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Name of the user account (user_name ) | 'Luckas-bot' |
Page ID (page_id ) | 125195 |
Page namespace (page_namespace ) | 0 |
Page title without namespace (page_title ) | 'Sophie, Countess of Wessex' |
Full page title (page_prefixedtitle ) | 'Sophie, Countess of Wessex' |
Action (action ) | 'edit' |
Edit summary/reason (summary ) | 'r2.7.1) (robot Adding: [[hu:Zsófia wessexi grófné]]' |
Whether or not the edit is marked as minor (no longer in use) (minor_edit ) | true |
Old page wikitext, before the edit (old_wikitext ) | '{{Use British English|date=April 2011}}
{{BLP sources|date=December 2007}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name = Sophie
| title = Countess of Wessex
| image = The Princess Edward, Countess of Wessex cropped.jpg
| caption = The Countess at the England vs. Germany [[2010 Women's Hockey Champions Trophy]] Bronze Medal Match
| spouse = [[Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex]]
| issue = [[Lady Louise Windsor]]<br>[[James, Viscount Severn]]
| full name = Sophie Helen<ref name="sur">As a titled royal, Sophie holds no surname, but, when one ''is'' used, it is '''[[Mountbatten-Windsor]]'''</ref>
| titles = ''HRH'' The Countess of Wessex<br />Miss Sophie Rhys-Jones
| house = [[House of Windsor]]<!--She is not [[House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg]], because her husband inherits his house from his MOTHER, being as she is The Queen! See [[Talk:House of Windsor#SHSG Part II]]-->
| father = Christopher Rhys-Jones
| mother = Mary Rhys-Jones
| date of birth = {{Birth date and age|1965|1|20|df=yes}}
| place of birth = [[Radcliffe Infirmary]], [[Oxford]]
|}}
'''Sophie, Countess of Wessex''', {{post-nominals|post-noms=[[Royal Victorian Order|GCVO]], [[Venerable Order of Saint John|DStJ]]}} (born Sophie Helen Rhys-Jones on 20 January 1965), is the wife of [[Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex]], himself the youngest son of [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Queen Elizabeth II]] and [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh]]. Married in 1999, she worked in [[public relations]] until 2002 and now supports her husband in his royal duties. The Earl and Countess have two children, [[Lady Louise Windsor|The Lady Louise Windsor]] and [[James, Viscount Severn]].
==Early life==
Sophie Helen Rhys-Jones was born at [[Radcliffe Infirmary]], [[Oxford]], on 20 January 1965, the second child and first daughter of Christopher Bournes Rhys-Jones, a retired tyre salesman, and his wife, Mary ([[Maiden and married names|née]] O'Sullivan), a secretary,<ref>{{cite news| title=Countess of Wessex's mother dies|publisher=BBC | date=29 August 2005| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4194720.stm| accessdate=27 October 2008}}</ref> who already had a son, David. Sophie was named after her father's sister, Helen, who died in a riding accident more than a decade before Sophie was born. Her godfather, actor [[Thane Bettany]], is her father's stepbrother;<ref>[http://thepeerage.com/p10414.htm#i104137 Peerage genealogy]</ref> both men spent their early life in [[Sarawak]], North Borneo, then a British protectorate ruled by the [[White Rajahs]].<ref>[http://www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/film/biographies/paul_bettany_biog.html Biography of Paul Bettany]</ref>
While she was still young, the Rhys-Jones family moved to [[Brenchley]], Kent. She began her education at [[Dulwich Preparatory School]], before moving on to [[Kent College, Pembury|Kent College]], [[Pembury]]. She then trained as a secretary at [[West Kent College]], [[Tonbridge]].
==Career==
She began a career in [[public relations]], working for a variety of firms, including four years at [[Capital Radio]], where she was assigned to the press and promotions department, as well as public relations companies The Quentin Bell Organisation and MacLaurin Communications & Media. She also worked as a ski representative in Switzerland and spent a year travelling and working in Australia. In 1996, with enough experience behind her, Rhys-Jones then launched her public relations agency, RJH Public Relations, which she ran with her business partner, Murray Harkin.
A few days before her wedding, ''[[The Sun (newspaper)|The Sun]]'' newspaper published a picture of Rhys-Jones posing topless with Capital Radio presenter [[Chris Tarrant]], a photo that had been taken when she still worked at the station. It was revealed later that the picture had been sold to the media by one of Rhys-Jones's former friends.
