- Royals
ByHannah Rice
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Compared to many members of the British royal family, Sophie, duch*ess of Edinburgh, has done a fantastic job of avoiding scandal in recent years — but things haven't always been that way. Back in 2001, Sophie made headlines when a journalist disguised as a Middle Eastern businessman infiltrated her company, RHJ Public Relations, by posing as a potential customer. What resulted was a terribly embarrassing episode in which Sophie was taped calling Queen Elizabeth an "old dear" and claiming that the British people would never accept Queen Camilla as a leader. The incident forced Sophie to step back from her business. It also made her focus on living a life without drama.
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Despite this initial episode, Sophie has gone on to become one of the most dutiful members of the British royal family. She has worked hard to follow all the rules of protocol and avoid any misstep. As royal expert Afua Hagan told Us Weekly, "She really gets on with the job, she connects very well with people on these engagements that she does, and she does a lot of them behind the scenes."
Even though Sophie has become a successful royal whose style changed after joining the family, she has not been able to avoid the occasional sartorial mistake. On a few occasions over the years, she has worn outfits that were not appropriate for her station.
The suit she picked for her engagement announcement was a snooze
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On January 6, 1999, Queen Elizabeth II's youngest son, Prince Edward, announced that he was going to marry Sophie Rhys-Jones. For many Brits, this engagement was particularly significant, as the woman who is now known as Sophie, duch*ess of Edinburgh, was poised to be one of the few genuinely middle-class women to ever marry into the British royal family. When royal fans ran to their televisions to catch a glimpse of the relatable royal, however, they were in for a shock. Rather than wearing something glam and joyful, Sophie sported a gray suit that seemed more fit for corporate London than for a future duch*ess.
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Looking back at this event, Roberta Fiorti of the "Royally Obsessed" podcast commented on how inappropriate this outfit really was. "Sophie is wearing a dark grey skirt suit with dark grey pearl embellishments, which I just feel like when I close my eyes that is the professional working woman of 1999," Fiorti noted (via Express).
Fiorti's co-host, Rachel Bowie, couldn't help but feel that Edward's outfit was just as unattractive as Sophie's. "She has black chunky shoes, he's wearing a pinstripe shirt and his suit is way too big for him, it's not tailored beautifully at all," she shared.
At the 2001 Royal Ascot, Sophie kept it too colorful
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Hierarchy is an essential part of the makeup of the British royal family. Thanks to protocols, royals are expected to draw differing levels of attention to themselves, depending on their respective positions within the family. As MeghanMarkle explained in the Netflix series "Harry & Meghan,"this means that lower-ranking members of the family must always do their best not to wear brighter or bolder colors than higher ranking members.
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"Most of the time that I was in the UK, I rarely wore color," Meghan revealed. "There was thought in that. To my understanding, you can't ever wear the same color as Her Majesty if there's a group event, but then you also shouldn't be wearing the same color as one of the other, more senior members of the family."
Alas, at the 2001 Royal Ascot, Sophie, duch*ess of Edinburgh, wore one of her worst looks yet:a skirt suit dress that featured an orange, green, purple, and blue jacket. The piece was extremely attention-grabbing and not at all the sort of thing that should have been worn by a high-profile royal. From a certain perspective, it might have even seemed that Sophie was trying to upstage the queen. The Daily Mail later called the outfit, "a non-starter," and it was. Luckily, Sophie wore much more neutral garb to future horse races.
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Sophie's red banquet dress could have upstaged Catherine's look
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In 2020, Sophie, duch*ess of Edinburgh, arrived at a Buckingham Palace banquet in avivid red Alaïa dress. As luck would have it, Princess Catherine also happened to arrive in a red dress.Prince William's other half donned a long-sleeved, ankle-length, glittery frock in a rich shade of crimson.As previously noted, it's expected that Sophie allow Catherine and other higher-ranked members of the royal family to shine. Instead, it was a battle of red dresses.
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Throughout the banquet, Sophie's choice to wear such a bold color contrasted with Princess Anne's more understated outfit. Whereas the other women present wore dresses, Anne went for a blazer and skirt combination that made her look more like a working professional than a princess. What's more, her blazer had more neutral colors, with a white and black checkered pattern that helped her blend in with her guests, many of whom were men in suits.
As reported by Hello!, Sophie's dress could have easily turned into a public "fashion faux pas." However, Catherine saved the moment by gracefully greeted Sophie with a kiss on both cheeks. The situation was likely helped by the fact that Catherine and Sophie have long had a good relationship. Plus, Catherine's shimmering gown was impossible to miss, as the sparkles caught the light and the eye.
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The tight outfit Sophie wore to church raised eyebrows
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On Easter 2013, Sophie, duch*ess of Edinburgh, caused quite a scandal when she showed up at St. George's Chapel in a tight blue skirt suit. The outfit did an incredible job of showing off Sophie's curves — even a critic at theDaily Mailadmitted, "Yes, she looked fabulous."
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Unfortunately for Sophie, however, Easter Sunday is a church event. Because of this, many of her more traditional fans felt that her outfit was not particularly appropriate for the occasion. With a visible zipper trailing all the way down Sophie's behind, the skirt in question was critiqued for being a bit too suggestive for the time and place. Some Christians even likely felt that Sophie's garb was disrespectful to their beliefs.
Beyond the religious implications of this outfit, the electric blue color of Sophie's attire fueled rumors that the then-countess was trying to stand out among her higher-ranking relatives. As Jan Moor wrote for the Daily Mail, "First, ask yourself this. If the Countess of Wessex's Easter outfit could speak, what would it be saying? It would be screaming: 'Look at me!' It would be shouting: 'Move over, Kate.'" For Sophie's image, these sorts of articles were disastrous.
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The duch*ess wears dresses and heels to garden
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Sophie, duch*ess of Edinburgh, may live a lavish lifestyle, but that doesn't mean she's not up for rolling up her sleeves and tilling some soil. After all, the royal has been known to have something of a green thumb. Year after year, she has been spotted digging holes at schools, horticultural societies, and even foreign countries in order to plant the perfect tree.
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The only problem with this custom? Sophie is almost never dressed for the occasion. As a member of the royal family, she cannot exactly show up to these tree planting ceremonies wearing slacks and a T-shirt. Instead, she must follow protocol and opt for a long flowing dress or an ankle-length skirt. Making these occasions even more complicated, Sophie is often expected to wear heels in the garden — making her even more inappropriately dressed.
Luckily, the duch*ess has a sense of humor and hasn't been afraid to call out her own ridiculous garb. In 2018, she appeared on the television program This Morningand admitted that she doesn't always dress correctly for these occasions. When "This Morning"(via Express) presenterEamonn Holmes asked if there was a tree-planting technique that she followed, Sophie replied, "Yes, there is! First of all, you have to be completely inappropriately dressed. ... I'm always inappropriately dressed ... But normally I sink, teetering across in high-heeled shoes wearing something not geared up for gardening." Clearly, she takes the digs about her digging uniform in stride.
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