Sophie, Countess of Wessex

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"Countess of Wessex" redirects here. For the title, see Earl of Wessex.
Sophie
Countess of Wessex (more)
The Princess Edward, Countess of Wessex cropped.jpg
The Countess at the England vs Germany 2010 Women's Hockey Champions Trophy Bronze Medal Match
Spouse Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
(m. 1999)
Issue
Lady Louise Windsor
James, Viscount Severn
Full name
Sophie Helen[1]
House House of Windsor
Father Christopher Rhys-Jones
Mother Mary O'Sullivan
Born (1965-01-20) 20 January 1965 (age 48)
Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, England
Religion Anglican (Church of England)

Sophie, Countess of Wessex GCVO, DStJ (Sophie Helen; née Rhys-Jones; born 20 January 1965) is the wife of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Married in 1999, she worked in public relations until 2002 and now assists her husband in his royal duties. The Earl and Countess have two children, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn.

Contents

Early life [edit]

Sophie Helen Rhys-Jones was born at Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, on 20 January 1965, the second child and first daughter of Christopher Bournes Rhys-Jones (born 1931), a retired tyre salesman, and his wife, Mary (née O'Sullivan; 1934–2005), a secretary,[2] who already had a son, David. Sophie was named after her father's sister, Helen, who died in a riding accident more than a decade before Sophie was born. Her godfather, actor Thane Bettany, is her father's stepbrother;[3] both men spent their early life in Sarawak, North Borneo, then a British Protectorate ruled by the White Rajahs.[4]

While she was still young, the Rhys-Jones family moved from Wales[clarification needed] to Brenchley, Kent. She began her education at Dulwich Preparatory School, before moving on to Kent College, Pembury where she was friends with Sarah Sienesi, with whom she subsequently shared a flat in Fulham and who later became her lady-in-waiting. She then trained as a secretary at West Kent College, Tonbridge.[citation needed]

Career [edit]

She began a career in public relations, working for a variety of firms, including four years at Capital Radio, where she was assigned to the press and promotions department, as well as public relations companies The Quentin Bell Organisation and MacLaurin Communications & Media. She also worked as a ski representative in Switzerland and spent a year travelling and working in Australia. In 1996, Rhys-Jones launched her public relations agency, RJH Public Relations, which she ran with her business partner, Murray Harkin.

In 2001, a News of the World undercover reporter, Mazher Mahmood, posing as a sheikh, recorded the Countess making disparaging comments about certain members of the British Government and appearing to use her royal status in order to gain clientele. The comments were subsequently published in The Mail on Sunday newspaper, and then by other media outlets. Buckingham Palace released a statement saying the reported comments were "selective, distorted and in several cases, flatly untrue".[5] Subsequently, in 2002, both the Earl and Countess announced that they would quit their business interests in order to focus on royal duties and aid the Queen in her Golden Jubilee year.[6]

Marriage [edit]

The Royal Family of the
United Kingdom and the
other Commonwealth realms
Badge of the House of Windsor.svg

HM The Queen
HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
Main article: Wedding of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, and Sophie Rhys-Jones
See also: Wedding dress of Sophie Rhys-Jones

Sophie met Prince Edward, the youngest son of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, at a charity event in 1993, and the two began their relationship soon afterwards.[7] Their engagement was announced on 6 January 1999. Edward proposed to Sophie with an engagement ring featuring a two-carat oval diamond flanked by two heart-shaped gemstones set in 18-karat white gold. This engagement ring was made by Asprey and Garrard (now Garrard & Co) and it is worth an estimated £105,000.[8] The wedding took place on 19 June of the same year at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, a break from the weddings of Edward's older siblings, which were large, formal events at Westminster Abbey or St Paul's Cathedral. On the day of their marriage, the Queen created Edward Earl of Wessex and Viscount Severn, and declared that he would eventually be created Duke of Edinburgh, once that title reverts to the Crown. After the union, the couple moved to Bagshot Park, in Surrey.

After the death of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 2002, Sophie became the second-highest ranking woman in the kingdom, preceded only by the Queen, as her brothers-in-law, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York, were then unmarried. Due to marriages of the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge and changes in favour of princesses by blood for private occasions, Sophie now ranks after her sisters-in-law, the Princess Royal and the Duchess of Cornwall, her nieces, Beatrice and Eugenie, her niece-in-law Catherine and her mother-in-law's cousin Alexandra.[9] At official occasions, however, she ranks third, only behind her mother-in-law and sister-in-law.