In 2001, a ''[[News of the World]]'' undercover reporter, [[Mazher Mahmood]], posing as a [[sheikh]], recorded the Countess making disparaging comments about certain members of the [[Her Majesty's Government|British government]] and appearing to use her royal status in order to gain clientele. The comments were subsequently published in ''[[The Mail on Sunday]]'' newspaper, and then by other media outlets. In an effort to prevent publication of her comments, the Countess agreed to give an interview to ''News of the World'' about her views on the possibility of undergoing IVF fertility treatment. However, the tabloid printed the story regardless, under the headline: "My Edward's Not Gay", in reference to continued gossip about the Prince's sexuality. Subsequently, in 2002, both the Earl and Countess announced that they would quit their business interests in order to focus on royal duties and aid the Queen in her [[Golden Jubilee]] year.
==Marriage==
*''See also: [[Wedding dress of Sophie Rhys-Jones]]''
{{British Royal Family}}
The engagement of Sophie Rhys-Jones and [[Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex|Prince Edward]], the youngest son of [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Queen Elizabeth II]] and [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh]], was announced on 6 January 1999. Their wedding took place on 19 June of the same year at [[St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle|St George's Chapel]] at [[Windsor Castle]], a break from the weddings of Edward's older siblings, which were large, formal events at [[Westminster Abbey]] or [[St. Paul's Cathedral]].
The couple had met six years earlier, in 1993, at a charity event, and began their relationship soon afterwards.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/events/prince_edwards_wedding]</ref>
On the day of their marriage, [[Elizabeth II|the Queen]] declared her son would eventually be named [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|Duke of Edinburgh]], when that title reverts to the Crown upon his father's death. Until then [[Prince Edward]] would be known as [[Earl of Wessex]] and [[Viscount Severn]], the latter title reflecting his bride's Welsh origins. Upon her marriage Rhys-Jones became ''[[Royal Highness|Her Royal Highness]]'' ''The'' ''Countess of Wessex''. After the union, the couple moved to [[Bagshot Park]], in [[Surrey]].
In December 2001, the Countess was taken to the King Edward VII Hospital after feeling unwell, whereupon it was discovered that she was suffering from a potentially life-threatening [[ectopic pregnancy]]. Two years later, she gave birth to a daughter, [[Lady Louise Windsor]], on 8 November 2003. It was a premature birth, resulting from a sudden [[placental abruption]] that placed both the mother and child at risk, and the Countess had to undergo an emergency [[caesarean section]] at [[Frimley Park Hospital]], while the Earl of Wessex rushed back from Mauritius. The Countess returned to Frimley Park Hospital on 17 December 2007, to give birth, again by caesarean section, to her son, James, Viscount Severn.<ref name="BBC birth">{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7148830.stm| title=Countess gives birth to baby boy|publisher=BBC | date=17 December 2007| accessdate=27 October 2008}}</ref> The children, per prior agreement between the Queen and their parents, will not use the titles of Prince and Princess, nor will they be Royal Highnesses;{{citation needed|date=November 2010}} their surname will be Windsor.
The Countess of Wessex is particularly close to her mother-in-law, the Queen, with whom she rides and shares an interest in military history. The Countess is reported to be the first of the Queen's children-in-law with whom she has enjoyed a permanently warm relationship.<ref name="Dailymail">{{cite news| url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1300096/What-pictures-say-Royals.html?ito=feeds-newsxml| title=Do they really have to look so glum? What these pictures tell us about the Royals| publisher=Dailymail| date=4 August 2010| accessdate=4 August 2010}}</ref> Due to this fact, The Countess is privileged enough to be the only member of the Royal Family to ride in the State Limousine with HM The Queen at Sandringham on Christmas Day.<ref name="Daily Express">{{cite news| url=http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/212744/Sophie-Wessex-is-Kate-Middleton-s-steadying-hand| title=Sophie Wessex is Kate Middleton’s Steadying Hand | publisher=DailyExpress | date=21 November 2010}}</ref>
==Official duties==
[[File:Royal Wedding Stockholm 2010-Konserthuset-403.jpg|thumb|The Earl and Countess of Wessex at the [[wedding of Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, and Daniel Westling|wedding of the Crown Princess of Sweden]] in June 2010]]
The [[Countess of Wessex]] began to take on royal duties after her wedding, with her first overseas tour being to the Canadian province of [[Prince Edward Island]] in 2000.<ref>{{cite journal| last=Scott| first=Burke| coauthors=[[John Aimers|Aimers, John]]| title=Wessexs' Tour a Triumph| journal=Canadian Monarchist News| issue=Autumn 2001| publisher=Monarchist League of Canada| date=October 2001| url=http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2001/wessex.htm| accessdate=27 October 2008}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> She also became [[Patronage|patron]] of a number of organisations, including the SAFC Foundation (the charitable arm of [[Sunderland AFC]]), and [[Girlguiding UK]]. In 2006, the Countess also lent her support to the [[Born in Bradford]] research project, which is investigating causes of [[low birth weight]] and [[infant mortality]].
