The little-known title Sophie Wessex has that she doesn’t use - and she’s not the only one!

There’s a little-known title Sophie Wessex has that she doesn’t use and it’s understood that the same thing is true of other prominent royals. 

• The Countess of Wessex is believed to have another title that she never uses and she isn’t the only one either.
• It’s thought that when she married Prince Edward she also technically became Princess Edward as she took on his titles.  
• This royal news comes as we revealed how Princess Eugenie’s second child will mean Princess Anne has to give up her new place in the Royal Family.  

Sophie might be best known as the Countess of Wessex since her 1999 marriage to the youngest of Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth’s children, Prince Edward. The senior royal is also known as the Countess of Forfar in Scotland, but it seems like these might not be the only titles she gained upon her marriage. There’s a little-known title that Sophie Wessex has that might come as a surprise given that her daughter Lady Louise Windsor isn’t referred to as Princess and her son James, Viscount Severn isn’t called Prince. 

It’s understood that Sophie Wessex is also technically Princess - although not Princess Sophie. As the wife of the late Queen’s son Prince Edward and not a Princess by blood, she would be Princess Edward, although she’s never used this particular title. 

The same is thought to be true of Kate Middleton, with Town & Country (opens in new tab) previously reporting that Kate took on her husband Prince William’s title when they married in 2011. This apparently meant she effectively became Princess William as well as Duchess of Cambridge - and now Princess of Wales. 

This also follows the pattern seen amongst the extended Royal Family where Prince Michael of Kent’s wife Marie-Christine is known as Princess Michael of Kent, as she’s also the wife of a Prince. Following this pattern, it seems that Meghan Markle is also technically Princess Henry as the wife of Prince Harry (whose full given name is Henry).

The only Princesses who are known by their own name in the immediate Royal Family are Princess Anne, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie and Princess Charlotte because they were all born into the Royal Family. But whilst Sophie Wessex might technically be Princess Edward, she has never been formally known as this. 

It’s also been suggested that Sophie Wessex could get a new title previously held by the Queen and become Duchess of Edinburgh if Prince Edward receives the Duke of Edinburgh title.

The title passed to King Charles after Prince Philip’s death and is now merged with the crown and yet to be bestowed upon anyone else. Although recent reports have claimed the King might want to make Princess Charlotte the Duchess of Edinburgh in her own right, in the past it was thought that Prince Edward would receive it. 

When Prince Edward and Sophie got married Buckingham Palace released a statement, as per Edinburgh Live (opens in new tab), which said as much at the time. 

“The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales have also agreed that the Prince Edward should be given the Dukedom of Edinburgh in due course, when the present title held now by Prince Philip eventually reverts to the Crown,” it declared. 

The final decision is King Charles’ to make though if he does make Prince Edward the Duke of Edinburgh and Sophie becomes the Duchess, then this will join the little-known title Sophie Wessex has as Princess Edward and her two best known ones as Countess of Wessex and of Forfar.