Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh celebrate silver wedding anniversary with portrait

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh will mark the occasion at Royal Ascot on Wednesday

Credit: Chris Jelf/Buckingham Palace/PA

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are celebrating their silver wedding anniversary as he becomes the second of the late Queen’s direct descendants to reach the 25-year milestone.

The couple,who married in 1999,have marked the occasion with a new photograph,showing them embracing in the grounds of their home,Bagshot Park,Surrey.

Prince Edward is seen with his arms wrapped around the Duchess’s waist,with Sophie’s hands resting on her husband’s and their heads close together.

The Duke and Duchess will mark the day at Royal Ascot on Wednesday.

The official photograph was taken by Chris Jelf on Monday,June 10.

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh on their silver wedding anniversary

It follows the Duchess’s heartfelt tribute to her husband for his 60th birthday earlier this year,in which she called him “the best of fathers,the most loving of husbands” and “still my best friend”.

In a television interview,Prince Edward described his wife,59,as his “rock”,adding: “I’m incredibly lucky that I found Sophie and that she found me.”

Edward is the youngest of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip’s four children.

He met Sophie Rhys-Jones,then a PR consultant,at a Real Tennis event. The couple married on June 19,1999,at St George’s Chapel,Windsor,with a continental-style evening service for which guests were asked not to wear hats.

They became the Earl and Countess of Wessex,going on to have two children: Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor,20,and James,16 and now the Earl of Wessex.

After the death of Elizabeth II,the couple became the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh on Edward’s 59th birthday,in line with his parents’ expressed wishes.

The couple are now key members of the recently slimmed-down Royal family,credited with their day-to-day work around the country.

Aside from the Prince and Princess of Wales,who has been receiving chemotherapy and has only made one public appearance in 2024,the Edinburghs are the youngest working members of the family.

At the time of their wedding,Prince Edward said: “We manage to have a good laugh about things most of the time and we happen to love each other,which is the most important thing of all.”

The late Queen and Prince Philip were married for 73 years,making them the longest-married royal couple in British history.

The King,Duke of York and Princess Royal each divorced their first spouses. The King and Princess Anne are now happily married second time around,to Queen Camilla and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence respectively.

Princess Anne and Sir Tim have been married the longest,at 31 years.