16 September 2023 , 14:41
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The Duchess of Edinburgh is one of the most popular members of the Royal Family who is often heralded as King Charles' 'secret weapon'.
As well as regularly supporting her key charitable interests that stretch from avoidable blindness to gender equality, Sophie has grown to become one of the most important figures in the King's line-up of senior royals in the 24 years since she married into the Firm. Sophie's introduction into royal life was unexpected to say the least and ultimately down to a stroke of luck when a well-known BBC presenter changed her plans - and the now duchess was forced to step in.
The couple first met in 1994 (PA)The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh first met in 1993 at Queen's Tennis Club in London when they were involved in the Prince Edward Summer Challenge. At the time, Sophie was working on the PR for the event with MacLaurin Communications. Brian McLaurin, Sophie’s boss, came up with the idea to have a photo call at the event to drum up interest in the Prince’s Challenge, which was linked to the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme.
A promotional campaign was set to be launched with former tennis star and BBC presenter Sue Barker. However, an hour before the meeting was due to take place, Brian got a call that Sue was unable to attend and he decided to ask his co-worker Sophie to take part in the shoot alongside the prince.
The couple became the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh earlier this year (Getty Images)Once the photos had been taken, Sophie handed the prince her number in case any problems with the challenge arose or if Brian could not be contacted. Prince Edward had other ideas as he invited her to play a game of real tennis and for dinner at his apartment at Buckingham Palace. The pair announced their engagement six years later on January 6, 1999.
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Ahead of their wedding, the palace announced that the pair would be styled as the Earl and Countess of Wessex. To mark Prince Edward's 59th birthday in March of this year, it was announced that King Charles had decided to make the couple the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.
When Sophie is not carrying out her official duties on behalf of the King, her main areas of interest include supporting young people with disabilities, eradicating avoidable blindness, agriculture, fashion and the prevention of sexual violence in conflicted areas.
The Duchess has travelled to several countries to raise and spread awareness for these organisations in her role as patron or global ambassador. Sophie undertook a visit to India and Qatar in honour of World Sight Day in 2013 to witness the global issues surrounding preventable blindness first-hand. In 2019, she travelled to Kenya on International Women’s Day in aid of gender equality, girls’ education and the prevention of sexual violence.
Along with her husband, Sophie has taken up an important role in co-running the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme. The Duchess even undertook a 450-mile cycle ride from Edinburgh to Buckingham Palace as her Diamond Challenge for the scheme. Away from her public role, she lives near to Windsor Castle at Bagshot Park in Surrey with her husband and two children, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Earl of Wessex.