Among the late Queen Elizabeth II's four children, Prince Edward stands out for his enduring marital success. While his siblings King Charles, Princess Anne, and Prince Andrew faced marital breakdowns, Edward's union with Sophie, now the Duchess of Edinburgh, has flourished for over a quarter of a century. The foundation of this lasting partnership, experts suggest, was a notably long and deliberate courtship.
The Power of a Patient Courtship
Royal expert Ingrid Seward told the BBC that the couple's five-year relationship before marriage allowed them to thoroughly understand each other. "They will have discovered anything they didn't like about each other" during that extended period, she explained. Edward and Sophie first crossed paths in 1993, but by 1998, marriage had not been seriously discussed for three years.
Biographer Sean Smith noted that Sophie, then 33 and a former publicist, was conscious her "biological clock was ticking." Furthermore, Smith wrote in his book Sophie: Saving the Royal Family, that she knew "there could be no marriage" immediately after Princess Diana's tragic death in 1997, which plunged the nation into mourning. Instead, the couple focused on their careers and renovating their new home, Bagshot Park in Surrey, while Sophie tried to put thoughts of a proposal out of her mind.
A Surprise Proposal in the Bahamas
The long wait culminated in a fairytale moment in December 1998. Prince Edward whisked Sophie away for a surprise romantic getaway to the Bahamas. He had booked the private Hamilton House, a beachside villa on the remote island of Eleuthera. After two "sun-kissed days," Edward proposed during a candle-lit dinner.
According to Smith, a "stunned" Sophie "could scarcely speak the word 'yes'" before finding her voice and replying, "Yes, please!" to his "gallant proposal." The couple returned to the UK on December 23 and parted to spend Christmas with their respective families, planning to keep their engagement secret until the new year.
The Engagement Announcement and Lasting Legacy
Their secret was short-lived. Although they planned a formal announcement for January 6, 1999, after Edward asked Sophie's father, Christopher Rhys-Jones, for her hand, The Sun newspaper broke the story on its front page that very morning. Buckingham Palace swiftly issued an official confirmation.
The Palace's statement expressed that "The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are delighted" and noted the couple hoped to marry at St George's Chapel, Windsor, later that year. Sophie's father, a tyre salesman, beamed with pride, telling photographers, "We like Edward immensely. He is a very, very nice chap." In a subtle nod to the long courtship, he added, "She has not exactly been catapulted in - it's been a fairly long apprenticeship."
At a press conference at St James's Palace, Edward addressed the wait, saying, "It’s impossible to understand why it has taken me this long, but I don’t think it would have been right before, and I don’t think she would have said yes." Sophie showcased her engagement ring—a white gold piece featuring a two-carat oval diamond flanked by two heart-shaped stones, valued at approximately £105,000.
The couple exchanged vows before 500 guests at St George's Chapel on June 19, 1999, in a ceremony watched by an estimated 200 million television viewers. More than 26 years on, granted the titles Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh by King Charles in 2023, they remain happily married. They still reside at Bagshot Park with their two children, Lady Louise Windsor, 22, and James Windsor, 18, their union a testament to the strength built during those formative years of patient courtship.