==Titles, styles, honours and arms==
===Titles and styles===
* '''20 January 1965{{ndash}} 19 June 1999''': ''Miss'' Sophie Rhys-Jones
* '''19 June 1999{{ndash}} present''': ''Her Royal Highness'' The Countess of Wessex
Sophie's style and title in full: ''Her Royal Highness The Princess Edward Antony Richard Louis, Countess of Wessex, Viscountess Severn, Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, Dame of Justice of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem''.
{{Infobox British Royalty styles|own
|name = The Countess of Wessex
|image = Arms of Sophie, Countess of Wessex.svg
|dipstyle = [[HRH|Her Royal Highness]]
|offstyle = Your Royal Highness
|altstyle = Ma'am
}}
===Honours===
;Appointments
* {{Flagicon|UK}} '''2004''': [[Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II]]<ref name=regiments />
* [[Image:Flag of EIIR.svg|23px]] '''2005{{ndash}}''': [[Venerable Order of Saint John|Dame of Justice of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem]] (DStJ)<ref name=regiments>{{cite web| url=http://www.regiments.org/biography/royals/1965sopW.htm| title=Sophie, Countess of Wessex| publisher=Regiments.org| accessdate=27 October 2008}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>
* [[Image:Flag of EIIR.svg|23px]] '''2010{{ndash}}''': [[Royal Victorian Order|Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order]] (GCVO)<ref>{{Cite press release| title=The Countess of Wessex appointed to the Royal Victorian Order| publisher=Queen's Printer| date=20 January 2010| url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/LatestNewsandDiary/Pressreleases/2010/TheCountessofWessexappointedtotheRoyalVictorianOrd.aspx| accessdate=20 January 2010}}</ref>
;Decorations
* {{Flagicon|Saskatchewan}} '''7 June 2005''': [[Commemorative Medal for the Centennial of Saskatchewan]]<ref name=sask>{{cite press release| title=The Earl and Countess of Wessex Receive Centennial Medal| publisher=Government of Saskatchewan| date=7 June 2005| url=http://www.gov.sk.ca/news?newsId=6f57e213-b361-4db4-99d0-08daa71a484e| accessdate=27 October 2008}}</ref>
====Honorary military appointments====
;{{Flagicon|CAN}} Canada
* {{Flagicon|CAN|army}} [[Colonel-in-Chief]] of [[the South Alberta Light Horse]]
* {{Flagicon|CAN|army}} Colonel-in-Chief of [[the Lincoln and Welland Regiment]]
;{{Flagicon|UK}} United Kingdom
* {{Flagicon|UK|army}} Colonel-in-Chief of the [[Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps]]
* {{Flagicon|UK|army}} [[Royal Colonel]] of the 5th Battalion [[The Rifles]]
* {{Flagicon|UK|air force}} [[Honorary Air Commodore]] [[Royal Air Force Wittering]]
* {{Flagicon|UK|naval}} Ship's [[Ship naming and launching|Sponsor]] of [[HMS Daring (D32)|HMS ''Daring'']]
===Arms===
{{Infobox COA wide
|image = Coat of Arms of Sophie, Countess of Wessex.svg
|image size =
|notes = The Countess bears the arms of her husband, Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, impaled with her father's.<ref name="New Coat">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/347718.stm Sophie's new coat]. BBC News. 19 May 1999. Retrieved 14 November 2010.</ref>
|crest = [[Coronet|Coronet of a Child of the Sovereign]]
|escutcheon = [[quartering (heraldry)|Quarterly]] 1<sup>st</sup> and 4<sup>th</sup> gules three lions passant guardant in pale or armed and langed azure 2<sup>nd</sup> or a lion rampant gules armed and langued azure within a double tressure flory counterflory of the second 3<sup>rd</sup> azure a harp or stringed argent, the whole differenced with a label of three points argent with the central point charged with a [[Tudor rose]]; impaled with a shield quarterly gules and azure a lion rampant regardant within an orle Or.
|supporters = Dexter a lion rampant gardant Or crowned with the coronet of the rank of a child of the Sovereign Proper, sinister a [[Wyvern]] Azure, gorged with a coronet Or composed of crosses patée and fleurs de lis a chain affixed also Or.
