Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and Prince Edward, 55, married at Windsor Castle on 19 June 1999. They have since had two children together, Lady Louise, 15, and James Viscount Severn, 11. Sophie has lead a fairly private life and this is something other royals have copied since, including Kate Middleton, 37. Despite being married to Prince William, 37, for eight years, the Duchess has kept her private life quiet which could be down to a change which start with Sophie.
Formally Sophie Rhys-Jones, the royal met Prince Edward when she was working in Public Relations at Capital Radio and he was dating her friend.
In 1993, the pair met again and began their relationship, dating for six years before announcing their engagement on 6 January 1999.
Shortly after the pair got together, Prince Edward released a statement to the press in the hopes of enjoying a private relationship with the Countess.
The statement read: “I am taking this unusual step of writing to you directly in the hopes of stopping your reporters and photographers from destroying that part of my life that I am entitled to regard as private and more importantly, Sophie’s life.”
Similar statements had not been issued before the marriages of Princess Diana or Sarah Ferguson but is something that has since been copied in the hopes of giving more privacy to those joining the family.
Kate Middleton first met Prince William while they were studying together at the University of St Andrews in 2001.
They began dating in 2003 and the pair quickly caught the media’s attention. This caused Prince William to act in a similar way to Edward.
A spokesperson for the Prince said: “Prince William is very unhappy at the paparazzi harassment of his girlfriend. He wants, more than anything, for it to stop.
“Miss Middleton should, like any other private individual, be able to go about her everyday business without this kind of intrusion.”
Although these statements may have seemed odd for royals to make, both Kate and Sophie have since managed to keep their private life mostly to themselves.
When Sophie married Prince Edward, she wore a wedding tiara which was believed to have been commissioned for her by the Queen.
During her time as a royal, the Countess has occasionally wore other tiaras from the royal collection which are thought to be worth more than £1.5 million.
As her wedding tiara was specially made, it is likely she has kept hold of the headpiece.
For her big day, Kate Middleton chose the Cartier Halo tiara, which she picked from the Queen’s collection.
This is thought to have cost an estimated between £750,000 and £1,250,000, an expert revealed.