Duchess Sophie "Played a Trump Card" On Her First Date With Prince Edward

Duchess Sophie wearing a white hat and floral dress and Prince Edward in a top hat and suit smiling at Royal Ascot — (Image credit: Getty Images)

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."

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Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie riding in a carriage waving on their wedding day — The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, then known as the Earl and Countess of Wessex, are seen on their 1999 wedding day.

Duchess sophie and Prince Edward standing next to each other, wearing blazers and smiling — 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."

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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.