|motto = '''CAS GŴR NI CHÂR Y WLAD A'I MACO''' <br /> ''([[Welsh language|Welsh]]: Hateful the man who loves not the country that nurtured him)''
|orders = The [[Royal Victorian Order]] ribbon.<br />'''VICTORIA'''
|other_elements =
|symbolism =[[File:Coat of Arms of Sophie Rhys-Jones.svg|right|100px]] Prior to marriage, Sophie Rhys-Jones had her arms redesigned by the [[Garter Principal King of Arms]] [[Peter Gwynn-Jones]], based on a 200 year old previous coat, which was not officially recognised. The new grant of arms applied to her father Christopher and his older brother Theo. The grant alluded to her family's noble [[Welsh heraldry|Welsh heritage]] and one of her ancestors the warrior [[Elystan Glodrydd]], Prince of Ferrig (represented by the Lion). The colours of red and blue is also the colours of the [[Royal Fusiliers]] Regiment, in which members of her family have served. She is quoted saying: ''"It's wonderful, I'm absolutely thrilled", "It's not modern and different, because it is representative of my family's heritage, so it's in keeping with that."''<ref name="New Coat"/>
|previous_versions = Previous version was depicted without the Royal Victorian Order, in which she was only appointed in 2010. Prior to her marriage, she bore her father's arms in lozenge only.
}}
==Issue==
{| class="wikitable"; width="100%" border="1" border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0.5em 1em 0.5em 0; background:#D3D3D3; border:1px #aaa solid; border-collapse:collapse;"
|-
!bgcolor="#708090" | <font color=f9f9f9>Name</font> !!bgcolor="#708090" | <font color=f9f9f9>Birth</font> !!bgcolor="#708090" colspan="2" | <font color=f9f9f9>Marriage</font>
!bgcolor="#708090" | <font color=f9f9f9>Issue</font>
|-
| [[Lady Louise Windsor]] || 8 November 2003 || || ||
|-
| [[James, Viscount Severn]] || 17 December 2007 || || ||
|}
==Ancestry==
Sophie is the [[Cousin#Cousin chart|11th cousin once removed]] of her husband, through their common ancestors Nicholas St John of [[Lydiard Tregoze]] and his wife, Elizabeth (née Blount, a relative of royal mistress [[Elizabeth Blount]]). She is also of [[Wales|Welsh]] and Irish ancestry, through her father and her mother respectively, as well as distantly of French ancestry, being a descendant of [[Henry II of France|King Henry II of France]]. Sophie's paternal grandmother belonged to the house of the [[Viscount Molesworth|Viscounts Molesworth]]. She is related to Griff Rhys-Jones on her father's side.
==See also==
*[[British Royal Family]]
==References==
{{Commons category|Sophie, Countess of Wessex}}
{{Reflist}}
{{S-start}}
{{S-prec|uk}}
{{Succession box|title=[[United Kingdom order of precedence|Ladies]]'''<br />''HRH The Countess of Wessex''|before=[[Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall|The Duchess of Cornwall]]|after=[[Anne, Princess Royal|The Princess Royal]]|years=}}
{{End}}
{{British princesses by marriage}}
{{UK Order of Precedence (Ladies)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2011}}
{{Persondata
|NAME=Wessex, Sophie
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Mountbatten-Windsor, Sophie Helen; Rhys-Jones, Sophie Helen
|SHORT DESCRIPTION=Wife of [[Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex]]
|DATE OF BIRTH=20 January 1965
|PLACE OF BIRTH=[[Oxford]], United Kingdom
|DATE OF DEATH=
|PLACE OF DEATH=
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wessex, Sophie, Countess Of}}
[[Category:1965 births]]
[[Category:British countesses]]
[[Category:Dames of the Order of St John]]
[[Category:Dames Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order]]
[[Category:British princesses]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Mountbatten-Windsor family|Sophie, Countess of Wessex]]
[[Category:People from Oxford]]
[[Category:People from Bagshot]]
[[af:Sophie, Gravin van Wessex]]
[[bs:Sophie Rhys-Jones]]
[[cs:Sophie, hraběnka z Wessexu]]
[[de:Sophie Helen Mountbatten-Windsor]]
[[et:Wessexi krahvinna Sophie]]
[[es:Sofía de Wessex]]
[[fr:Sophie Rhys-Jones]]
[[ko:웨식스 백작 부인 소피]]
[[it:Sophie Rhys-Jones]]
[[he:סופי, רוזנת וסקס]]
[[nl:Sophie Rhys-Jones]]
[[ja:ソフィー (ウェセックス伯爵夫人)]]
[[no:Sophie, grevinne av Wessex]]
[[pl:Sophie Rhys-Jones]]
[[pt:Sofia, Condessa de Wessex]]
[[fi:Wessexin kreivitär Sophie]]
[[sv:Sophie, grevinna av Wessex]]
[[th:โซฟี เคานท์เตสแห่งเวสเซ็กส์]]
[[tr:Sophie Helen Rhys-Jones]]' |
New page wikitext, after the edit (new_wikitext ) | '{{Use British English|date=April 2011}}
{{BLP sources|date=December 2007}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name = Sophie
| title = Countess of Wessex
| image = The Princess Edward, Countess of Wessex cropped.jpg
