Duchess Sophie has become one of the most beloved members of the Royal Family since marrying Prince Edward in 1999. Today, she's working on behalf of the monarchy to champion causes close to her heart, including preventable blindness and preventing sexual violence in conflict zones. But back in 1993, she was a public relations exec on her first date with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's youngest son—and one suggestion she made during that date seems to have touched his heart.
In Sophie: Saving the Royal Family, author Sean Smith recounts how a young Sophie Rhys-Jones met Prince Edward for the first time during a charity tennis challenge that her PR agency was working on at the time. Thanks to former pro tennis player Sue Barker backing out of a photocall for the event, Sophie ended up filling in for the day.
"Nobody at the photocall noticed any electricity between them and there was no question of the prince phoning up to suggest a trip to the movies," Smith wrote. Sophie gave the prince her phone number "in case there were any problems with the challenge," and one day a few months later, Prince Edward rang "out of the blue." He reportedly asked her "to join him for a game of real tennis and perhaps a bite of supper afterwards at the palace."
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, then known as the Earl and Countess of Wessex, are seen on their 1999 wedding day.
The duke and duchess are pictured at the 2025 Royal Windsor Horse Show.
According to Smith, Sophie "did not really know much about real tennis," but Prince Edward "was happy to knock a few balls about" while explaining the game. Sophie and Edward "were able to relax immediately in each other's company," with Smith noting that Sophie "always had the precious gift of making men feel totally at ease."
During their tennis outing, the future duchess also came up with a winning idea. Smith wrote that Sophie "played a trump card at this very early stage of their relationship by suggesting she should take some proper lessons so that she could give the prince a 'real' game."
The proposal worked, with the author claiming that "Edward beamed—his natural shyness melting in Sophie's smile." As their relationship progressed, the prince would go on to give her a special present: "her own real tennis racket."
