Happy silver wedding anniversary to the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh!
Prince Edward and Sophie, who are the proud parents of Lady Louise Windsor and James, Earl of Wessex, tied the knot exactly 25 years ago on 19 June 1999 at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle – marking the last British royal wedding of the millennium.
The couple are often praised for being the monarchy's "secret weapon" and "safe pair of hands" for the decades of service they've dedicated to the Crown.
So what makes Edward and Sophie such "a brilliant partnership", as the Duke himself said in March when he celebrated his 60th birthday? And how has their love survived and thrived under the public gaze?
Edward and Sophie's compatibility
Debbie Frank, royal astrologer and confidante to the late Diana, Princess of Wales, told HELLO!: "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.
"What is their secret? The compatibility between Aquarius (Sophie) and Pisces (Edward) may not at first glance look like a match made in heaven. Aquarius is detached whilst Pisces is super-subjective and emotional.
"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."
The interview with Debbie Frank first appeared on The HELLO! Royal Club. Sign up to become a member here
A 'brilliant partnership'
Celebrating his 60th birthday in March, Edward reiterated his wife Sophie's support through the years. "[The Duchess of Edinburgh is] critical, absolutely critical," he told host Alan Titchmarsh on ITV show Love Your Weekend.
"She's been an absolutely brilliant rock and I'm incredibly lucky that I found Sophie and that she found me. Hopefully we've been a really brilliant partnership."
Decades of service
Edward and Sophie are often said to have "stepped up" in the wake of Prince Harry and Meghan's departure to the US, Prince Andrew's fall from grace, and more recently with the King and Princess Kate's cancer diagnoses.
But as Sophie reiterated in 2021, they have always been quietly working in the background, supporting the sovereign, and upholding the values of the British monarchy.
"We've plodded along doing what we're doing, hopefully doing it well," she told The Telegraph, referencing their past 20 years as senior working royals.
And when it was suggested they were pulling more weight since the Duke of York and the Sussexes stepped back from royal duties, Sophie quite rightly said: "What did people think we were doing beforehand?"
As HELLO!'s Online Royal Correspondent Danielle Stacey also pointed out: "The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh have always carried out hundreds of engagements annually but in recent years, with the departure of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the recent royal health crises, the spotlight has shifted more onto them.
"Edward and Sophie are considered a safe and reliable pair of hands. The couple often represent the monarchy abroad, with Edward travelling to St Helena, South Africa, and Uganda alone this year and Sophie visiting Ukraine and Italy to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Monte Cassino.
“While Sophie focuses on gender equality and supporting people with disabilities through her work, Edward's interest in the arts, culture and sports has served him well through his public duties."
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