| caption = The Countess at the England vs. Germany [[2010 Women's Hockey Champions Trophy]] Bronze Medal Match
| spouse = [[Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex]]
| issue = [[Lady Louise Windsor]]<br>[[James, Viscount Severn]]
| full name = Sophie Helen<ref name="sur">As a titled royal, Sophie holds no surname, but, when one ''is'' used, it is '''[[Mountbatten-Windsor]]'''</ref>
| titles = ''HRH'' The Countess of Wessex<br />Miss Sophie Rhys-Jones
| house = [[House of Windsor]]<!--She is not [[House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg]], because her husband inherits his house from his MOTHER, being as she is The Queen! See [[Talk:House of Windsor#SHSG Part II]]-->
| father = Christopher Rhys-Jones
| mother = Mary Rhys-Jones
| date of birth = {{Birth date and age|1965|1|20|df=yes}}
| place of birth = [[Radcliffe Infirmary]], [[Oxford]]
|}}
'''Sophie, Countess of Wessex''', {{post-nominals|post-noms=[[Royal Victorian Order|GCVO]], [[Venerable Order of Saint John|DStJ]]}} (born Sophie Helen Rhys-Jones on 20 January 1965), is the wife of [[Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex]], himself the youngest son of [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Queen Elizabeth II]] and [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh]]. Married in 1999, she worked in [[public relations]] until 2002 and now supports her husband in his royal duties. The Earl and Countess have two children, [[Lady Louise Windsor|The Lady Louise Windsor]] and [[James, Viscount Severn]].
==Early life==
Sophie Helen Rhys-Jones was born at [[Radcliffe Infirmary]], [[Oxford]], on 20 January 1965, the second child and first daughter of Christopher Bournes Rhys-Jones, a retired tyre salesman, and his wife, Mary ([[Maiden and married names|née]] O'Sullivan), a secretary,<ref>{{cite news| title=Countess of Wessex's mother dies|publisher=BBC | date=29 August 2005| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4194720.stm| accessdate=27 October 2008}}</ref> who already had a son, David. Sophie was named after her father's sister, Helen, who died in a riding accident more than a decade before Sophie was born. Her godfather, actor [[Thane Bettany]], is her father's stepbrother;<ref>[http://thepeerage.com/p10414.htm#i104137 Peerage genealogy]</ref> both men spent their early life in [[Sarawak]], North Borneo, then a British protectorate ruled by the [[White Rajahs]].<ref>[http://www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/film/biographies/paul_bettany_biog.html Biography of Paul Bettany]</ref>
While she was still young, the Rhys-Jones family moved to [[Brenchley]], Kent. She began her education at [[Dulwich Preparatory School]], before moving on to [[Kent College, Pembury|Kent College]], [[Pembury]]. She then trained as a secretary at [[West Kent College]], [[Tonbridge]].
==Career==
She began a career in [[public relations]], working for a variety of firms, including four years at [[Capital Radio]], where she was assigned to the press and promotions department, as well as public relations companies The Quentin Bell Organisation and MacLaurin Communications & Media. She also worked as a ski representative in Switzerland and spent a year travelling and working in Australia. In 1996, with enough experience behind her, Rhys-Jones then launched her public relations agency, RJH Public Relations, which she ran with her business partner, Murray Harkin.
A few days before her wedding, ''[[The Sun (newspaper)|The Sun]]'' newspaper published a picture of Rhys-Jones posing topless with Capital Radio presenter [[Chris Tarrant]], a photo that had been taken when she still worked at the station. It was revealed later that the picture had been sold to the media by one of Rhys-Jones's former friends.
In 2001, a ''[[News of the World]]'' undercover reporter, [[Mazher Mahmood]], posing as a [[sheikh]], recorded the Countess making disparaging comments about certain members of the [[Her Majesty's Government|British government]] and appearing to use her royal status in order to gain clientele. The comments were subsequently published in ''[[The Mail on Sunday]]'' newspaper, and then by other media outlets. In an effort to prevent publication of her comments, the Countess agreed to give an interview to ''News of the World'' about her views on the possibility of undergoing IVF fertility treatment. However, the tabloid printed the story regardless, under the headline: "My Edward's Not Gay", in reference to continued gossip about the Prince's sexuality. Subsequently, in 2002, both the Earl and Countess announced that they would quit their business interests in order to focus on royal duties and aid the Queen in her [[Golden Jubilee]] year.
