Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, is celebrating her 59th birthday today as one of the Royal Family’s most popular and well-loved members – but it wasn’t always that way.

Prince Edward’s wife will undoubtedly be spending her special day with her husband Prince Edward and their family and friends as the Firm braces for a challenging couple of months, following King Charles’s planned prostate operation next week and the Princess of Wales’s recovery until Easter after her abdominal surgery earlier this week.

Meanwhile, following the health bombshells, Sophie’s pivotal role within the Royal Family has been even more prominent as she has been providing vital support to the monarch, especially after his son, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, stepped down as working royals in 2020. Many have labelled the royal as the Firm’s “secret weapon” due to the pubic’s affection to her.

However, in her early years, the duchess caused a few headaches for the Firm as she was engulfed in a scandal that prompted more than a few negative headlines.

But what do we know about the public relations woman who fell in love with Prince Edward and became very close to the late Queen Elizabeth? Here Express.co.uk takes a look.