In the love story of Prince Edward and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh

It’s been 24 years since Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones married at St George’s Chapel Windsor after a whirlwind five-year relationship.

The 59-year-old Duke of Edinburgh, the youngest son of the late Queen and Prince Philip, had first met the unexpected Sophie in 1987 when she worked in public relations for Capital Radio.

But their healthy story really took off after a second meeting six years later when Sophie, now 58, was in charge of publicity for Edward’s Real Tennis Challenge.

Two children and more than two decades of marriage later, Prince Edward is the only one of the Queen’s siblings who has never been divorced.

So what’s the secret to their enduring love story? Here, FEMAIL takes a look inside the blissful marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh…

Their first date would have been a tennis match followed by dinner at Buckingham Palace.

After celebrating their 24th birthday in June, Prince Edward and Sophie, who have two children, Lady Louise Windsor, 19, and James, Viscount Severn, 15, have gone from strength to strength.

During the beginning of their courtship, the couple was pressured to get engaged.

Edward released a statement saying: “I am taking this unusual step of writing to you directly in hopes of stopping your reporters and photographers from destroying that part of my life that I am allowed to consider private and, more importantly, Sophie’s life.” .’

Edward grew weary as he was asked several times if he was going to propose. to happen.’

It was alleged that the interview of the late Diana, Princess of Wales on Panorama the previous year had delayed all previous engagement attempts and that the Prince had decided to wait instead.

During a holiday to the Bahamas in December 1998, Prince Edward finally proposed to his long-term girlfriend, Sophie, with an Asprey and Garrard engagement ring, valued at an estimated £105,000.

They announced their engagement the following month, in January 1999, when they were both 34.

When asked why it took so long for the royal family to propose, Edward told reporters: “It’s impossible to understand why it’s taken so long, but I don’t think it would have been right before, and I think neither would she have said yes.’

On 19 June 1999, the Queen’s youngest son married his bride in a relatively low-key celebration in which 500 guests were invited to St George’s Chapel in Windsor.

There was talk of ceremonial state or military involvement. Still, 200 million viewers tuned in to watch the event on television.

The couple welcomed their children in 2003 and 2007, choosing to move away from royal protocol and welcome them to Frimley Park NHS Hospital in Surrey.

Giving birth to Lady Louise was a tough experience for Sophie, who had to have a caesarean section a month ahead of her due date.

The official announcement at the time read: ‘Her Royal Highness and her daughter are both stable. Purely as a precaution, the baby was taken to the regional neonatal unit at St. George’s Hospital in Tooting.’

Sophie herself lost nine liters of blood due to internal bleeding.

While baby Louise received specialist care at St George’s Hospital, Sophie remained 35 miles away at Frimley Hospital for a further 16 days.

In 2007, the couple also welcomed their second child, James, to the same hospital, this time with a much simpler delivery.

The 15th in line to the throne and the youngest grandchild of the late Queen Elizabeth II, James Alexander Philip Theo Mountbatten-Windsor was born in Surrey on December 17.

When he was born, James (who was described by his father as “very cute and very cuddly”) was eighth in line to the throne.

When Prince Edward tied the knot with Sophie, they decided that future children would be given courtesy titles rather than being called Prince or Princess, which the late monarch agreed to.

James’s styling as Viscount Severn (one of his father’s junior titles) is believed to have been chosen to acknowledge Sophie’s Welsh heritage, as the name is taken from the River Severn in Wales.

The now-Edinburghs wanted their children to live as normal a life as possible, given the circumstances, without the burden of such titles.

Sophie is devoted to and fiercely protective of her children, as she endured serious medical complications during the birth of Louise and an ectopic pregnancy.

“She had to go through a lot to have her family and she and Edward never relied on nannies. They’ve always had a rule that one of them is home with the kids as much as possible during work,’ says Penny Mountbatten.

And because the Queen lived close by, she spent a lot of time with Louise and James growing up, often watching Mr Tumble on CBeebies when they were little.

The couple have gone on to become hard-working, esteemed senior royals, but it wasn’t always that way; they had a series of scrapes after they got married, with Sophie bragging to the News of the World’s “Fake Sheik” about her PR firm’s royal connections.

Edward’s film company, Ardent, then made efforts to get around a ban on filming his cousin, Prince William, at St Andrews college. There was also his disastrous performance on It’s a Knockout at Alton Towers in June 1987.

Both were criticized for trying to cash in on royal ties. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh reportedly received a one-off payment of £250,000 to end their controversial business career in 2002. It was said to be passed on as ‘compensation’ for lost revenue.

Sophie sensationally became embroiled in a humiliating “sting” operation devised by the News of the World after talking to a “fake sheikh” posing as a potential client. Her recorded indiscretions about senior politicians were deeply embarrassing.

She has since turned it around.

The Countess is now the second highest-working female royal after Anne, and has won praise for her choice of work on avoidable blindness and the issue of sexual violence in war.

The fact that Edward and Sophie are given the titles of Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh shows how far they’ve both come after the shakiest of starts.