Earl and Countess of Wessex and Family Current Events 4: August 2008-October 2009

[susan alicia]

I found in the Dutch newspaper Volkskrant a referral to an article by the columnist Gove in the Sunday Times in 1999,

Sophie received $ 410.000 from BMW in order to promote their Rover 75 car and posed next to the car at a car show in Frankfurt (can not find the original article). That would go a way towards creditors

Pr-stunt Sophie - Archief - de Volkskrant

The Sunday Times Mirror Magazine Section

 

[sgl]

The Earl and Countess are currently visiting Guernsey:

http://www.theroyalforums.com/9364-earl-and-countess-of-wessex-visit-guernsey/

 

[ada]

Edward and Sophie seem to be doing a lot of joint engagements lately.

 

[iceflower]

Pics 9.7.2009

Countess Sophie, Grand President of St John Ambulance,
attended a special tea party at Haseley Manor, Arreton
and visited St Catherine’s School, Ventnor, July 9, 2009


** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 **

Here's an article about it, that has a large gallery of pics:

Countess backs ambulance appeal ** gallery **

 

[iceflower]

Today, Sophie was in Germany:

The Countess of Wessex, Royal Colonel of Fifth Battalion The
Rifles, visits the Regiment in Paderborn, Germany, July 14, 2009

Here's an article with a small pic:

Countess presents medals to troops

 

[Mermaid1962]

Sophie looks great, but my first thought was that her outfit was one like the Queen Mother would wear!

 

[Dierna23]

Wasn't that a mix - or maybe the whole outfit - of one of her outfits, she wore on this years Royal Ascot? She looks gorgeous.

 

[ada]

Sophie looks great, but my first thought was that her outfit was one like the Queen Mother would wear!

Or a 'godmother', isn't that what the CO wanted?

 

[Mermaid1962]

Yes, I think that she does look "gorgeous", as you say. She looks wonderful in blue. The turned-back brim and the dress-and-coat combination is what reminded me of the Queen Mother. I certainly wasn't saying that Sophie looked like an elderly lady.

Wasn't that a mix - or maybe the whole outfit - of one of her outfits, she wore on this years Royal Ascot? She looks gorgeous.

 

[iceflower]

Wasn't that a mix - or maybe the whole outfit - of one of her outfits, she wore on this years Royal Ascot? She looks gorgeous.

Indeed she did wear it at Ascot before, and it's a really wonderful
combination. Here are some more pics from yesterday. I especially
like the one with the child, but the others are nice as well


** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 **

 

[ada]

And without the hat for their wedding anniversary. She looks lovely with the hat, and so friendly and smiling

 

[Goodness]

I posted this article with a side note - it really should be Sophie's debt and why she can't pay. Read the article you might understand.

Sophie Wessex, her £1.7m business debt - and why she won¿t pay | Mail Online

I really pity Sophie in that when people wanted a royal to work with they were more then willing, but they are unwilling to deal with the consequences of the ramifications. They are too eager to point out that she continued attending meetings and such after her involvement with the company technically ended - but now won't pay the debt.
It sad but I think Edward and Sophie would have been better off if Britain had never heard of a monarchy.

 

[Claire]

Sarah Brown - PM Brown's wife and good friend of Sophie Wessex - is considering becoming the editor of the News of the World.
Of course if it becomes official Sophie's BFF will become palace enemy number one. I'm sure that Sophie can handle it, she has had to throw away a number of friends simply because Prince Charles or the palace disapproved.
But what about Lady Louise and little John Brown? Surely that little power couple should not be separated.

 

[Skydragon]

It sad but I think Edward and Sophie would have been better off if Britain had never heard of a monarchy.

On the other hand, Britain might have been better off if Sophie and Edward were not part of the royal family.

she has had to throw away a number of friends simply because Prince Charles or the palace disapproved

Do you have anything to prove this is true????

 

[sgl]

Here is a blog entry about the debts of Sophie's PR firm:

http://www.theroyalforums.com/9743-sophies-pr-firm-debts-officially-written-off/

 

[Zonk]

To say that the monarchy would be better off without Sophie or Edward is a lilttle strong dont you think? There has been nary a scandal out of Edward in recent years (not saying that he is above total reproach) and Sophie works very hard for the Firm.

I do wonder why they decided not to pay some of the debts. That does look very bad. Was the business a limited liability...is it the same in the UK as in the States. I think that would limit her personal responsibilty for some of the debts. Not saying its right but it is the law after all.

 

[susan alicia]

I feel that if royals decide to go into business they can not hide behind the law when they have damaged people financially.

 

[Zonk]

but she wasn't royal was she when she went into business? when she got married she should have realized that she couldn't have had it both ways and either dissolved the partnership or her partner should have bought her out.

 

[Skydragon]

To say that the monarchy would be better off without Sophie or Edward is a lilttle strong dont you think? There has been nary a scandal out of Edward in recent years (not saying that he is above total reproach) and Sophie works very hard for the Firm.

