Prince Edward’s secret question that left Duchess Sophie ‘stunned’

Prince Edward and his wife, the Duchess of Edinburgh, made their engagement public 27 years ago, on 6 January 1999 before tying the knot on June 19 in the same year in St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. However, there was something rather unconventional about the way that the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip proposed to his wife.

The couple went to the remote island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas in December 1998, where the royal had booked the private Hamilton House, a four-bedroom villa on the beach. They spent two days there before he proposed at a candle-lit dinner, according to royal biographer Sean Smith, who wrote about the event in the Duchess’ biography, Sophie: Saving the Royal Family.

He described the proposal as “gallant” and added that: “Sophie was stunned and could scarcely speak the word ‘yes’ before finding her voice and replying, ‘Yes, please!’.” They then returned to the UK, when Edward joined the royals at Sandringham for Christmas and Sophie went back to Brenchley. 

However, the unconventional part of the proposal was that Prince Edward only formally asked his wife’s father, Christopher Rhys-Jones, for Sophie’s hand in marriage on 6 January. The two planned to keep the proposal a secret until then, once the younger brother of King Charles had his future father-in-law’s blessing. 

Typically, royals and especially sons of the Queen, were expected to secure permission from their family before proposing, and, outside of royal tradition, it’s typically customary for the person proposing to ask for their partner’s family’s blessing before the event.

Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie’s wedding

In the last British royal wedding of the millennium, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh held their wedding ceremony on 19 June 1999 in St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, Berkshire. They had a more low-key wedding than Prince Edward’s older siblings, with no military involvement, and no strict dress code. 

The former PR boss’ wedding dress was resplendent: a gorgeous Samantha Shaw embellished coat dress that she teamed with the Anthemion Tiara, which she borrowed from her late mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II.

She also wore a gorgeous pair of black and white pearl drop earrings, her wedding gift from Prince Edward, with a matching necklace that also featured a cross pearl pendant.

Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie’s long-lasting marriage

The Duke of Edinburgh has himself described their marriage as “a brilliant partnership,” so what’s the secret to their marriage?

Debbie Frank, a royal astrologer and a confidante to the late Diana, Princess of Wales, told us in an exclusive interview: “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.”   

© Pool/Tim Graham Picture Library

She highlighted the fact that “the compatibility between Aquarius (Sophie) and Pisces (Edward) may not at first glance look like a match made in heaven”, with Aquarius being “detached” and Pisces being “super-subjective and emotional”. 

The royal astrologer continued: “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.”