The rise of DUCHESS SOPHIE

We explore how the Duchess of Edinburgh went from PR girl to the Royal Family's 'secret weapon'

- ROBYN MORRIS

When she married Prince Edward, the youngest child of the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, back in 1999, few knew who the then Sophie Rhys-Jones was - and even fewer could predict how integral she would become within the Royal Family. Sophie and Edward share a daughter, Lady Louise Windsor, 20, and son, James, Earl of Wessex, 15, and have become treasured members of The Firm in recent years. And with Sophie, who turns 59 next month, now being described by royal insiders as 'one of the new stars of the show', it's clear to see why she has risen through the royal ranks.

Humble beginnings

When she started dating Prince Edward back in 1993, Sophie was working in PR after training to become a secretary at a college in Kent, where she grew up.