How Duchess Sophie overcame a tabloid storm to become a key royal figure

Just weeks before her 1999 wedding to Prince Edward, Sophie, now the Duchess of Edinburgh, was at the centre of a media storm that left her devastated and concerned about her standing with the royal family.

The scandal involved private vacation photos of a then-23-year-old Sophie on holiday in Spain with broadcaster Chris Tarrant. 

The photos were sold to The Sun newspaper by Sophie’s former Capital Radio colleague, Kara Noble, for a reported £40,000. 

According to a new biography, Sophie: Saving the Royal Family by Sean Smith, the future duchess was in “floods of tears” over the publication. 

"She was so upset because she felt that she was 'letting the side down' before her wedding," said former PR colleague Murray Harkin.

The royal family reportedly stood by her. Queen Elizabeth II is said to have described the leak as “premeditated cruelty.” 

Tarrant denied any improper relationship with Sophie and publicly condemned the betrayal. “Kara, how will you ever be able to look Sophie in the face again?” he said on air.

Noble later apologized, calling the leak “the biggest and most public mistake one could ever make.” 

She lost her job and eventually relocated to the United States. The Sun also issued a full-page apology with the headline: “Sorry Sophie.”

Sophie married Prince Edward on June 19, 1999. The couple have two children and remain married, a rarity among Queen Elizabeth II’s children. 

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