==Marriage==
*''See also: [[Wedding dress of Sophie Rhys-Jones]]''
{{British Royal Family}}
The engagement of Sophie Rhys-Jones and [[Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex|Prince Edward]], the youngest son of [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Queen Elizabeth II]] and [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh]], was announced on 6 January 1999. Their wedding took place on 19 June of the same year at [[St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle|St George's Chapel]] at [[Windsor Castle]], a break from the weddings of Edward's older siblings, which were large, formal events at [[Westminster Abbey]] or [[St. Paul's Cathedral]].
The couple had met six years earlier, in 1993, at a charity event, and began their relationship soon afterwards.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/events/prince_edwards_wedding]</ref>
On the day of their marriage, [[Elizabeth II|the Queen]] declared her son would eventually be named [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|Duke of Edinburgh]], when that title reverts to the Crown upon his father's death. Until then [[Prince Edward]] would be known as [[Earl of Wessex]] and [[Viscount Severn]], the latter title reflecting his bride's Welsh origins. Upon her marriage Rhys-Jones became ''[[Royal Highness|Her Royal Highness]]'' ''The'' ''Countess of Wessex''. After the union, the couple moved to [[Bagshot Park]], in [[Surrey]].
In December 2001, the Countess was taken to the King Edward VII Hospital after feeling unwell, whereupon it was discovered that she was suffering from a potentially life-threatening [[ectopic pregnancy]]. Two years later, she gave birth to a daughter, [[Lady Louise Windsor]], on 8 November 2003. It was a premature birth, resulting from a sudden [[placental abruption]] that placed both the mother and child at risk, and the Countess had to undergo an emergency [[caesarean section]] at [[Frimley Park Hospital]], while the Earl of Wessex rushed back from Mauritius. The Countess returned to Frimley Park Hospital on 17 December 2007, to give birth, again by caesarean section, to her son, James, Viscount Severn.<ref name="BBC birth">{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7148830.stm| title=Countess gives birth to baby boy|publisher=BBC | date=17 December 2007| accessdate=27 October 2008}}</ref> The children, per prior agreement between the Queen and their parents, will not use the titles of Prince and Princess, nor will they be Royal Highnesses;{{citation needed|date=November 2010}} their surname will be Windsor.
The Countess of Wessex is particularly close to her mother-in-law, the Queen, with whom she rides and shares an interest in military history. The Countess is reported to be the first of the Queen's children-in-law with whom she has enjoyed a permanently warm relationship.<ref name="Dailymail">{{cite news| url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1300096/What-pictures-say-Royals.html?ito=feeds-newsxml| title=Do they really have to look so glum? What these pictures tell us about the Royals| publisher=Dailymail| date=4 August 2010| accessdate=4 August 2010}}</ref> Due to this fact, The Countess is privileged enough to be the only member of the Royal Family to ride in the State Limousine with HM The Queen at Sandringham on Christmas Day.<ref name="Daily Express">{{cite news| url=http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/212744/Sophie-Wessex-is-Kate-Middleton-s-steadying-hand| title=Sophie Wessex is Kate Middleton’s Steadying Hand | publisher=DailyExpress | date=21 November 2010}}</ref>
==Official duties==
[[File:Royal Wedding Stockholm 2010-Konserthuset-403.jpg|thumb|The Earl and Countess of Wessex at the [[wedding of Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, and Daniel Westling|wedding of the Crown Princess of Sweden]] in June 2010]]
The [[Countess of Wessex]] began to take on royal duties after her wedding, with her first overseas tour being to the Canadian province of [[Prince Edward Island]] in 2000.<ref>{{cite journal| last=Scott| first=Burke| coauthors=[[John Aimers|Aimers, John]]| title=Wessexs' Tour a Triumph| journal=Canadian Monarchist News| issue=Autumn 2001| publisher=Monarchist League of Canada| date=October 2001| url=http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2001/wessex.htm| accessdate=27 October 2008}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> She also became [[Patronage|patron]] of a number of organisations, including the SAFC Foundation (the charitable arm of [[Sunderland AFC]]), and [[Girlguiding UK]]. In 2006, the Countess also lent her support to the [[Born in Bradford]] research project, which is investigating causes of [[low birth weight]] and [[infant mortality]].
