the British royal family. She is the Duchess of Edinburgh as the wife of Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, the youngest child and third son of Queen Elizabeth II and the youngest brother of King Charles III. Born in Oxford to Christopher Bournes Rhys-Jones and Mary O'Sullivan, she and her elder brother David grew up in Brenchley, Kent. Sophie descends from King Henry IV of England, and is related to the family of the Viscounts Molesworth through her grandmother, Margaret Rhys-Jones, who was the great-granddaughter of the Rev. John Molesworth. She attended West Kent College, training as a secretary, and worked in public relations representing firms across the UK, Switzerland and Australia before opening her own agency in 1996. While working at Capital Radio, Sophie met Prince Edward in 1987, when he was dating her friend. She met him again at a promotion shoot for the Prince Edward Summer Challenge to raise money for charity in 1993, and the two began their relationship soon afterwards. Their engagement was announced in January 1999, and they married on June 19 at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. The couple have two children: Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and James Mountbatten-Windsor, Earl of Wessex. In 2000, she became patron of a number of organisations, including Foundation of Light (formerly Sunderland Foundation) which develops educational and community programmes in northern England, based around football. Moved by the death of her friend Jill Dando in 1999, the Countess became a trustee of UCL Jill Dando Institute, an institute of crime science established in her name in 2001. As a full-time member of the royal family, Sophie closed her business interests , and part of her focus became charities that dealt with communications difficulties, including Southampton General Hospital, and the New Haven Trust in Toronto, a learning centre for children with autism. She is the patron of over 70 charities and organisations, including Childline and the London College of Fashion. She undertakes over 200 engagements each year, including visits to schools, universities and military bases. Her charity work primarily revolves around people with disabilities, women's rights, avoidable blindness and agriculture. Sophie was styled as “Her Royal Highness The Countess of Wessex“ from her marriage in 1999 to 2023. On March 10, 2023, her husband was created Duke of Edinburgh; since then, she has been known as “Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh“.
