Countess of Wessex: Last News

The new Duchess of Edinburgh Sophie Wessex, is said to be "relieved" that her change in title means that she'll no longer be expected to curtsey to Meghan Markle. King Charles bestowed the title of Duke of Edinburgh on his brother Prince Edward in honour of the late Queen's wishes.The title had previously belonged to the late Prince Philip, for whom the dukedom was created in 1947 upon his marriage to the then-to Princess Elizabeth, who held the title of Duchess of Edinburgh before acceding to the throne in 1952.

Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh proudly paraded their newfound royal titles on the Scottish capital's iconic Royal Mile on Friday, 10 March.The younger brother of King Charles III was bestowed the 'Duke' mantle on his 59th birthday– serving his late father Prince Phillip's wish – and while marking the one-year anniversary since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Edward spoke of feeling overwhelmed by the honour itself, according to The Independent. Addressing his audience, he shared to a chorus of cheers: "Thank you very much indeed for welcoming us to Edinburgh today on, indeed, a very special and slightly overwhelming day for – now – my wife, the Duchess." The 58 year old's former title was Countess of Wessex – equal in rank to Edward, the long-time Earl of Wessex.

Prince Edward designed the necklace and earrings that wife Sophie wore on her wedding day. Edward, who had been the Earl of Wessex for more than 20 years until he was made Duke of Edinburgh on Friday, met Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1987 when she was working at Capital Radio. The pair did not start dating until 1993, however, and they eventually tied the knot six years later at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle on 19 June, 1999.

King Charles has finally granted Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, the former Earl and Countess of Wessex, the titles of Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, while their 15-year-old son James, Viscount Severn is now the Earl of Wessex. However, the title of Duke of Edinburgh will now not be passed down to James upon his father’s death.

Sophie Wessex was in high spirits as she cuddled up with a cute rabbit during a visit to The Countryside Education Trust. The 58 year old royal put on a casual display during the trip to Beaulieu, Hampshire - opting for comfortable jeans and a stylish navy parka. She was braced against the wintry conditions with a grey wool jumper and scarf - completing her look with brown leather boots with her hair styled in bouncy curls.The Countess of Wessex was warmly greeted by members of the trust as she arrived for the engagement - and later she looked over the moon as she held the adorable rabbit.

Sophie, Countess of Wessex has made history, after becoming the first member of the Royal Family to travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Buckingham Palace announced on Monday that Sophie, 57, is carrying out an official visit to the African country at the request of the Foreign Office.The Palace said that the countess’s visit will focus on addressing the devastating impact of sexual and gender-based violence in conflict, while supporting and empowering survivors and tackling the stigma they face.

Sophie, Countess of Wessex looked emotional as she attended her beloved mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II's, funeral on Monday.The 57 year old could be seen wiping tears from her eyes at Westminster Abbey, where she was sat alongside her husband, Prince Edward, 58, and the Prince and Princess of Wales, who also both looked emotional. Sophie arrived alongside Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, earlier on in the day, with the duo making their way to Westminster via car while their husbands arrived on foot.

Sophie, The Countess of Wessex, and her husband Prince Edward surprised mourners outside Buckingham Palace on Saturday 17 September as they made an unexpected appearance to thank them for their well wishes.The Royal couple took several minutes to shake hands and speak to the mourners who had gathered outside the Palace to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, who sadly passed away on 8 September. Excited crowds of well wishers, including some who had been standing for several hours, cheered and applauded as the couple made an appearance outside the Palace gates on Saturday afternoon, before taking their time to greet as many people as possible.

Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex travelled to Manchester today, where they lit a candle in memory of the Queen and viewed floral tributes in St Ann’s Square.The Wessex royals also looked at the Book of the Condolence for the Queen, who passed away Thursday 8 September aged 96 at her Balmoral estate in Scotland. Prince Edward and Countess Sophie were pictured greeting a large crowd who had gathered at Manchester's Central Library, where they arrived to see the Book of condolences.The royal couple chatted with as many members of the public they could as they were presented with bouquets of flowers in commiseration of the Queen's death.

Sophie, Countess of Wessex shared an exceptionally close bond with her mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II. The 57 year old, who is married to the Queen's youngest son Prince Edward, 58, was often described as Her Majesty's "favourite" relative, with her and Edward's daughter, Lady Louise Windsor, 18, also said to have been the late monarch's favourite grandchild. Sophie, who also shares son James, Viscount Severn, 14, with Edward, grew even closer to her late mother-in-law last year, following the death of the Duke of Edinburgh.

Sophie Wessex gave a beautiful nod to Dame Deborah James during her trip to Gibraltar trip with her husband, Prince Edward. Deborah is currently receiving at-home hospice care for her stage four bowel cancer, five years after she was first diagnosed with stage three of the disease.

The Queen’s youngest son, Prince Edward, and his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex have been forced to turn back to London and make an emergency landing, after a flight that they were on experienced a “technical issue”. The Earl and Countess of Wessex were on their way to Gibraltar on a British Airways flight to undertake official royal business in the territory, however, they will now be delayed in arriving to the destination.The information was confirmed by Gibraltar’s government, who said that the plane had been “safely diverted”.

Sophie Wessex was ever the proud mum today as she watched and snapped pictures of her daughter, Lady Louise, carriage driving as the Queen watched too. Lady Louise, 18, is an accomplished carriage driver, having spent much of her younger years enjoying the sport with her grandfather, the late Prince Phillip. She showed off her skills at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, and her mother, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, 57, couldn’t contain her pride as she snapped photos of her only daughter.

The Countess of Wessex became the first member of the royal family to sit for a sculptor while the process was streamed live on the internet – to raise awareness about the blind and partially sighted.