I do wonder why they decided not to pay some of the debts. That does look very bad. Was the business a limited liability...is it the same in the UK as in the States. I think that would limit her personal responsibilty for some of the debts. Not saying its right but it is the law after all.

No worse than the poster who suggested that they would be better off if Britain did not have a monarchy. I saw a programme not so long ago, detailing Edwards company Ardent and how much that is in debt, (I believe I posted the link here), but because it is now registered overseas, the FoIA doesn't apply.

Companies do go into administration, some through no fault of their own and some directors try to ensure that their debts are paid, some do not. As the loan Sophie apparently took was with a personal guarantee not simply as a company loan, anyone else would have been pursued through the courts for payment. The fact that her fellow directors have also escaped is neither here nor there.

In 2004, RJ-H PR took out a £1.5million loan from Barclays. It is understood that, along with fellow directors Jack Cassidy and Christopher Clarke, Sophie personally guaranteed £175,000 of this loan

I wonder if Sophie continued to receive a salary from the company after she had said she would have no further involvement.

The company could have continued to be viable if she had not been so keen to garner business using her royal connections and disparage other members of the royal family, one of whom if I recall, was HM!

​

 

[Zonk]

Well..even though I am American I have issues with those (recognizing that it doesn't impact me) at least with the Forum witih those who take the view Britian shouldn't have a monarchy? It begs the question...if you are an anti monarchist....why would you participate in a board dedicated to royals?

But back to topic......I am sure (like many companies) Edward and Sophie opened their business with the best intentions of succeeding and not going into bankruptcy. This recession is a beast...and the companies that were teetering on the brink have just fell over to the dark side.

My point regarding Edward and Sophie is that I think (again looking from the outside) they do make a good contribution to the Royal Family and its a shame that whenever they seem to get good press something comes back to haunt them.

 

[Skydragon]

It was put into receivership 3 years ago, long before the recession started. The reason the company failed appears to have been the bad publicity it received after Sophie and the fake sheik scandal. I think they get better press elsewhere, it is rare to come across any 'nice' articles concerning Sophie or Edward in the main media outlets.

 

[Zonk]

Well..I am not an economists by any means...but I think the recession started more than three years ago.

Its a shame that the business failed...it has a huge impact on the small businesess that did business with the firm. Its also a shame that there isn't any positive press about the two...but honestly from what I witnessed regarding the British press (again not all of them and I don't read it all the time) they seem to like tearing people down just in general.

 

[Skydragon]

Most economists here seem to believe it started in the second quarter of 2008. Although there was a problem with GDP in the last quarter of 2007, quite a while after Sophie's company went into receivership.

You are right about the press but with regard to Edward and Sophie, they don't seem to be of any interest to 'the public', except when she was ill or gave birth and that was very short lived.

 

[Mermaid1962]

There seems to be a particularly nastiness to the tone of the British press, I agree. They also have a definite tendency to put people up and then turn and drag them down again. There are many admirable things about Britain, but the press isn't one of them.

....but honestly from what I witnessed regarding the British press (again not all of them and I don't read it all the time) they seem to like tearing people down just in general.

The most favourable articles seem to be from local papers that cover local events or else national papers that cover foreign tours. However, the major papers in the UK seem to print negative stories about the Wessexes. There isn't much balance there IMO.

it is rare to come across any 'nice' articles concerning Sophie or Edward in the main media outlets.

 

[iceflower]

Pics 16.7.2009

Very nice new pics of Sophie last week:

The Countess of Wessex arrives at Ultrasound Diagnostic Services
in London's Harley Street which she officially opened tonight. The
clinic which has been operating for over 30 years has just moved
premises and provides specialist ultrasound scanning for pregnancy
and women's disorders, July 16, 2009


** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 ** Pic 4 ** Pic 5 ** Pic 6 **

 

[barber]

She wears the same dress princess Victoria has wore at the sailtrip!!

 

[iceflower]

Pics 23.7.2009

Great observation, barber! I had the feeling that I had seen the
dress before, but I didn't recognize it as the one CP Victoria had
worn..


Sophie, Countess of Wessex inspects the ship's company at the
Commissioning Ceremony of HMS Daring at Her Majesty's Naval
Base, Portsmouth, England, July 23 2009.


** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 ** Pic 4 ** Pic 5 ** Pic 6 **

 

[Mermaid1962]

Oh my....what a horrible outfit. Sophie looks so much better in fitted things. This looks like a maternity outfit.

 

[James in London]

My God - what a terrible jacket - would have all been perfect if ot had been fitted. She looks like a weeble... Poor Sophie.. again!

 

[sgl]

Here's a blog post about the christening of the HMS Daring:

http://www.theroyalforums.com/9914-countess-of-wessex-christens-hms-daring/

There is also a video of the countess during the ceremony:

singlevid