Sophie Wessex and Prince Edward's love story: everything you need to know about their relationship
The Earl and Countess of Wessex are popular members of the royal family and have increasingly represented the Queen at official engagements over the last couple of years.
As the long-time couple proved on their recent tour of the Caribbean and visits to the Channel Islands and the Isle of Wight, they make a great team and clearly have a lot of fun together.
SEE: Countess Wessex's pre-royal home is nothing like Bagshot Park residence with Prince Edward
But how much do you know about their relationship, from how Prince Edward and Sophie met to when they got married and became parents?
Read on to learn more about this royal couple's love story…
WATCH: Why Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex opted for a Windsor wedding
How did Prince Edward and Sophie meet?
Sophie, then called Sophie Rhys-Jones, first met the Queen's youngest son at Capital Radio in 1987, although romance didn't bloom as the Prince was going out with her friend at the time.
SEE: Prince Edward stuns onlookers with very unexpected mode of transport!
MORE: Prince Edward 'honoured' to take over Prince Philip's former special role
They bumped into each other again in 1993 at a charity event, when Sophie worked as a public relations executive, co-owning the firm RJH Public Relations with her business partner Murray Harkin.
The couple first met back in 1987
Edward and Sophie began dating, and rumours swirled that things were becoming serious between them after the royal brought Sophie as his guest to royal weddings and events.
When did they get engaged?
The couple were in no rush to settle down, however, and didn't announce their engagement until January 1999, when they were both 34 years old.
What was Sophie's engagement ring like?
Edward popped the question with a stunning Asprey and Garrard white gold ring featuring a two-carat oval diamond surrounded by two heart-shaped gemstones and rumoured to be worth £105,000.
The Wessexes on their wedding day
Where and when did Sophie and Edward get married?
The couple tied the knot the summer after their engagement, marrying at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank would go on to do in 2018.
The ceremony took place on 19 June 1999 and was smaller and less formal than other royal weddings, with an intimate guest list, no military involvement and those attending asked not to wear hats – although the Queen Mother stylishly defied that recommendation!
How many children do Prince Edward and Sophie have?
The couple are doting parents to two children. They welcomed their daughter, 18-year-old Lady Louise Windsor, on 8 November 2003, and went on to have a son, James, Viscount Severn, 14, on 17 December 2007.
Sophie and Edward share two children
James is the youngest of the Queen's grandchildren and the only one who is under 18.
MORE: Lady Louise Windsor copies Sophie Wessex's style with poignant accessory
Do the couple's children have royal titles?
Sophie has previously spoken about wanting their children to live as normal lives as possible, which included not encouraging them to use their royal titles.
In an interview with The Sunday Times in 2020, the mum-of-two said: "We try to bring them up with the understanding they are very likely to have to work for a living. Hence we made the decision not to use HRH titles. They have them and can decide to use them from 18, but I think it's highly unlikely."
Have Prince Edward or Sophie been married before?
Prince Edward is the only one of the Queen's children to not have divorced and remarried, and the marriage is also Sophie's first. They will celebrate their 23rd wedding anniversary later this month.
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