Duchess Sophie 'could have been Queen' after strange request made to Royal Family

The Duke of Edinburgh received a precise unusual petition from a state who wanted him to beryllium their king pursuing a governmental displacement - but Buckingham Palace had to politely decline

The Order of Succession is simply a fixed regularisation that can't beryllium changed based connected idiosyncratic whims. While the British royals are good alert of this, it appears that 1 overseas federation didn't rather recognize erstwhile they made an unusual connection to the Duke of Edinburgh successful 1994.

The state was undergoing important socio-political changes astatine the time, which led them to inquire Queen Elizabeth's youngest son, Prince Edward, to go their caput of state. Buckingham Palace politely declined the "charming" but antithetic offer. However, if Prince Edward had accepted, it would person drastically altered consequent events. After the Soviet Union collapsed successful 1994, respective caller countries emerged successful Eastern Europe, including Estonia.

During Estonia's archetypal elections, the Independent Royalist Party, who wanted the state to beryllium a monarchy, won 8 seats successful Parliament and began searching for a suitable campaigner for the apical job. The Sunday Telegraph reported astatine the clip that the enactment person had written to the Royal Family to inquire if Prince Edward would see becoming their king, arsenic they believed helium was "perfect" for the role.

The state expressed its honour and admiration for Prince Edward, inviting him to judge a unsocial connection due to the fact that they "enormously" admired him. Buckingham Palace reportedly responded to the peculiar proposal, stating it was "a charming thought but a alternatively improbable one".

In March this year, Prince Edward and his woman Sophie experienced a important alteration successful their royal status, becoming the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, a rubric with profound meaning particularly for Sophie. The erstwhile Duchess of Edinburgh was the precocious Queen, who held the rubric from her matrimony successful 1947 until she became queen successful 1952.

Sophie shared an exceptionally adjacent narration with the Queen and recounted to the Telegraph the infinitesimal Prince Philip expressed his privation for them to instrumentality connected the Edinburgh title: "We sat determination somewhat stunned. He virtually came consecutive successful and said, 'Right. I'd similar it precise overmuch if you would see that'."

However, this wasn't the lone rubric enactment for the couple; earlier their 1999 wedding, it was announced they would beryllium known arsenic The Earl and Countess of Wessex, which amazed galore arsenic it was expected that Edward would person a dukedom similar his brothers.

In a singular revelation, it emerged that the precocious Queen had so presented the enactment of the Duke of Cambridge rubric to Edward and Sophie – a rubric present held by Prince William and Kate arsenic portion of their Prince and Princess of Wales roles. However, successful an unexpected move, Edward turned down the offer.

Opting for the rubric of Earl made Prince Edward the archetypal Royal since the Tudor epoch to interruption with specified a convention. The determination wasn't a snub towards the Queen; rather, it was astatine Edward's behest to clasp the chiseled rubric of Earl of Wessex – a rubric dormant since the 11th century.

Influenced by his fondness for the movie 'Shakespeare successful Love', featuring a quality named Lord Wessex, Edward reportedly expressed his penchant during a speech with the Queen. A Royal insider recounted to the Telegraph successful 2010, "He liked the dependable of it and asked the Queen if helium could person that instead."