Why is sophie countess and not a duchess

More info. Her husband, Prince Edward, is the Earl of Wessex, and the pair have two children together. Prince Harry married Meghan Markle in , and was given the rank of Duke of Sussex on his wedding day. Subsequently his new bride became Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.

Prince Edward was given the title of Earl of Wessex on his wedding day, and Sophie subsequently took the feminine version of the title as Sophie, Countess of Wessex. According to reports, Edward was due to be made the Duke of Cambridge, the title now owned by Prince William, following his marriage. However, Edward reportedly liked the character of Lord Wessex in the film Shakespeare in Love, and his mother decided to humour him.

Edward was subsequently made an earl, the first member of the Royal Family to be made so since Tudor times. A countess is the third rank in the peerage. A duchess on the other hand is a woman who is together with the duke, and is the highest rank below the monarch. The title is given after marriage and duchesses are also addressed as Her Royal Highness. The reason Sophie isn't a duchess is actually because of her husband's wishes.

On their wedding day, Edward was set to become the next Duke of Cambridge. Queen Elizabeth granted his request and therefore on that day Sophie received the countess title to go with her husband's peerage rather than a duchess title.

See morehereditary western european titles of nobility. Sophie was then given her title based on being the wife of an Earl and not as the wife of a Prince. For Sophie or her children to be given new titles, the Queen would need to issue a letter patents to do this.

For her wedding, she wore a stunning custom-made tiara and jewellery gifted to her by Prince Edward, which showed her commitment to the Royal Family. Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones get married in When Prince Edward married, he took on the title of the Earl of Wessex, reportedly by request. This has also meant their children have missed out on Her Royal Highness status.