Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, was given an unexpected title when she married Prince Edward in 1999 – but was originally offered a different title that eventually went to Kate, Princess of Wales in 2011.
It’s well-known that Prince Edward and his wife Sophie had a very close relationship with the late Queen before she passed away at 96 in 2022.
Prince Edward met Sophie Rhys-Jones at a charity event at the Queen’s Tennis Club in London. They announced their engagement six years later on January 6, 1999.
Before their wedding, it was announced that they would be known as The Earl and Countess of Wessex.
This news surprised everyone because people expected the Queen’s youngest son to get a traditional Dukedom like his older brothers.
When King Charles became king after his mother died, he gave his brother Edward their late father Prince Philip’s title: the Duke of Edinburgh, reports the Mirror.
The Earl and Countess of Wessex then became known as the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. But you might wonder why Prince Edward was an Earl for so long while his brothers and nephews were all Dukes.
Technically, Prince Edward should have been given a Dukedom. He was actually the first person in his position to become an Earl since Tudor times.
The unusual title wasn’t a snub from the Queen at all. It was actually his request to be titled the Earl of Wessex.
And the reason for his choice was unexpected, but it matched his love for theatre and the arts.
It turns out that the late Queen had once offered Edward the title of Duke of Cambridge, which Prince William and Kate got when they wed in 2011. But he said no for a surprising reason.
Edward wanted to be called the Earl of Wessex because he liked a character named Lord Wessex from his favourite movie, “Shakespeare in Love”.
A royal source spilled the beans to the Telegraph in 2010 about why Edward picked that name. They said: “He liked the sound of it and asked the Queen if he could have that instead.”
When people heard about Edward’s unusual title choice, it was also shared that the Royal Family planned for him to become the Duke of Edinburgh after his dad passed away and his big brother became king.
The Duchess of Edinburgh was a title the late Queen had before she became the monarch in 1952.
The Countess talked about the time she and Prince Edward found out that Prince Philip wanted them to have his title. In a chat with the Telegraph, she shared: “We sat there slightly stunned. He literally came straight in and said, ‘Right. I’d like it very much if you would consider that’.”
The Duke of Edinburgh title was passed on to King Charles when Prince Philip passed away because he was his oldest son. So, with the King taking over from his mum, the Duke of Edinburgh role joined up with the Crown, which means it could be given to another Royal pair.
It’s thought that the Queen along with Prince Philip wanted Edward and Sophie to become the Duke and Duchess. But in the end, the choice was down to King Charles.
Edward wasn’t sure it would happen, as he once said in a chat with the BBC: “It was fine in theory, ages ago when it was sort of a pipe dream of my father’s …. and of course, it will depend on whether or not the Prince of Wales, when he becomes king, whether he’ll do that, so we’ll wait and see.”
When it was the right time, Charles gave the titles to his brother and sister-in-law. However, it’s been reported that James, Edward’s son – now known as Earl of Wessex – won’t become the Duke.
