Sophie Wessex supporting ‘Menopause Workplace Pledge'

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Sophie, 56, hosted a special afternoon tea at St James’s Palace this week for The Scar Free Foundation. For more than 20 years the charity, which Sophie has been patron of since 2003, aims to achieve scar-free healing for people across the UK. The Countess of Wessex spoke to four young people about their experiences of living with scarring.

The royal’s meeting with the children, some of whom are burns survivors, came ahead of United Nations’ World Children’s Day on Saturday.

Sophie married into the Royal Family in 1999 as she tied the knot with Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, who is the Queen’s youngest son.

The couple have two children together, Lady Louise Windsor, 18, and James, Viscount Severn, 13.

The family live in Bagshot Park, a sprawling Grade II-listed royal residence not far from the Queen’s Windsor Castle.

As well as her important charity work, Sophie has carved out a reputation as one of the more stylish senior royals.

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However, her fashion choices once landed her in hot water with the late Princess Diana, according to an unearthed interview.

Hello! Magazine’s late royal correspondent Judy Wade once claimed that Sophie “irritated” Prince Charles’ ex-wife by “aping” her wardrobe.

The journalist spoke for the 1999 documentary, ‘Prince Edward & Sophie Rhys-Jones: The True Story’, shot ahead of the couple’s wedding.

Ms Wade said: “She’s done too many things that I know used to irritate Diana. She cut her hair like Diana’s.

“She even went to lose weight and keep fit at the Chelsea Harbour Club, which was Diana’s famous fitness centre.

“She’s chosen red dresses that were almost identical to things that Diana wore. The blazer and the trousers that Diana wore.

“She just seemed to be aping Diana and Diana was sort of partly amused and partly irritated by it.”

Sophie, a former public relations executive, began dating Edward in 1993 after they met at a charity event.

By this point, Charles and Diana had separated, with their divorce settlement eventually finalised in 1996.

As the couple parted ways, Diana grew bolder in some of her fashion choices.

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Among her many iconic looks from the period was the so-called “revenge dress” that she wore to the Serpentine Gallery in London in 1994.

The dress was made famous as the Princess of Wales wore it on the same evening that Charles publicly admitted to his affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles in the documentary, ‘Charles: The Private Man, The Public Role’.

Ms Wade said that Diana was aware that some of Sophie’s looks during the Nineties were similar to her own.

She said the late Princess used to say: “‘Oh look, her comes my double’.”

The journalist said that even one of Sophie’s favourite designers used to design for Diana.

She added: “She really ought to get her own look. And there are plenty of things she could do.

“She could dress in softer, less tailored clothes, just to find her own look.”

‘Prince Edward & Sophie Rhys-Jones: The True Story’ is available to watch on YouTube.
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