In December 2001, the Countess was taken to the King Edward VII Hospital after feeling unwell, whereupon it was discovered that she was suffering from a potentially life-threatening ectopic pregnancy. Two years later, she gave birth to a daughter, Lady Louise Windsor, on 8 November 2003. It was a premature birth, resulting from a sudden placental abruption that placed both the mother and child at risk, and the Countess had to undergo an emergency caesarean section at Frimley Park Hospital, while The Earl of Wessex rushed back from Mauritius. The Countess returned to Frimley Park Hospital on 17 December 2007, to give birth, again by caesarean section, to her son, James, Viscount Severn.[10] The children, per prior agreement between the Queen and their parents, will either not have or use (depending on interpretation) the titles of Prince and Princess, nor the style Royal Highness.

The Countess of Wessex is particularly close to her mother-in-law, with whom she rides and shares an interest in military history. The Countess is reported to be the first of the Queen's children-in-law with whom she has enjoyed a permanently warm relationship.[11] Due to this fact, the Countess is privileged enough to be the only member of the Royal Family to ride in the State Limousine with the Queen at Sandringham on Christmas Day.[12]

Royal duties [edit]

The Earl and Countess of Wessex, along with former Lieutenant Governor of Ontario Lincoln Alexander, unveil an Ontario Heritage Trust plaque in front of the Toronto Dominion Centre, 2006

The Countess of Wessex began to take on royal duties after her wedding, with her first overseas tour being to the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island in 2000.[13] She also became patron of a number of organisations, including the SAFC Foundation (the charitable arm of Sunderland AFC) and Girlguiding UK. In 2003, she became Patron of Tomorrow's People Trust.[14] In 2006, the Countess also lent her support to the Born in Bradford research project, which is investigating causes of low birth weight and infant mortality.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex are the primary representatives of The Queen at foreign royal events, especially marriages of heirs apparent. In this capacity, the Countess has attended the weddings of the Crown Prince and Princess Martha Louise of Norway, the Crown Prince of Denmark, the Crown Princess of Sweden, the Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, the 40th birthday celebrations for the Prince of Orange and the enthronement and the wedding of the Prince of Monaco.

In December 2011, the Countess of Wessex joined her husband visiting troops in Afghanistan. On the same trip, the royal couple visited Bahrain, and received two gifts of jewels from the Bahraini royal family and Prime Minister. Given concern about human rights abuses in Bahrain, this gift attracted controversy, with calls for the jewels to be sold, and the proceeds used for the benefit of the Bahraini people.[15] In February and March 2012, The Earl and Countess visited the Caribbean for the Diamond Jubilee, visiting Saint Lucia, Barbados, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, Anguilla and Antigua and Barbuda. Highlights of the tour included the 50th Anniversary Independence Day celebrations in Saint Lucia, a joint address from both houses of the Barbados Parliament and a visit to sites affected by the recent volcanic eruptions in Montserrat.[16]

Criticism [edit]

The Countess of Wessex has been criticised for accepting two sets of jewels from the royal family of Bahrain during an official day-long[17] visit to the country in December 2011, as she and her husband returned to the UK from a trip to Afghanistan. She was given one set by Bahrain’s king and a second set by the country’s prime minister, Sheikh Khalifa ibn Salman Al Khalifa. Her husband, the earl, received a pen and a watch as well as a silk rug from the Crown Prince of Bahrain, Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, who also gave the countess a silver and pearl cup. The value of the jewellery has not been estimated and its precise contents were not disclosed.[18]

Critics said the countess should sell the gems and give the proceeds to political protesters in Bahrain. Denis MacShane, a former Foreign Office minister, said: “Given the appalling suffering and repression of the Bahraini people, it would be a fitting gesture for the Countess of Wessex to auction these trinkets and distribute the proceeds to the victims of the regime.”[18]

Gift guidelines [edit]

Royal Family guidelines and procedures relating to gifts drafted in 2003 state that "before accepting any gift, careful consideration should always be given, wherever practicable, to the donor, the reason for and occasion of the gift and the nature of the gift itself (..) Equally, before declining the offer of a gift, careful consideration should be given to any offence that might be caused by such action."[17]

Titles, styles, honours and arms [edit]

The Earl and Countess of Wessex at the wedding of the Crown Princess of Sweden in June 2010