==Titles, styles, honours and arms==
===Titles and styles===
* '''20 January 1965{{ndash}} 19 June 1999''': ''Miss'' Sophie Rhys-Jones
* '''19 June 1999{{ndash}} present''': ''Her Royal Highness'' The Countess of Wessex
Sophie's style and title in full: ''Her Royal Highness The Princess Edward Antony Richard Louis, Countess of Wessex, Viscountess Severn, Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, Dame of Justice of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem''.
{{Infobox British Royalty styles|own
|name = The Countess of Wessex
|image = Arms of Sophie, Countess of Wessex.svg
|dipstyle = [[HRH|Her Royal Highness]]
|offstyle = Your Royal Highness
|altstyle = Ma'am
}}
===Honours===
;Appointments
* {{Flagicon|UK}} '''2004''': [[Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II]]<ref name=regiments />
* [[Image:Flag of EIIR.svg|23px]] '''2005{{ndash}}''': [[Venerable Order of Saint John|Dame of Justice of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem]] (DStJ)<ref name=regiments>{{cite web| url=http://www.regiments.org/biography/royals/1965sopW.htm| title=Sophie, Countess of Wessex| publisher=Regiments.org| accessdate=27 October 2008}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>
* [[Image:Flag of EIIR.svg|23px]] '''2010{{ndash}}''': [[Royal Victorian Order|Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order]] (GCVO)<ref>{{Cite press release| title=The Countess of Wessex appointed to the Royal Victorian Order| publisher=Queen's Printer| date=20 January 2010| url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/LatestNewsandDiary/Pressreleases/2010/TheCountessofWessexappointedtotheRoyalVictorianOrd.aspx| accessdate=20 January 2010}}</ref>
;Decorations
* {{Flagicon|Saskatchewan}} '''7 June 2005''': [[Commemorative Medal for the Centennial of Saskatchewan]]<ref name=sask>{{cite press release| title=The Earl and Countess of Wessex Receive Centennial Medal| publisher=Government of Saskatchewan| date=7 June 2005| url=http://www.gov.sk.ca/news?newsId=6f57e213-b361-4db4-99d0-08daa71a484e| accessdate=27 October 2008}}</ref>
====Honorary military appointments====
;{{Flagicon|CAN}} Canada
* {{Flagicon|CAN|army}} [[Colonel-in-Chief]] of [[the South Alberta Light Horse]]
* {{Flagicon|CAN|army}} Colonel-in-Chief of [[the Lincoln and Welland Regiment]]
;{{Flagicon|UK}} United Kingdom
* {{Flagicon|UK|army}} Colonel-in-Chief of the [[Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps]]
* {{Flagicon|UK|army}} [[Royal Colonel]] of the 5th Battalion [[The Rifles]]
* {{Flagicon|UK|air force}} [[Honorary Air Commodore]] [[Royal Air Force Wittering]]
* {{Flagicon|UK|naval}} Ship's [[Ship naming and launching|Sponsor]] of [[HMS Daring (D32)|HMS ''Daring'']]
===Arms===
{{Infobox COA wide
|image = Coat of Arms of Sophie, Countess of Wessex.svg
|image size =
|notes = The Countess bears the arms of her husband, Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, impaled with her father's.<ref name="New Coat">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/347718.stm Sophie's new coat]. BBC News. 19 May 1999. Retrieved 14 November 2010.</ref>
|crest = [[Coronet|Coronet of a Child of the Sovereign]]
|escutcheon = [[quartering (heraldry)|Quarterly]] 1<sup>st</sup> and 4<sup>th</sup> gules three lions passant guardant in pale or armed and langed azure 2<sup>nd</sup> or a lion rampant gules armed and langued azure within a double tressure flory counterflory of the second 3<sup>rd</sup> azure a harp or stringed argent, the whole differenced with a label of three points argent with the central point charged with a [[Tudor rose]]; impaled with a shield quarterly gules and azure a lion rampant regardant within an orle Or.
|supporters = Dexter a lion rampant gardant Or crowned with the coronet of the rank of a child of the Sovereign Proper, sinister a [[Wyvern]] Azure, gorged with a coronet Or composed of crosses patée and fleurs de lis a chain affixed also Or.
