Duchess Sophie was unrecognisable in sequin wedding guest dress and brunette pixie cut

Nichola Murphy
·3-min read
Duchess Sophie in a blue off-the-shoulder-dress
(David M. Benett)

Since marrying Prince Edward, the Duchess of Edinburgh has made numerous glamorous appearances at royal weddings – but her style has undergone a major transformation over the years.

Back in January 2002, the former PR boss joined King Charles' brother at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam for a pre-wedding dinner party hosted by King Willem Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, who got married days later on 2 February 2002.

Duchess Sophie in a blue sequin dress with Prince Edward in a suit
The Duchess of Edinburgh sported brunette hair at Queen Maxima's pre-wedding dinner (UK Press via Getty Images)

Sophie was dripping in midnight blue sequins in a one-shouldered, floor-length gown. She sheltered from the cool winter weather with a baby blue shawl draped across her shoulders – which were surprisingly bare considering unspoken royal rules – and accessorised with pointed-toe slingback heels.

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Aside from her uncharacteristically dramatic wedding guest dress, Sophie also surprised fans with her unrecognisable dark bob. While she is now known for her long blonde hair – which she often styles in waves or twists into elegant ponytails – she previously sported a cropped light brunette hairstyle with strawberry undertones.

Duchess Sophie in a white jacket and beige hat with her arm in Prince Edward's
Sophie swapped her glamorous evening gown for a neutral wedding guest dress in 2002 (Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

She added lighter honey highlights ahead of her royal wedding in 1999 before returning to her more natural hue the following year.

Days after stepping out in her sequin wedding guest dress, Sophie swapped it for a demure champagne midi dress with embellished details as she attended Maxima's wedding ceremony at Nieuwe Kerk, Amsterdam. Satin heels, a white jacket and a mocha hat completed her neutral ensemble.

couple attending wedding
Sophie previously had strawberry blonde cropped hair (Getty Images)

Her second look more closely resembled her wedding guest style today, which includes midi dresses with feminine lace, floral details and flattering A-line silhouettes. Take her blue frock at Princess Eugenie's 2018 wedding for example.

Royal transition

Edward and Sophie married 12 years before Kate and William
Edward and Sophie got married in 1999 (Getty)

Sophie married Edward in June 1999 at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. While she tried to continue working in her early marriage, Sophie decided to focus on her royal duties after her comments about the royal family became public in 2001.

Speaking of her career transformation, Sophie – who is now mother to Lady Louise, James, Earl of Wessex – said: "Certainly it took me a while to find my feet. The frustration was I had to reduce my expectations of what I could actually do.

"I couldn’t turn up at a charity and go, 'Right, I think you should be doing this', because that’s what I was used to doing in my working life. I had to take a really big step back and go, OK, they want you to be the icing on the cake, the person to come in to thank their volunteers and funders, not necessarily to tell them how to run their communications plan."

MORE: Princess Diana's secret symbols of love at wedding months before split

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