Duchess Sophie is one of the hardest-working members of the Royal Family today, representing her brother-in-law, King Charles, and championing causes such as fighting sexual violence in conflict and preventable blindness. But in the early 1990s, she was Sophie Rhys-Jones, a young woman in her twenties working in public relations. She started dating Prince Edward in 1993, and her resemblance to Princess Diana caused an onslaught of media interest in the newest royal girlfriend. In the biography Sophie: Saving the Royal Family, author Sean Smith delves into the early days of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh's relationship—and reveals one hilarious misstep Edward made when they were dating.
Sophie's every move was followed by paparazzi in the early '90s, with Smith revealing that when she got a parking ticket, photographers even "moved the ticket so when that she got in, she couldn't see out of the windscreen." The trick ensured Sophie had to step out and remove the piece of paper so paparazzi could take better pictures.
When it came time for Sophie's 29th birthday in January 1994, Prince Edward—once called "Prince Brat" by the media—wasn't yet ready to propose. But as Smith wrote, "He could have slipped into Garrard's, the Royal jewellers, to select a discreet diamond" to acknowledge "how deftly" his girlfriend "was handling the public interest in their romance." Unfortunately, Edward didn't quite get the hint.
Sophie Rhys-Jones is seen getting into her car in December 1993.
Sophie and Edward, seen in July 1994, started dating in 1993.
"Instead, he chose a suitcase," Smith wrote. "Admittedly, it was a very smart suitcase, with her initials engraved on the top, but hardly designed to sweep a girl off her feet." Embarrassingly, Sophie then had "to answer the inevitable questions from friends, 'What did Edward give you?' with the far from impressive words, 'A jolly nice suitcase.'"
The biographer pointed out that anything flashy would have made "the gift very public" and attract media attention, a problem that Prince Edward would have been careful to avoid. However, all was not lost when it came to his girlfriend's 29th birthday.
Per the book, Prince Edward originally "planned a quiet supper at his place," but then called Sophie and said he "would be late" due to a meeting. After arriving at the palace, the future duchess spotted "a forlorn-looking bunch of balloons was tied half-heartedly to a chair" but there was no dinner in sight. "Suddenly, the door was flung open and a bunch of her best friends rushed in followed by an exuberant Edward: 'Surprise!' they shouted in unison," Smith wrote.
Despite his rather practical present, Prince Edward "had turned up trumps with the most wonderful treat—a birthday party at Buckingham Palace," Smith wrote. And it turns out Edward is a romantic at heart after all, as he "sheepishly produced a second present—an antique silver frame containing a photograph of him from his days as a Marine."