|motto = '''CAS GŴR NI CHÂR Y WLAD A'I MACO''' <br /> ''([[Welsh language|Welsh]]: Hateful the man who loves not the country that nurtured him)''
|orders = The [[Royal Victorian Order]] ribbon.<br />'''VICTORIA'''
|other_elements =
|symbolism =[[File:Coat of Arms of Sophie Rhys-Jones.svg|right|100px]] Prior to marriage, Sophie Rhys-Jones had her arms redesigned by the [[Garter Principal King of Arms]] [[Peter Gwynn-Jones]], based on a 200 year old previous coat, which was not officially recognised. The new grant of arms applied to her father Christopher and his older brother Theo. The grant alluded to her family's noble [[Welsh heraldry|Welsh heritage]] and one of her ancestors the warrior [[Elystan Glodrydd]], Prince of Ferrig (represented by the Lion). The colours of red and blue is also the colours of the [[Royal Fusiliers]] Regiment, in which members of her family have served. She is quoted saying: ''"It's wonderful, I'm absolutely thrilled", "It's not modern and different, because it is representative of my family's heritage, so it's in keeping with that."''<ref name="New Coat"/>
|previous_versions = Previous version was depicted without the Royal Victorian Order, in which she was only appointed in 2010. Prior to her marriage, she bore her father's arms in lozenge only.
}}
==Issue==
{| class="wikitable"; width="100%" border="1" border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0.5em 1em 0.5em 0; background:#D3D3D3; border:1px #aaa solid; border-collapse:collapse;"
|-
!bgcolor="#708090" | <font color=f9f9f9>Name</font> !!bgcolor="#708090" | <font color=f9f9f9>Birth</font> !!bgcolor="#708090" colspan="2" | <font color=f9f9f9>Marriage</font>
!bgcolor="#708090" | <font color=f9f9f9>Issue</font>
|-
| [[Lady Louise Windsor]] || 8 November 2003 || || ||
|-
| [[James, Viscount Severn]] || 17 December 2007 || || ||
|}
==Ancestry==
Sophie is the [[Cousin#Cousin chart|11th cousin once removed]] of her husband, through their common ancestors Nicholas St John of [[Lydiard Tregoze]] and his wife, Elizabeth (née Blount, a relative of royal mistress [[Elizabeth Blount]]). She is also of [[Wales|Welsh]] and Irish ancestry, through her father and her mother respectively, as well as distantly of French ancestry, being a descendant of [[Henry II of France|King Henry II of France]]. Sophie's paternal grandmother belonged to the house of the [[Viscount Molesworth|Viscounts Molesworth]]. She is related to Griff Rhys-Jones on her father's side.
==See also==
*[[British Royal Family]]
==References==
{{Commons category|Sophie, Countess of Wessex}}
{{Reflist}}
{{S-start}}
{{S-prec|uk}}
{{Succession box|title=[[United Kingdom order of precedence|Ladies]]'''<br />''HRH The Countess of Wessex''|before=[[Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall|The Duchess of Cornwall]]|after=[[Anne, Princess Royal|The Princess Royal]]|years=}}
{{End}}
{{British princesses by marriage}}
{{UK Order of Precedence (Ladies)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2011}}
{{Persondata
|NAME=Wessex, Sophie
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Mountbatten-Windsor, Sophie Helen; Rhys-Jones, Sophie Helen
|SHORT DESCRIPTION=Wife of [[Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex]]
|DATE OF BIRTH=20 January 1965
|PLACE OF BIRTH=[[Oxford]], United Kingdom
|DATE OF DEATH=
|PLACE OF DEATH=
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wessex, Sophie, Countess Of}}
[[Category:1965 births]]
[[Category:British countesses]]
[[Category:Dames of the Order of St John]]
[[Category:Dames Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order]]
[[Category:British princesses]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Mountbatten-Windsor family|Sophie, Countess of Wessex]]
[[Category:People from Oxford]]
[[Category:People from Bagshot]]
[[af:Sophie, Gravin van Wessex]]
[[bs:Sophie Rhys-Jones]]
[[cs:Sophie, hraběnka z Wessexu]]
[[de:Sophie Helen Mountbatten-Windsor]]
[[et:Wessexi krahvinna Sophie]]
[[es:Sofía de Wessex]]
[[fr:Sophie Rhys-Jones]]
[[ko:웨식스 백작 부인 소피]]
[[it:Sophie Rhys-Jones]]
[[he:סופי, רוזנת וסקס]]
[[hu:Zsófia wessexi grófné]]
[[nl:Sophie Rhys-Jones]]
[[ja:ソフィー (ウェセックス伯爵夫人)]]
[[no:Sophie, grevinne av Wessex]]
[[pl:Sophie Rhys-Jones]]
[[pt:Sofia, Condessa de Wessex]]
[[fi:Wessexin kreivitär Sophie]]
[[sv:Sophie, grevinna av Wessex]]
[[th:โซฟี เคานท์เตสแห่งเวสเซ็กส์]]
[[tr:Sophie Helen Rhys-Jones]]' |
Whether or not the change was made through a Tor exit node (tor_exit_node ) | 0 |
Unix timestamp of change (timestamp ) | 1305188091 |