Sophie, Countess of Wessex, 54, officially joined the Royal Family back in June 1999, when she married Prince Edward, 55. The couple tied the knot at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. The pair had announced their engagement months earlier, in the January of that year. At the time, they announced that it would not become a state occasion, meaning there was no ceremonial state or military involvement.
Mostly a family occasion, the Prime Minister and other politicians were not invited.
The nature of the nuptials saw the royal couple advise their guests that they wished it to have a more informal tone to other royal weddings.
Rather than employ a court dress code, Prince Edward and Sophie, who was then Sophie Rhys Jones, requested that attendees wear formal evening gowns.
While hats are often a staple for many guest’s wedding ensembles, they also advised not to wear the headpiece.
And, while Queen Elizabeth, now 93, often wears a hat, she too followed the wishes of the bride and groom.
Instead, the Queen opted for a lilac feather fascinator, which matched the rest of her outfit.
“The Duke of Edinburgh has officially handed over the Patronage of The Chartered Management Institute to The Countess of Wessex,” the tweet read.
In May last year, Prince Philip officially retired.
The Duke was the patron of the Chartered Management Institute after taking on the role back in 1992.
A Royal Family tweet said: “During that time the Institute has led the debate on the future of management and leadership, the gender pay gap, and employee wellbeing and engagement.
“The Countess is an active supporter of UK industry, and Founder and Chair of the Women’s Network Forum, an organisation which works to promote women’s success in the workplace through best practice sharing and supporting those making gender equality a reality.”
Royal weddings: Meghan, Kate, Eugenie and Diana
Meghan Markle
Who: His Royal Highness Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex)
Where: St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle
When: 19 May 2018, Berkshire
Dress: Meghan wore a dress designed by Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy. The white dress was made of silk and had a boat neckline. The veil was an incredible 16 feet long.
Tiara: The Duchess of Sussex chose the Queen Mary diamond bandeau tiara, made in 1932, with a flower brooch in the middle from 1893.
Cake: The cake was a made by Claire Ptak, based in London. It was lemon and elderflower cake, decorated with peonies and buttercream icing.
Notable guests: A-list guests included James Corden, tennis player Serena Williams, the Beckhams, Sir Elton John, George and Amal Clooney and Carey Mulligan and Marcus Mumford.
Princess Eugenie
Who: Princess Eugenie of York and Jack Brooksbank
Where: St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, Berkshire
When: 12 October 2018
Dress: Eugenie’s dress was made by Peter Pilotto and Christopher de Vos and had a full skirt, long sleeves and was ivory in colour. The dress has a low back designed to show Euegnie’s scar from scoliosis surgery, a cause she has spoken out about in the past and since the wedding.
Tiara: She wore the stunning Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara, lent to her by the Queen. It has a huge emerald in the middle.
Cake: The cake had five tiers and was a red velvet and chocolate cake made by London-based cake designer Sophie Cabot.
Notable guests: Famous faces at the wedding included Robbie Williams, Naomi Campbell, Kate Miss, Jack Whitehall and Liv Tyler.
Kate Middleton
Who: Prince William and Kate Middleton
Where: Westminster Abbey, London
When: 29 April 2011
Dress: Kate wore a dress made by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. The satin gown featured long lace sleeves. It had a nine foot train and the lace featured roses, daffodils, thistles and shamrocks.
Tiara: Kate borrowed the Cartier Scroll Tiara, now known as the Halo tiara. It bought by the Queen’s father, the future King George VI, for his wife Elizabeth.
Cake: William and Kate opted for a traditional fruit cake with eight tiers. It was decorated with sugar flowers. William also had an additional chocolate biscuit cake was made from a Royal Family recipe.
Notable guests: Guests included family and friends of the couple, as well as members of the military and people who work with charities the pair support.
Princess Diana
Who: Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer
Where: St Paul’s Cathedral, London
When: 29 July 1981
Dress: Diana’s gown was designed by the Elizabeth and David Emanuel and had an enormous 25-foot train. The dress was ivory and featured lace. In typical 80s style the rather large dress had huge sleeves. The dress was badly creased during the carriage ride to the ceremony, as it was so large.
Cake: Diana and Charles had a number of cakes including a five-foot-tall layered fruitcake. Another cake was made by Belgian pastry chef S. G. Sender and another by Chef Nicholas Lodge.
Notable guests: Guests includes foreign royals from Spain and Greece, as well as First Lady Nancy Reagan who represented the United States.