Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex have been in the spotlight this week after their interactions with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the Commonwealth Day service went global on Monday.
WATCH: Harry & Meghan laugh with Prince Edward while Sophie stays distant
With so much focus on the couple, questions around their marriage have been raised.
Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones, a PR girl at the time, were married in St George’s Chapel, Windsor, on June 19, 1999.
The couple, who celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary last year, have two children, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn.
The pair are still married, and Edward is actually the only one of his siblings not to have divorced.
Prince Edward was born on March 10, 1964. At the time of his birth, he was third in line to the throne, behind his two older brothers, Prince Charles and Prince Andrew, but before his older sister Princess Anne.
He’s currently 11th in the line of succession, following the birth of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s son, Archie.
In 1999 on his wedding day, Edward was given the title of Earl of Wessex. In March of 2018, he was also given the title of Earl of Forfar to use in Scotland, as a birthday gift from his mother.
Edward had a stint in the marines and also tried his hand at TV production, however he’s now a full-time working royal. He’s taken over many of the duties of his father, Prince Philip.
Rumour has it that Edward and Sophie have a very special relationship with the Queen and Prince Philip.
“[Countess Sophie] is trusted and relied on by the Queen in a way I couldn’t say applied to the Duchess of Cambridge or the Duchess of Cornwall,” a royal aide told the Daily Mail.
“She is like another daughter to Her Majesty, they are that close.”
Similarly, a royal insider told Express: “Edward has moulded into a quiet and efficient figure who does not seek attention or acquire headlines. He and Sophie are liked for being dutiful and uncomplaining.”
Prince Edward celebrated his 56th birthday on March 10 while Sophie celebrated her 55th birthday in January.
The couple’s two children are the Queen’s youngest grandchildren.
Lady Louise, 16, is a keen horse rider and is often spotted out on a hack in Windsor with her father.
And 12-year-old James, Viscount Severn, is a familiar face at big royal events but he and his sister lead very private lives.
Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, turned 56 on March 10.
The Queen shared a birthday message to Edward on the royal family’s official Instagram account.
“Happy birthday to The Earl of Wessex, who celebrates his 56th birthday today,” she wrote, alongside a photograph of Elizabeth and Edward in 1965.
“The Earl of Wessex (then Prince Edward) with The Queen at Frogmore House in Windsor in 1965,” the caption explained.
