Why Sophie, Countess Of Wessex, Received Different Treatment From Diana, Fergie

Prince Edward made sure to give his wife, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, a life that’s different from his sisters-in-law.

In the book “Prince Edward,” royal biographer Ingrid Seward said that Queen Elizabeth II also paved the way for Sophie to be welcomed into the royal family differently.

“That Edward should wish to have his girlfriend beside him as much as possible was perfectly natural. That the Queen should allow it to happen under her roof marked a significant change in attitude and approach,” she said.

Seward also differentiated Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson’s treatment from the royal family, particularly the Queen, back in the day. She said that the two female royals moved into the palace only after they were formally engaged to Prince Charles and Prince Andrew, respectively.

“Even when they were carefully accommodated at the other end of the principal floor so that appearances could be maintained. Those structures were set aside for Sophie… She was free to stay with Prince Edward wherever and whenever she wanted to,” she said.

The royal expert said that the changes were an eminently sensible way of familiarizing Sophie into the royal family with a forbidding family of enormous complexity.

Unlike Prince Edward’s wife, Princess Diana and Ferguson only discovered how difficult royal life could be after they got engaged and on their way to the altar. Sophie, on the other hand, was given a careful and subtle introduction, which was something that even Princess Diana and Ferguson saw.

According to Seward, the late Princess of Wales and Ferguson oftentimes complained, with a hint of resentment in their voice, why they received no such help from the royal family while they struggled to adjust to their new lives.

And according to Seward, Sophie’s introduction and acceptance into the royal fold had parallels with the treatment that Kate Middleton received. Prince William and Middleton were together for 10 years before they tied the knot.