6 Rumors About Prince Edward's Wife, Sophie, We Couldn't Ignore

If you think Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, had a tough time stepping into the royal family, think again. It might be fair to say that Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh and wife of Prince Edward, had a much bumpier start to royal life. While Meghan's estranged father, Thomas Markle, caused quite the spectacle ahead of her royal wedding, Sophie was forced to weather a string of royal controversies.

For one, a former colleague of Sophie's, Kara Noble, leaked topless photographs of the duchess-to-be to the British press, which earned her a whopping £40,000 (equivalent to around $64,000 at that time). It was a bad look, and according to Sean Smith's book, "Sophie: Saving the Royal Family," the subsequent media tempest left Sophie in tears. "She was so upset because she felt that she was 'letting the side down,'" the duchess' former PR business partner, Murray Harkin, told Smith for his book (via People).

The royal family condemned the release of the photograph and supported Sophie throughout the whole ordeal, but this wouldn't be the last time the duchess found herself the subject of a scandal. Over the years, many rumors about her have come and gone — some more believable than others. From whispers that she insulted the late queen to the scuttlebutt over the real reason she didn't show up to Princess Diana's funeral, the rumor mill has turned relentlessly.

The scandal that nearly brought down Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, occurred in the early 2000s, and it was all thanks to a relentless News of the World journalist who pretended to be a sheikh's assistant looking to do business with the new royal's PR company. Meetings were set, things were said off the cuff, and in the aftermath, Sophie found herself in royally hot water.

The journalist, Mazher Mahmood, recorded the meetings he had with Sophie and released the so-called "Sophie tapes" once his sting operation came to an end, leaving the royal red-faced. Sophie was accused of directing some choice words at Queen Elizabeth II and the then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair, among other comments. The duchess reportedly referred to the queen as an "old dear," per Express, and made political comments (which members of the royal family are not allowed to do). Mahmood wrote that the duchess mockingly called the prime minister "President Blair" and agreed that the prime minister had a lot in common with scandal-ridden former U.S. President Bill Clinton (via The Guardian). She also allegedly called the prime minister's wife, Cherie Blair, "absolutely horrid, horrid, horrid."

Sophie's business partner, Murray Harkin, also put his foot in his mouth when he seemingly disclosed that he uses hard drugs on occasion. It was an incredibly bad look for the royal family. Sophie apologized profusely in the aftermath and stepped down from her PR firm.

There's been plenty of speculation about the relationship Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, has with the royals, especially when it comes to the late Princess Diana. Apparently, the two weren't close. Royal biographer Sean Smith told GB News (via Marie Claire) in September 2025 that Diana's strained relationship with Sophie was, in part, because of the latter's decision to wear the same hairstyle as Diana, which made for an uncanny resemblance. "When she saw Sophie approaching at some function, Diana would be heard to mutter, 'Oh look, here comes my double," Smith alleged, adding that there was "no love lost" between the two royals.

In his book, "Sophie: Saving The Royal Family," Smith wrote of some icy interactions that allegedly took place between Diana and Sophie. The Princess of Wales, who was the duchess' senior in the royal ranks, allegedly took advantage of her position whenever she found herself in Sophie's company. "Every time an animated Sophie started to say something, Diana would begin speaking, which meant that Sophie had to stop. It is a tradition that if a more senior royal starts talking, the junior royal has to keep quiet," Smith penned (via Scottish Daily Express). "On another occasion," the author wrote, "she ran back to the apartment in floods of tears after a dinner at which Diana spent the whole time blatantly and intently staring at her. Sophie would do her utmost to avoid Diana if she possibly could."

There was also reportedly some jealousy from Diana's side. Sophie got plenty of attention when she entered the royal fold and landed herself a flattering spread in Hello! magazine. The fact that Sophie, who didn't exactly come from a noble family, was fitting in so well within the royal fold was also reportedly a sore spot for the Princess of Wales.

After the 2001 PR scandal with the fake sheikh assistant, the Duchess of Edinburgh came under scrutiny again, this time for apparently not pulling her weight as a member of the royal family. In August 2001, the press was pointing out that the duchess and her husband, Prince Edward, weren't penciled into the royal schedule for any engagements until the end of the year, despite getting a paycheck from the royal family. "An outsider might conclude that the Wessexes were on strike. I could not possibly comment," a Buckingham palace official told The Observer (via The Guardian) at the time. It didn't help that the royal engagements Sophie had done, which included attending sports and theater events, could hardly be considered work.