Titles and styles [edit]

  • 20 January 1965 – 19 June 1999: Miss Sophie Helen Rhys-Jones
  • 19 June 1999 – present: Her Royal Highness The Countess of Wessex[19][20]

Sophie's style and title is alternatively: Her Royal Highness The Princess Edward, Countess of Wessex.[20]

Honours [edit]

See also List of honours of the British Royal Family by country

Decorations [edit]

Medals [edit]

Honorary military appointments [edit]

Sophie wearing her Honorary Air Commodore's uniform at Kandahar Airfield
Canada Canada
United Kingdom United Kingdom

Arms [edit]

Arms of Sophie, Countess of Wessex
Notes
The Countess bears the arms of her husband, Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, impaled with her father's.[26]
Coat of Arms of Sophie, Countess of Wessex.svg
Adopted
1999
Coronet
Escutcheon
Quarterly 1st and 4th Gules three Lions passant guardant in pale Or armed and langed Azure 2nd Or a Lion rampant Gules armed and langued Azure within a double Tressure flory counterflory of the Second 3rd Azure a Harp Or stringed Argent, the whole differenced with a label of three points Argent with the central point charged with a Tudor Rose; impaled with a shield quarterly Gules and Azure a Lion rampant regardant within an Orle Or.
Supporters
Dexter a Lion rampant gardant Or crowned with the coronet of the rank of a child of the Sovereign Proper, sinister a Wyvern Azure, gorged with a coronet Or composed of crosses patée and fleurs de lis a Chain affixed also Or.
Motto
CAS GŴR NI CHÂR Y WLAD A'I MACO
(Welsh: Hateful the man who loves not the country that nurtured him)
Orders
The Royal Victorian Order circlet.
VICTORIA
The Badge of the Order of St John.
Maltese Cross (optional as DJStJ).
Other elements
Insignia of GCVO appended
Symbolism
Coat of Arms of Sophie Rhys-Jones.svg
Prior to marriage, Sophie Rhys-Jones had her arms redesigned by the Garter Principal King of Arms Sir Peter Gwynn-Jones, based on a 200 year old previous coat of arms, which had never been officially recognised. The new grant of arms applied to her father Christopher with remainder to his older brother Theo. The grant alludes to her family's noble Welsh heritage and one of her ancestors the warrior Elystan Glodrydd, Prince of Ferrig (represented by the Lion). The colours of red and blue is also the colours of the Royal Fusiliers Regiment, in which members of her family have served. She is quoted saying: "It's wonderful, I'm absolutely thrilled", "It's not modern and different, because it is representative of my family's heritage, so it's in keeping with that."[26]
Previous versions
Previous versions were depicted without the Royal Victorian Order, in which she was only appointed in 2010, but superimposed upon the badge of the Order St John (as DJStJ). Prior to her marriage, she bore her father's arms on a lozenge only.

Issue [edit]

Name Birth Marriage Issue
Lady Louise Windsor 8 November 2003
James, Viscount Severn 17 December 2007

Ancestry [edit]

Sophie is the 11th cousin once removed of her husband, through their common ancestors Nicholas St. John of Lydiard Tregoze and his wife, Elizabeth (née Blount, a relative of royal mistress Elizabeth Blount). By multiple lines, Sophie is a direct descendant of King Edward III of England.[27] Sophie also descends from the Lancastrian King Henry IV of England through his son Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester.[28][29][30][31][32] She is also of Welsh, Irish, and Scottish ancestry, through her father and her mother respectively, as well as French ancestry, being a descendant of King Henry II of France. Sophie is also distantly related to the family of the Viscounts Molesworth by her paternal grandmother's descent from Robert Molesworth, 1st Viscount Molesworth.[33][34] Sophie is also a descendent of the Welsh prince and warrior Elystan Glodrydd by her father.

