Sophie, Countess of Wessex Biography, Life, Interesting Facts

Childhood And Early Life

Sophie Rhys-Jones was born on the 20 January 1965 in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England. She is of Welsh and Scottish ancestry with her royal lineage extending back to Viscount Molesworth, a 17th-century ancestor. She is the daughter of Christopher and Mary Rhys-Jones and has one sibling, a brother David.

Education

Sophie Rhys-Jones was a pupil at Dulwich College Preparatory School. After completing her schooling, she trained as a secretary at West Kent College.

Rise To Fame

Sophie Rhys-Jones’s first position after graduating from West Kent College was working as a secretary for a public relations company in London. Sophie Rhys-Jones then moved to London Capital Radio and joined their press department. She eventually worked for a variety of firms before opening her public relations, RJH Public Relations, in 1996. In 2002 she left the firm and retired from commercial life to concentrate on her family and charity work.

Personal Life

In the mid-1990s Sophie Rhys-Jones met Edward, Earl of Wessex (Queen Elizabeth II’s youngest son) at a charity event he was organizing. They dated for five years and were married on 19 June 1999 in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.

Sophie Rhys-Jones had her first child, a daughter, Lady Louise in 2003 and a son James, Viscount Severn, in 2007.

Controversies

In 2001 Sophie Rhys-Jones was involved in a controversy after she was recorded making indiscreet remarks about a variety of public figures including the then prime minister of Britain Tony Blair and his wife, Cherie. A journalist, posing as an Arab sheikh wanting to hire her PR firm won her confidence, and he made a secret tape of their conversation. The Mail on Sunday reported that Sophie Rhys-Jones had tried to fix things by writing apologetic letters to all concerned. A palace official commented that the remarks went beyond a gaffe and that the Royal Family were deeply embarrassed by the affair. The result of the controversy was that Jones withdrew from commercial life and subsequently concentrated on charity work.