A friend of the duchess fanned the flames when they alleged that Sophie wasn't happy with merely having a sprawling country house in Bagshot Park, which was gifted to Prince Edward by the queen. The friend claimed that Sophie wanted an estate, like the Dutchy of Cornwall, which was then-Prince Charles' to enjoy. This made Sophie seem spoiled and ungrateful, regardless of the fact that these claims lacked any factual evidence. It's worth pointing out that, these days, Sophie is considered one of the hardest-working royals.

The first time Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, was accused of using her royal status to make some extra cash was when she spoke a little too openly to the News of the World reporter pretending to be a sheikh's assistant in 2001. She admitted that being a royal gave her business an edge and "does cause conflicts" per The Guardian, and her business partner, Murray Harkin, echoed those sentiments, telling the undercover reporter, "Chances are you'll get people interested: 'Oh gosh, they've employed the Countess of Wessex's PR company.'"

The rumors that the duchess was shamelessly using her royal status to make some extra money on the side didn't let up, especially after the Sheikh scandal became public. It didn't help that she also accepted a £250,000 gig to advertise a Rover 75 at a motor show in Frankfurt. Then there's her husband, Prince Edward, who also used his royal status to build his media company, Ardent Productions.

Edward found himself the subject of public scrutiny when he filmed Prince William at his university, something that was in complete breach of the monarchy's privacy policy when it came to its younger royals and the media exposure they are subjected to. Even the British press hadn't been allowed to photograph William on campus, but Edward took liberties, and it led to quite the fallout (via Daily Mail). Both Edward and Sophie apologized for the incident.

Princess Diana's heartbreaking funeral saw her brother, Charles Spencer, chastising the monarchy and the British press during his speech — so much so that it made headlines. What didn't make headlines at the time but had some folks scratching their heads was the absence of Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh. Back then, she was yet to marry Prince Edward, but it would've been fair to assume that she'd be in attendance. As it turns out, the reason Sophie skipped Diana's funeral came down to her resemblance to the princess.

In his book, "Sophie: Saving the Royal Family," Sean Smith asserts that the duchess-to-be didn't want people to be doing a double-take every time she was in their near vicinity, especially since Diana would be on everyone's mind that day. "Sophie decided it would be too upsetting for the crowd if she went," a friend of the duchess told Smith for his book (via People). "She's well aware that she looks like Princess Diana from a distance and made her decision in a caring and thoughtful way. The royal family fully supported."

Sophie had previously admitted that she knew she resembled the beloved princess. "I don't deny that we do look alike. But I couldn't ever compete with Diana's image. I'm not Diana," she once told the Daily Mail (via Express).

When Sophie went from being the Duchess of Wessex to the Duchess of Edinburgh, it came with some perks, including no longer having to curtsy to Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. Before her royal promotion, Meghan's title trumped Sophie's, which meant that the duchess had to curtsy to Meghan whenever they found themselves in the same room. Apparently, Sophie wasn't the biggest fan of this arrangement. "Sophie is relieved," a friend of the duchess told Hello! magazine after her promotion. "She no longer has to curtsey to someone in the family who has not only left royal duties but has spent the past three years criticising the institution that Sophie works so hard to support."

Sophie's relationship with Meghan hardly appears to be all warm and fuzzy. The duchess' response to whether she and Prince Edward would be taking on additional royal duties after Prince Harry and Meghan's exit from the royal family was pretty on the nose. "What did people think we were doing beforehand?" she responded, according to Katie Nicholl's book, "The New Royals: Queen Elizabeth's Legacy and the Future of the Crown" (via The Mirror).

Then there's also the rumor that Sophie tried to show Meghan the ropes when she first entered the royal fold. The Duchess of Sussex, however, was uninterested. Royal commentator Kinsey Schofield told GB News, "Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, was very loving towards Meghan and attempted to have a relationship with her. ... I think that she was a great role model, and it was a missed opportunity for Meghan to learn how to navigate a difficult situation." Indeed, things might have gone differently had Meghan taken Sophie up on the offer.