Sophie is the second child of the late Mary Rhys-Jones, a secretary, and retired salesman Christopher Bournes Rhys-Jones. David is her lone older brother.
Prince Edward was given the titles of Viscount Severn and Earl of Wessex by the Queen on their wedding day, and Sophie was thereafter titled Her Royal Highness The Countess of Wessex.
Edward received the title Earl of Forfar in March 2019, which he can use in Scotland. So they’ll be called the Earl and Countess of Forfar once he and Sophie cross the English border.
According to the BBC, Sophie began her own public relations company, R-JH, after working in publicity for Capital Radio and then Brian MacLaurin. But after a scandal in 2001, she was forced to leave her job.
According to the Wall Street Journal, a reporter pretended to be “an Arab sheikh offering lucrative business to her firm,” and Sophie made “indiscreet remarks” about members of the royal family as well as British politicians that were later made public.
Ever since, “she has scarcely put a foot wrong,” as the Telegraph put it, and grown to become a trusted confidante of the late Queen Elizabeth. Royal writer Robert Jobson told the British tabloid that “[The Countess] is probably the best example of an outsider coming into the family and learning on the job.”
“You will notice that whenever there is a family holiday or gathering, Sophie and Edward often stay a while longer than the rest. She is very much the Queen’s favorite.”
Her profile on the royal family website states that she is the patron of more than 70 charities, many of which help preventable blindness and young people and children.
She told the Sunday Express, “There is no smile quite like the one that is returned from eyes that can see once more.” She is particularly committed to this subject because her daughter Lady Louise was born with strabismus, an eye ailment that has since been treated. “She has flawless vision,” Sophie remarked.
The Duchess is also the Colonel-in-Chief of Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps, the Corps of Army Music, and the 5th Battalion, the Rifle.
She also attends several royal occasions throughout the year, including as Trooping the Colour and Remembrance Day, and supports King Charles at events both domestically and internationally.
