Duchess Sophie's dad had hilarious response when he heard she was dating Prince Edward

Daily Record

18-07-2025

It's not every day that you hear you're about to get the Queen of England as an in-law, so Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh's dad was suitably flabbergasted when he heard the news
Although she can trace her family line back to King Henry IV of England, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh enjoyed a solidly upper-middle class upbringing in in Brenchley, Kent.
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Her father, Christopher Bournes Rhys-Jones, enjoyed outdoor life, and was a keen hunter and fisherman. He was also, says author Sean Smith, keen on 'the indoor pursuit of a good gin and tonic, which had always been de rigueur in Brenchley society.'
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He normally waited until well into the afternoon for a tipple, but there was one exception, Sean notes in his new book, Sophie: Saving the Royal Family. The writer revealed: 'When Sophie dropped the bombshell that she was going out with Prince Edward, her father memorably remarked, 'It was the first time in my life that I needed a gin and tonic before ten o'clock'."
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Christopher and his wife Mary quickly became popular figures in the little Kent village. One of their friends, local farmer Michael Noakes, said: "We always tease people that you have to be here for twenty-five years before you are accepted. But this is not so. If you mix easily you are accepted straight away. Christopher and Mary were popular pretty early on.'
Sophie inherited their easygoing natures, a characteristic that served her well when, after finishing her studies at West Kent College, Tonbridge, she embarked on a career in PR.
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She worked for a number of companies, including four years at Capital Radio. It was while she was with the station, travelling to a roadshow trip to Spain, that a playful photograph was taken showing Sophie with her bikini undone as she sat next to DJ, and later Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? presenter, Chris Tarrant.
After it was announced that Sophie was engaged to Prince Edward, a colleague of Tarrant's tried to sell the photo to the press, reportedly demanding £100,000 for it. After the snap was published in The Sun newspaper, Buckingham Palace described it as "premeditated cruelty" and made a formal complaint to the Press Complaints Commission.
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An outraged Chris Tarrant, responding to insinuations that he'd had an affair with Sophie Rhys-Jones, as she then was, told his listeners: "There was never, ever the slightest hint of romance between Sophie and myself, let alone these snidey insinuations.
'Nobody dares stand up and say it outright because it would be actionable. I, of course, am taking legal action today. I have seen my solicitors, I have already spoken to them before this programme at 6am this morning.'
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Describing himself as 'sickened' by the intrusion, Tarrant added: "Leave Sophie alone. Stop trying to dig dirt up because you won't find any. Edward and Sophie are getting married, they are a happy young couple in love. They haven't done any harm to anybody and there are no skeletons in the cupboard.
'Stop trying to destroy them before they have started their life together - haven't you learnt anything from the death of Princess Diana?'
The person who took that fateful photo ended up losing their job, and having to leave the country, as a result. Radio presenter Kara Noble, who had worked at capital alongside Chris Tarrant, later said: "I realise I made the biggest mistake and the most public mistake one could ever make. If I'd guessed the outcome there is no way I would have allowed it to happen," she admitted.
Following the scandal, Nobel was sacked as co-host of Heart 106.2FM's breakfast show, and left for California, where she pursued a career as a voiceover artist.