The Duchess of Edinburgh – who is celebrating her 59th birthday today – could have become Queen after her husband Prince Edward once received a very odd request.
As the wife of the late Queen’s youngest son, Sophie was highly unlikely to ever become Queen.
However, this was once close to becoming a reality after Edward was once offered the chance to become King of a newly formed country in the 1990s.
In 1994, after the collapse of the Soviet Union and a host of new countries were created in Eastern Europe, Edward was sent the request by one of them – Estonia.
The Sunday Telegraph previously revealed that the leader of the Independent Royalist Party of Estonia – who, at that time, gained eight seats in Parliament – thought Edward would be “perfect” for the role of monarch.
The party was thought to admire him “enormously”, and Buckingham Palace even responded to the request.
The Palace are said to have said that the request was a “charming idea but a rather unlikely one”.
On Edward’s 59th birthday in March 2023, it was revealed that both Sophie and Edward were to receive new titles.
The couple are now known as the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh instead of their former titles of Earl and Countess of Wessex. The couple’s son James, 16, now takes the Earl of Wessex title.
The titles, which were bestowed to the couple by King Charles, were granted as a promise made to them by the late Queen.
Both Edward and Sophie have become increasingly popular over the last few years and, in particular, since receiving their latest honours.
Sophie, in particular, is known to have stepped up her engagements as of late and was recently spotted on a visit in Battersea.
On January 16, Sophie appeared to return to work after her festive break as she visited the Katherine Low Settlement (KLS).
The Duchess looked elegant in green as she stepped out to represent the monarchy.
KLS is a London-based charity that supports over 500 vunerable local people every week including the elderly, the young and refugees.
The charity, which was celebrating its 100th anniversary, has a long list of links to the Royal Family and was first opened by the Queen Mother in 1924.
Sophie appeared in high sprirts as she was spotted getting involved in an Elders’ chair dance class.
