Duchess Sophie was reportedly invited to live at Buckingham Palace before marrying Prince Edward to get used to the "whole royal world." The invitation has been described as an "unusual" thing to do, with the offer not having been extended to Diana, Princess of Wales, or Sarah Ferguson prior to their royal weddings and early days of their relationships with their future husbands.
Like Sophie, Diana and Sarah were married to the late Queen's two other sons. A then-19-year-old Diana married Charles in 1981, whilst Sarah married Andrew in 1986. Diana and Sarah divorced their husbands, whilst Sophie is still happily married to Edward after 25 years.
Royal author recalls the Queen's unusual step
Speaking to the Royal Observer's Palace Unfiltered, author Ingrid Seward said: "The next sort of incumbent to come along in a way was Sophie, Sophie and Edward, and the Queen took the very unusual step of inviting Sophie to live at Buckingham Palace, so she could get used to the whole royal world."
She added: "I remember Fergie and Diana saying to me, 'You know, I wish we'd had this. It would have helped us hugely if we could have lived there for a bit and got used to it before, you know, we were actually committed to our marriages." She also said that she believes this opportunity allowed Sophie to learn from Fergie and Diana's mistakes. She added: "I think it absolutely is."
Prince Philip's possible role
Ms Seward also added that it wasn't the late Queen's idea to invite Sophie; it was Prince Philip's. She added: "I think this was something the Queen suggested because it could only come from the Queen to have an unmarried couple living under her roof. But I think... for all we know, it might have been Prince Philip."
Explaining further, she said: "These ideas usually came from him, but certainly it helped Sophie hugely."
Contrast with William and Catherine
In her book, Ms Seward also recalls that Diana met Charles only a handful of times before they wed, adding that this is a stark contrast to Prince William and Princess Catherine. She added that the opportunity to just be friends at the start was beneficial to their now 15-year-long marriage.
She said that Catherine's way of thinking was, "I will only take it on if you take it on with me, and we'll do it together." She added: "They are very much a unit. Although they do a lot of things separately, when they're together, they're very much a unit, and they're very sort of touchy-feely together, and you feel that they are a fantastic team."
Sophie and Edward's lasting partnership
Sophie tied the knot with Edward in 1999, and the couple are now parents of two adult children, Lady Louise, 22, and James, 18. The couple have previously described one another as "best friends."
During a previous public appearance, Sophie paid a warm tribute describing her husband as "the best of fathers, the most loving of husbands, and still my best friend." Edward also spoke publicly about his wife, saying: "We are the very best of friends and that's essential, but it also helps that we also love each other very much." He has also publicly stated that their easygoing banter and strong partnership are directly related to their core friendship.
