Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh Wears Wedding Earrings Designed by Prince Edward on Commonwealth Day
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Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh wore a special accessory for a debut event with her new royal title.
The newly minted Duchess of Edinburgh, 57, attended the first Commonwealth Day Service of King Charles' reign on Monday wearing the black and white pearl drop earrings from her royal wedding day. Sophie married Prince Edward on June 19, 1999, accessorizing with the striking earrings and a matching cross necklace which were a gift from the groom.
According to the Daily Express, the prince designed the coordinating set with Asprey and Garrard, the jeweler behind Sophie's engagement ring.
The royal rewear marks the third time Sophie has sported her wedding earrings in recent months, having worn them for a visit to Whizz-Kidz in Guildford, England on Dec. 1 and again at Britannia Royal Naval College two weeks later.
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Last Friday, King Charles announced that he had conferred the Duke of Edinburgh title used by his father, Prince Philip, onto his youngest brother. In a thoughtful touch, the news was shared on Prince Edward's 59th birthday.
The new appellation makes Sophie the Duchess of Edinburgh, a title last used by Sophie's mother-in-law Queen Elizabeth before she acceded as sovereign. The Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey on Monday marked Edward and Sophie's first official event with the rest of the royal family since receiving the new titles.
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A few hours after Buckingham Palace announced that Charles, 74, conferred the dukedom upon his brother, Prince Edward and Sophie paid their first visit to Edinburgh as the new Duke and Duchess.
There, they met with members of the Ukrainian community at Edinburgh's City Chambers to mark one year since the city's formal response to the invasion of Ukraine. During the reception, the royals met members of the Ukrainian and Eastern European diaspora in Edinburgh, including families who have made the city their home since the beginning of the conflict last year.
In a speech, Prince Edward said, "Thank you very much indeed for welcoming us to Edinburgh today on, indeed, a very special and slightly overwhelming day." He then referred to Sophie as "my wife and Duchess," prompting laughs from the crowd.
"But I also want to express my thanks to everyone who has worked so hard to make our Ukraine friends feel so very welcome," he added.
Jane Barlow - Pool/Getty Prince Edward and Sophie, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh
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It had been Prince Philip's wish that his youngest son would receive the Duke of Edinburgh title after his death. On Prince Edward and Sophie's wedding day, Buckingham Palace even indicated that the appellation was earmarked for them, The Times reported.
"The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales have also agreed that Prince Edward should be given the dukedom of Edinburgh in due course, when the present title held now by Prince Philip eventually reverts to the crown," the palace said in a statement at the time, per the outlet.
Despite this, when Prince Philip died in 2021, the title went to Prince Charles (now King Charles) as his eldest son. Reports swirled that Charles would hold onto the title, with some commentators saying it would not go to Edward and Sophie as he mulled what to do with it.
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Prince Philip and Prince Edward
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After waiting several months since becoming monarch, King Charles poignantly handed his brother the long-awaited title on his birthday.
On the eve of his wedding in 1947 to then-Princess Elizabeth, Prince Philip was made the Duke of Edinburgh, Baron Greenwich and Earl of Merioneth. The newlyweds were known as the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh until Elizabeth became Queen in 1952, while Prince Philip retained his Duke of Edinburgh styling throughout life.