See also [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ As a titled royal, Sophie holds no surname, but, when one is used, it is Mountbatten-Windsor.
  2. ^ "Countess of Wessex's mother dies". BBC. 29 August 2005. Retrieved 27 October 2008. 
  3. ^ Peerage genealogy
  4. ^ Biography of Paul Bettany
  5. ^ "Palace denies reports of Sophie insults". BBC News. 2 April 2001. Retrieved 8 July 2011. 
  6. ^ "Sophie and Edward quit business roles". BBC News. 2 March 2002. 
  7. ^ "History - Prince Edward's wedding (pictures, video, facts & news)". BBC. Retrieved 2011-12-27. 
  8. ^ "Crown jewels: The fabulous rings which sealed the love of Europe's royal couples". HELLO! magazine (UK). 
  9. ^ The Queen tells the Duchess of Cambridge to curtsy to the 'blood princesses’
  10. ^ "Countess gives birth to baby boy". BBC. 17 December 2007. Retrieved 27 October 2008. 
  11. ^ Kay, Richard; Levy, Geoffrey (4 August 2010). "Do they really have to look so glum? What these pictures tell us about the Royals". London: Dailymail. Retrieved 4 August 2010. 
  12. ^ "Sophie Wessex is Kate Middleton’s Steadying Hand". DailyExpress. 21 November 2010. 
  13. ^ Scott, Burke; Aimers, John (October 2001). "Wessexs' Tour a Triumph". Canadian Monarchist News (Monarchist League of Canada) (Autumn 2001). Retrieved 27 October 2008. [dead link]
  14. ^ "Sophie takes first steps towards a royal career". The Daily Telegraph. 19 February 2003. Retrieved 23 April 2013. 
  15. ^ Sawer, Patrick (8 January 2012). "How a routine royal visit spelt trouble for the Countess of Wessex". The Daily Telegraph (London). 
  16. ^ Carolyn Harris Royal Historian http://www.royalhistorian.com/royals-of-the-caribbean-the-2012-diamond-jubilee-commonwealth-tours-begin/
  17. ^ a b Staff writer (7 January 2012). "Countess of Wessex's Bahrain jewel gift criticised". BBC. Retrieved 9 January 2012. 
  18. ^ a b Andy Bloxham (6 January 2012). "Countess of Wessex criticised for accepting jewels from Bahrain". London: The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 January 2012. 
  19. ^ The style "Princess Sophie", although often uses by the public and the media, is always incorrect. With rare exceptions (such as Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester) only women born to the title (such as The Princess Anne) may use it before their given names. After her marriage Sophie is officially styled HRH The Countess of Wessex.
  20. ^ a b "The Countess of Wessex – Titles". royal.gov.uk. Retrieved 10 April 2012. 
  21. ^ a b "Sophie, Countess of Wessex". Regiments.org. Retrieved 27 October 2008. [dead link]
  22. ^ a b Mad Hattery, pictures during Princess Victoria of Sweden's wedding
  23. ^ "The Countess of Wessex appointed to the Royal Victorian Order" (Press release). Queen's Printer. 20 January 2010. Retrieved 20 January 2010. 
  24. ^ "The Earl and Countess of Wessex Receive Centennial Medal" (Press release). Government of Saskatchewan. 7 June 2005. Retrieved 27 October 2008. 
  25. ^ "South Alberta Light Horse". Salh.net. Retrieved 2011-12-27. [dead link]
  26. ^ a b Sophie's new coat. BBC News. 19 May 1999. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
  27. ^ Sophie of Wessex descends from Edward III of England through several lines. Sir Nicholas St. John's paternal grandmother, Jane Inwardby, descended from Edward III The Royal Lineage; Sir Lachlan Maclean, 1st Baronet who descends from Edward and Scottish royalty and nobility.
  28. ^ Sir Bernard Burke. A genealogical and heraldic history of the extinct and dormant baronetcies of England, by J. and J.B. Burke, Scott, Webster, and Geary, 1838. pg 546.
  29. ^ Sir Bernard Burke. A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Colonial Gentry, Harrison, 1891. pg 198.
  30. ^ Bernard Burke. A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, Enjoying Territorial Possessions Or High Official Rank: But Uninvested with Heritable Honours, Volume 4. pg 134.
  31. ^ Sir Bernard Burke. A genealogical and heraldic history of the landed gentry of Great Britain & Ireland, Volume 2, Harrison, 1871. pg 856.
  32. ^ Charles Mosley, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes (Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003), volume 2, page 2720.
  33. ^ Charles Mosley, editor, Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes (Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003), volume 2, page 2731.
  34. ^ The Royal Lineage of Our Noble and Gentle Families: together with their paternal ancestry, Volume 1. Hazell, Watson and Viney, 1883. pg 31. Google eBook

External links [edit]

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Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by
The Duchess of Cornwall		 Ladies
HRH The Countess of Wessex		 Succeeded by
The Princess Royal
*not including short-term appointments, visiting dignitaries and most peers

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