Sophie, Duchess Of Edinburgh, Lives A Lavish Lifestyle
For the royal family, enjoying the finer things in life is part of the job — and that's certainly the case for Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh. From luxurious vacations to private chefs, Prince Edward's wife lives a glamorous, jet-setting life.
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00:00For the royal family, enjoying the finer things in life is part of the job, and that's certainly
00:05the case for Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh.
00:07From luxurious vacations to private chefs, Prince Edward's wife lives a glamorous, jet-setting
00:13life.
00:14One of the biggest perks of being a royal has to be the clothes.
00:17Members of the royal family have plenty of opportunities to get dressed up, and over
00:21the years, Sophie has built up a pretty enviable wardrobe.
00:25Sophie tends to stick to the royal dress code for official events and appears to share a
00:29few favorite designers with fellow royal Kate Middleton.
00:32For instance, both have been spotted in Amelia Wicksteed, Susanna, and Alexander McQueen.
00:37In other words, Sophie has very good style.
00:40In addition to her designer-filled wardrobe, Sophie is also the proud owner of a very pricey
00:45jewelry collection.
00:46According to James Constantinou, founder of Prestige Pawnbrokers, her collection might
00:50be worth over three million pounds.
00:53Among her pieces is the Anthemian tiara, which she wore on her wedding day.
00:57It is reportedly worth one million pounds.
00:59However, some of Sophie's jewels are fairly controversial.
01:03Apparently, Sophie accepted two extravagant sets of jewels from the Bahraini royal family.
01:08Former Foreign Office Minister Dennis McShane said that Sophie should give up the jewels
01:12for a good cause.
01:13He told the Daily Mail,
01:15"...given the appalling suffering and repression of the Bahraini people, it would be a fitting
01:19gesture for the Countess of Wessex to auction these trinkets and distribute the proceeds
01:23to the victims of the regime."
01:26Sophie may have a covetable jewelry collection, but there is one particular piece that blows
01:30all of her other accessories out of the water.
01:33Yes, we are talking about her engagement ring.
01:36The royals are known for going all out when it comes to engagement rings.
01:39Queen Elizabeth II, for instance, was given a ring set with 11 diamonds, while Princess
01:43Diana wore a ring set with a 12-carat Ceylon sapphire.
01:48"...this wonderful sapphire and diamond."
01:51However, it turns out Sophie might have the most valuable ring of all.
01:56Sophie's ring is more delicate and unassuming than Diana's, but apparently it came with
02:00a huge price tag.
02:01Alison Cooper, CEO of Alicia J. Diamonds, told Express,
02:05"...this Royal's 2.05-carat white gold engagement ring is thought to be the most expensive royal
02:11engagement ring ever purchased, with an estimated value of £105,000."
02:17Like most royals, Sophie gets plenty of opportunities to jet off on lavish vacations in between
02:22her royal duties.
02:23In 2014, for instance, Sophie and her family spent the summer relaxing in Espalmador, an
02:28island off the coast of Ibiza.
02:29In 2019 and 2023, Sophie and her family hit the slopes at the luxurious Corvillia Ski
02:35Club in Switzerland, a private members-only ski club often frequented by the royals.
02:40Of course, like other members of the royal family, Sophie and her husband, Prince Edward,
02:44also spend a lot of their holidays with extended family in Balmoral, the luxurious royal estate
02:49in Scotland.
02:51While Sophie goes on her fair share of personal vacations with her family, she's also invited
02:55to take part in plenty of official royal events.
02:58Sophie has attended numerous royal banquets, garden parties, premieres, and charity galas.
03:03In fact, her life seems to be an endless series of glamorous events.
03:07Sophie has also attended plenty of glitzy events during her royal trips abroad, too.
03:12In 2023, the duchess paid a solo visit to Canada, where she went to a winery and attended
03:17a glamorous dinner at Niagara-on-the-Lake.
03:19That year, Sophie also visited South America, where she visited the city's Cultural Center
03:24for Dance and Choreography.
03:25A year earlier, she and her husband spent time in the Caribbean.
03:29Their tour included meeting locals and viewing performances.
03:33Although Sophie spends much of her time traveling around the world, when she's at home, her
03:37life is just as luxurious.
03:39Sophie and Prince Edward live at Bagshot Park, a huge royal estate in Surrey.
03:43The home was given to the couple by the late Queen Elizabeth II as a wedding gift in 1999.
03:48The property sits on 51 acres of land and has an estimated 120 rooms.
03:53The grounds include a pool, a terrace, and a tennis court, along with extensive manicured
03:58gardens.
03:59While we don't know too much about the interior of the house, the couple filmed several videos
04:02within their home during the pandemic, revealing antique decor, expensive paintings, expansive
04:08rooms, and two kitchens.
04:10Naturally, royal weddings are never simple affairs.
04:14Most royals tie the knot in lavish ceremonies in London's Westminster Abbey in front of
04:18hundreds of famous guests while crowds of thousands wait outside, hoping to catch a
04:22glimpse of the couple.
04:23For Sophie and Prince Edward, it was no different.
