Prince Edward And Sophie, Countess Of Wessex, Met Because Of This Media Mogul

Among Queen Elizabeth II’s children, Prince Andrew’s marriage to Sophie is the most enduring one. While Princess Anne, Prince Charles and Prince Andrew divorced their respective spouses after more than a decade of union, the Earl and Countess of Wessex have already celebrated their twentieth wedding anniversary this year.

But Edward and Sophie might not have met if not for this Australian billionaire. According to a biographer, it was media mogul Rupert Murdoch who indirectly played as a matchmaker to the royal couple by somehow creating the right circumstances for the two to meet.

But according to royal biographer Ingrid Seward, it was not Sophie Helen Rhys-Jones that Edward was supposed to meet one morning at London’s Queen’s tennis club. Originally, Queen Elizabeth’s youngest son was scheduled to meet Sue Barker, England’s top female tennis player, at that time for a photocall.

“Britain’s former number one player, Sue Barker, was booked to appear with Edward at a photocall being held in aid of the Prince Edward Challenge which was raising money for local charities around Britain,” Seward wrote in her book “Prince Edward,” which came out in 1995.

But Sky Sports, UK’s top sports-focused television channel, reportedly opposed Barker’s appearance. Thus, Sophie’s former PR boss, Malcolm MacLaurin, had to convince one of his employees to meet the prince instead.

“With less than 24 hours to go, MacLaurin did not have enough time to find a celebrity replacement for Barker,” the biographer continued. “Driven by necessity, he press-ganged one of his own employees into coming along to be photographed with Edward, in Barker’s stead.”

The chosen girl was, of course, Sophie Rhys-Jones. And that was how Rupert Morduch, who owns Sky Sports, indirectly paved the way for Sophie and Edward’s romance.

“Thus in effect it was Rupert Murdoch, the Australian-born media tycoon who owns Sky and is so distrusted by the Royal Family, who inadvertently brought about the meeting between Prince Edward and the woman who was to play such an important part in his life,” Seward noted.

It did not take long for Edward and Sophie to realize that they’re suited to each other. “Edward had surreptitiously asked her for her telephone number that day they met,” Seward wrote. “Within a few weeks the couple were virtually living together.”