Real reason Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie's 25-year marriage has been such a success

Blog

    Happy silver wedding anniversary to the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh!

    Prince Edward and Sophie, who are the proud parents of Lady Louise Windsor and James, Earl of Wessex, tied the knot exactly 25 years ago on 19 June 1999 at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle – marking the last British royal wedding of the millennium.

    The couple are often praised for being the monarchy's "secret weapon" and "safe pair of hands"  for the decades of service they've dedicated to the Crown. 

    So what makes Edward and Sophie such "a brilliant partnership", as the Duke himself said in March when he celebrated his 60th birthday? And how has their love survived and thrived under the public gaze?

    Edward and Sophie's compatibility 

    Debbie Frank, royal astrologer and confidante to the late Diana, Princess of Wales, told HELLO!: "Theirs has been one of the most successful royal marriages. As his siblings have all got divorced and some re-married, Edward and Sophie remain an example of how to make marriage work inside the royal goldfish bowl.   

    "What is their secret? The compatibility between Aquarius (Sophie) and Pisces (Edward) may not at first glance look like a match made in heaven. Aquarius is detached whilst Pisces is super-subjective and emotional.  

    "Yet both these sun signs are often drawn to helping others and here the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are united. They are a slick and professional team, a natural balance for each other."

    "Their stars have a secret magnetism between them. The key component for their compatibility is that Edward's Moon is in Aquarius, close to Sophie's Sun. This is a classic and very binding indicator of a harmonious relationship. 

    "They allow each other space to be individuals and do things in their own way."

    The HELLO! Royal Club. Sign up to become a member here

    A 'brilliant partnership'

    Celebrating his 60th birthday in March, Edward reiterated his wife Sophie's support through the years. "[The Duchess of Edinburgh is] critical, absolutely critical," he told host Alan Titchmarsh on ITV show .

    "She's been an absolutely brilliant rock and I'm incredibly lucky that I found Sophie and that she found me. Hopefully we've been a really brilliant partnership."

    Must-see pictures

    Decades of service

    Edward and Sophie are often said to have "stepped up" in the wake of Prince Harry and Meghan's departure to the US, Prince Andrew's fall from grace, and more recently with the King and Princess Kate's cancer diagnoses.

    But as Sophie reiterated in 2021, they have always been quietly working in the background, supporting the sovereign, and upholding the values of the British monarchy.  

    "We've plodded along doing what we're doing, hopefully doing it well," she told , referencing their past 20 years as senior working royals. 

    And when it was suggested they were pulling more weight since the Duke of York and the Sussexes stepped back from royal duties, Sophie quite rightly said: "What did people think we were doing beforehand?"

    As HELLO!'s Online Royal Correspondent Danielle Stacey also pointed out: "The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh have always carried out hundreds of engagements annually but in recent years, with the departure of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the recent royal health crises, the spotlight has shifted more onto them.

    "Edward and Sophie are considered a safe and reliable pair of hands. The couple often represent the monarchy abroad, with Edward travelling to St Helena, South Africa, and Uganda alone this year and Sophie visiting Ukraine and Italy to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Monte Cassino.

    “While Sophie focuses on gender equality and supporting people with disabilities through her work, Edward's interest in the arts, culture and sports has served him well through his public duties."

    The Edinburghs

    To read the full feature on The HELLO! Royal Club on Substack, sign up to become a member here and find out more about the benefits of joining the club below.

    LOVE THE ROYALS? JOIN THE CLUB!

    If you are reading this, the chances are you are obsessed with all things royalty – which is just as well because so are we! So obsessed, in fact, we’ve launched a club solely dedicated to covering them. So welcome to The HELLO! Royal Club. We would love you to join us there…

    What is it?

    Interactive community offering behind-the-scenes access, exclusive royal interviews, unmissable royal insights, and an illustrious royal.

    Member benefits

    • Two weekly newsletters, one from Emily Nash
    • Video posts and audio notes from Emily Nash and the HELLO! Royal team
    • Access to our royal community and opportunity to interact with club writers and members
    • Participate in polls, comments and discussion threads
    • Royal-themed puzzles with a weekly prize to be won
    • Access to our Ask Me Anything sessions with our journalists
    • Invitations to in-person and virtual events
    • A subscription to the digital edition of HELLO! Magazine (Worth £82 annually)*
    • Future ‘Inner Circle’ benefits

    By royal decree

    You are royally invited to join The HELLO! Royal Club – and then to go forth and spread the word to your fellow royal fans. See you in the club!

    Sign up to HELLO Daily! for the best royal, celebrity and lifestyle coverage

    By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.

    ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qbHLpaammZeWx6q6xGeaqKVfp7y6rcutsGhuZ2uCcoCOqamippOaeqaw1pqpnWWUqrCpsdKsZKynoJ22pnnSnpqrnaRiwbB5x5qnqbFdoq6zvsianp5n