Their second child, James, Viscount Severn, was born four years later on December 17, 2007.
At ages 18 and 14, they are the youngest of all the Queen’s grandchildren.
Rachel FitzD, a baby and parenting expert and speaker at The Baby Show, spoke exclusively to Express.co.uk about Sophie Wessex’s parenting skills.
She said: “Mother to the two youngest of the Queen’s grandchildren, Sophie Wessex has always appeared to carry herself with a quiet, dignified confidence in public.
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“As patron of the NSPCC and Childline, she has spoken movingly about the terrible cost to the physical and emotional health of children as a result of internet exploitation and abuse.
“Maybe as a result of her work for these children’s charities, Sophie has sought to keep her two teenage children, Louise and James, out of the media spotlight whilst also empowering them with the same self-confidence and reliance that she appears to possess.
“When they have been seen at public engagements the children have a poise and calm that speaks of a happy and secure experience of parenting.
“It has been reported that Sophie is like a daughter to the Queen, relied upon for her discreet and trustworthy support, particularly during the pandemic and the recent death of the Queen’s husband, Prince Philip and Sophie’s children display this same grace and poise when the camera occasionally turns in their direction,” the expert noted.
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Rachel expanded on whether Sophie is in a lucky position that she is raising the Queen’s youngest grandchildren because she can seek advice from older siblings and siblings-in-law around her.
The expert continued: “Sophie Wessex, surrounded by numerous older brothers and sisters-in-law, all who have had their own families, has been able to enjoy the warmth and security of a more traditional extended family.
“Sophie and Edward will have benefitted from the opportunity to get tried and tested top tips from their family as well as the reassurance that others have ‘been, there, done that’, and got the royal T-shirt!
“The children will have learnt how to manage the ropes of royal life along with having a swathe of willing playmates.”
Has Sophie’s background as a non-royal helped in parenting?
Rachel said: “Although Sophie Wessex had a moderate upbringing by royal standards – born into a middle-class family with a businessman as a father and a charity worker and secretary as a mother, she does have some royal blood being descended from King Henry lV.
“This seems to have helped her navigate the switch from the life of a relative commoner to that of a royal with a quiet determination and unfussy confidence.
“She appears to bring that same down-to-earth confidence to her parenting, recently admitting that, like parents all over the UK, when the kids start to kick off inside the house, she sends them outside to burn off their excess exuberance, energy and teenage strops.
“Many mums aren’t lucky enough to have a large garden for letting the tots blow off steam but we all know that getting tantrumming toddlers into the fresh air, be in for a run around in the local park, or stamping through muddy puddles in their wellies, is a sure-fire way to cool those emotional meltdowns.
“And for all young humans, from babies to teens, a blast of fresh air can soak up excess noise and energy better than any amount of time on a naughty step or in their bedroom during a miserable ‘grounding’.”
According to Rachel, both Louise and James show signs of “having been brought up with love”.
She said: “Louise and James show all the delightful signs of having been brought up with love and plenty of secure, compassionate discipline.”
