Under the British nobility system, the King and Queen rank at the very top, followed by Prince and Princess. The title of Duke and Duchess then comes next, and are titles often awarded by the Queen to members of the Royal Family.

Traditionally Royal Family members receive a title from the Queen upon their wedding day.

When Kate Middleton married Prince William in 2011, the Queen appointed William the Duke of Cambridge.

As a result, Kate received the feminine title of the Duchess of Cambridge.

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This is often the case for many royal brides who marry into the Royal Family.

This was the case for Sarah Ferguson upon her marriage to Prince Andrew, and most recently for Meghan Markle when she married Prince Harry in 2018.

However when Sophie Rhys-Jones married the Queen’s youngest son Prince Edward in 1999, she was not given the title of Duchess by the Queen.

Instead Sophie became the Countess of Wessex, so what was the reason behind this?

Why is Sophie not a Duchess?

The reason Sophie is not a Duchess is believed to be due to Prince Edward’s decision.

Edward was said to be offered the dukedoms of Cambridge or Sussex, but turned them down in favour of an earldom, which ranks lower than a dukedom in the British peerage system.

Edward reportedly liked the character of Lord Wessex in the film Shakespeare in Love.

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Because of this, the Queen is said to have humoured her son, and offered him the same title.

A courtier told the Sunday Telegraph: “Prince Edward was going to be the Duke of Cambridge, but he watched the film Shakespeare in Love, which had a character called the Earl of Wessex.

“He liked the sound of it and asked the Queen if he could have that instead.”

Edward was subsequently made an earl, the first member of the Royal Family to be made so for hundreds of years.

Edward had to settle for an earldom, as he could not be given the dukedom of Wessex as it doesn’t exist in modern Britain.

By proxy, Sophie received the feminine title of the earldom, and became the Countess of Wessex.

According to reports, Sophie had initially hoped for the title of Princess upon her wedding day, but this was not granted.

However Sophie may one day become a Duchess, as Prince Edward is set to inherit the title of Duke of Edinburgh following the death of his father, Prince Philip.

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