The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh celebrate their silver wedding anniversary today, marking 25 years of married life with an affectionate new portrait.
Edward is pictured with his arms around Sophie's waist, with the duchess' hands resting on her husband's and their heads close together.
The couple are dressed down in the relaxed shot taken by photographer Chris Jelf in the gardens of their Bagshot Park home in Surrey, with Sophie's tan suede jacket complementing the colour of Edward's tweed gilet.
In March, Sophie surprised Edward with a tearful tribute ahead of his 60th birthday, taking to the stage in Leeds to call him "the best of fathers, the most loving of husbands" and "still my best friend". In a television interview, Edward described his wife as his "rock", adding: "I'm incredibly lucky that I found Sophie and that she found me."
This new portrait of the couple has been released to mark their anniversary (PA)
Sophie and Edward seen with their newborn son James in 2007 (UK Press via Getty Images)Edward is the youngest of the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip's four children, and the only one not to have got divorced. He married Sophie Rhys-Jones in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, on June 19 1999, in a continental-style evening service where guests were told not to wear hats. The couple became the Earl and Countess of Wessex.
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Edward said ahead of the nuptials: "We manage to have a good laugh about things most of the time, and we happen to love each other, which is the most important thing of all."
Romance blossomed when Edward and public relations professional Sophie met at a tennis event in the early 1990s. They now have two children, Lady Louise Windsor, 20, and 16-year-old James, Earl of Wessex.
Edward and Sophie have become a key part of the slimmed-down working monarchy, following the stepping down of the Duke of Sussex and the Duke of York, the King's accession, and amid Charles and the Princess of Wales's cancer diagnoses.
The wedding took place at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)Aside from the Prince of Wales, and Kate, who is continuing her treatment, Edward, 60, and Sophie, 59, are the youngest members of the working monarchy.
Charles handed his youngest brother his late father's Duke of Edinburgh title on his 59th birthday in 2023, in keeping with the late Queen and Philip's wishes.
Philip's desire for Edward to one day have the title was in recognition of his son's decades-long commitment to his Duke of Edinburgh's Award, the youth scheme which is one of Philip's greatest legacies.
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