04:26Sophie wore pearl earrings and a matching necklace, which had been commissioned by Edward
04:30as a wedding gift.
04:31These are a personal present from His Royal Highness to Sophie on their big day.
04:36She also wore a stunning gown by Samantha Shaw, which was covered in delicate rows of
04:40pearl and crystal beading.
04:42Three hundred and twenty-five thousand of them, to be exact.
04:45As Shaw explained to Tatler, the dress was actually designed to conceal a second secret
04:49dress.
04:50Shaw told the outlet,
04:51"...there was an evening dress under the coat dress, which was to remain super private for
04:55the evening dinner, and I had to get the fabric perfectly dyed to color match the beautiful
04:59stone of St. George's Chapel."
05:02As a member of the royal family, Sophie doesn't do many domestic chores.
05:06Instead, she has a large staff to help around the house.
05:09Back in 2020, the Daily Mail reported that she and Prince Edward were hiring a cook on
05:13a £23,000-a-year salary.
05:16The job listing read,
05:17"...as the primary cook in the household, you will be responsible for the planning,
05:21preparation and cooking of daily meals.
05:23You will also monitor and replenish food supplies and equipment for the household."
05:27The chef would also be responsible for cooking for events and parties.
05:30In 2022, the couple also put out an ad for a program coordinator, essentially an assistant
05:36to help Sophie on a day-to-day basis.
05:39For most people, meeting the queen, or king, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
05:44However, for Sophie, it's just a normal part of everyday life.
05:47In fact, before the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, Sophie went on weekly riding trips
05:53with the monarch.
05:54Apparently, the tradition began after Sophie learned to ride in order to bond with the
05:57queen.
05:58A friend of the duchess told The Standard,
06:00"...Sophie set herself a series of tasks.
06:02She learned how to ride properly and now rides with the queen at least once a week."
06:06After the queen's husband, Prince Philip, died in 2021, Sophie spent even more time
06:11with the queen.
06:12Royal expert Duncan Larcombe told The Sun,
06:14"...since the duke's death in April, Sophie has driven the 10 miles from her bag shop
06:18park home to Windsor Castle every few days and most weekends to spend socially distanced
06:23time with Her Majesty."
06:24A royal source actually told People that the queen and Sophie are remarkably close, and
06:29that Sophie is actually the queen's favorite daughter-in-law.
06:33How does Sophie like to unwind at the end of a long day of royal duties?
06:37With a glass of fine wine, naturally.
06:40Personal trainer Jeremiah Daniel told Express,
06:42"...her diet consists of predominantly natural, unprocessed foods such as vegetables, fruits,
06:47legumes, nuts and seeds, fish, olive oil and moderate amounts of red wine."
06:52Naturally, Sophie had to pay a visit to a local winery during her 2023 trip to Canada.
06:58Plus, back in 2014, Sophie and Prince Edward paid a visit to the Three Quires Vineyards
07:03in England, where she looked very happy to sample the British wines on offer.
07:07Sophie also has expensive taste when it comes to gin.
07:10Her favorite is allegedly Silent Pool, which she told the owner she loved, according to
07:14Express.
07:15She is, it seems, less of a fan of whiskey.
07:18In 2021, she visited a health food market in Northern Ireland where she sampled a whiskey
07:23and struggled to get it down.
07:25The royals are known to give surprisingly down-to-earth, personalized gifts to their
07:29loved ones.
07:30That said, Sophie has both given and received a few pricier gifts in her time as a royal.
07:35For her wedding, the Queen Mother gave Sophie her bejeweled hair clip.
07:39In 2019, she was given a patronage by Prince Philip, the patronage of the Chartered Management
07:43Institute, which was considered a great honor.
07:46Then, in 2022, Queen Elizabeth II gifted Sophie one of Prince Philip's royal rolls.
07:51She has also given her fair share of lavish gifts.
07:55For instance, in 2023, The Mirror reported that Sophie gave Kate Middleton a jumpsuit
08:00worth £325.
08:02Donna Ida, the designer of the jumpsuit, told the outlet,
08:05"...My friend, a stylist, is best friends with Sophie Wessex, and Sophie buys from us.
08:10Sophie got our black Sadie jumpsuit for herself and then asked for one for Kate.
08:14She said, Kate wants one, can I get one as well?"
08:18Motherhood is usually anything but glamorous.
08:20However, for members of the royal family, it seems a little easier.
08:23Apparently, Sophie had the luxury of not one, but two nannies while she was raising
08:28her first child, Louise.
08:29While the two nannies were certainly extravagant, there was a reason.
08:33Sophie had a traumatic experience during labor and lost a huge amount of blood, so, while
08:38Louise was young, Sophie was still in physical recovery.
08:41Apparently, Sophie chose to employ nannies who trained at the famous Norland College.
08:45Kate Middleton later hired a nanny from the same college.
08:48As a source told The Mirror, Sophie had given Kate some nanny advice when she began her
08:52family, namely that she needed as much help as she could get.
08:55A source told The Mirror,
08:57"...they both accept the view that they won't be able to do it all."