The bumpy road to being royal

By Christopher Vaughan May 29, 2006, 20:39 GMT

Countess of Wessex Sophie Rhys Jones and Count of Wessex Edward in Monte Carlo, Saturday 19 November 2005. EPA

This week the Earl and Countess of Wessex are due to arrive in Canada for a nine day visit. It's a sign the royal couple have finally found their niche within the British monarchy.

When Prince Edward, Queen Elizabeth's youngest son, married Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999, they received the titles of Earl and Countess of Wessex. After a decade filled with scandals and tragedies, it was hoped they would breathe fresh life into the troubled House of Windsor.

The couple was thought to be 'modern' enough to follow their own career paths while maintaining royal duties. The Earl headed a film production company and his new bride directed a successful public relations firm. They were expected to show how the monarchy could evolve with the times and still maintain an air of dignity and grace.

His Royal Highness Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex in Melbourne, Sunday, 12 March 2006. EPA

The Earl's production team was also caught visiting Prince William's university in 2001 for a documentary. This was in clear conflict of an understanding between the media and the royal family to leave Prince William alone so he could concentrate on his studies. Ardent was forced to hand their footage over to Buckingham Palace.

The Countess was similarly criticized for using her royal status to win lucrative contracts for her RJH Public Relations firm. Then she was caught talking about her royal connections to an undercover reporter posing as an Arab sheik visiting her office.

After harsh criticism from the press and purportedly from the Queen herself, the couple felt obliged to turn their backs on their individual careers. In 2002, Buckingham Palace announced the Earl and Countess would sever their business ties and focus solely on their royal duties.

The Earl and Countess now travel throughout much of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth representing the Queen. They also carry out engagements for over 100 international organizations and charities with which they are associated.

Recently, the Earl has taken on a number of duties normally associated with his father, the Duke of Edinburgh. These include leaderships of the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme and the Commonwealth Games Federation. The Duke is thought to be reducing his public life due to his advancing age and to prepare his youngest son to become the next Duke of Edinburgh.

The Countess herself has become adept at royal life, immersing herself in charitable causes such as the National Autistic Society and Girlguiding UK. She has also become a crowd favourite on royal walk abouts.

She endeared herself further with the public after the 2003 birth of the couple's only child, Lady Louise. Unlike previous royal children though, Lady Louise has been kept out of the media spotlight and has rarely been seen in public.

But having a family has not slowed the royal couple from continuing their royal duties. In 2005, the Earl carried out more than 350 engagements and the Countess herself carried out more than 200.

Britain's Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, right, and his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex in Monaco, Saturday 19 November 2005. EPA

This year, the couple is visiting Canada once again. Although The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is the main focus of the visit, the couple will participate in another 40 events on behalf of 26 host organizations in 11 cities.

While the Earl and Countess of Wessex had some trouble finding a balance between personal life and royal duties when they first married, they persevered and are now able to fulfill both functions quite well. With trips to places such as Canada, they have shown the public what it means to be modern and dutiful members of the British monarchy.

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Christopher Vaughan is a journalist living in Canada. He has been a royal watcher for more than 20 years.