The Countess of Wessex's 50th Birthday: January 20, 2015

[ROYAL NORWAY]

The Countess of Wessex talks to Harper’s Bazaar

[Molly2101]

This was very unexpected but I am very happy about it. She posed in a series of outfits for British designers so we will definitely see more than one photo. I will definitely be buying the edition, even though it's not a magazine I would ever buy.

I love the Emilia Wickstead dress she has on - it's such a gorgeous colour. Their dog Martha is also very cute.

[Lady Nimue]

Originally Posted by ROYAL NORWAY

The Countess of Wessex talks to Harper’s Bazaar

Originally Posted by Molly2101

This was very unexpected but I am very happy about it. She posed in a series of outfits for British designers so we will definitely see more than one photo. I will definitely be buying the edition, even though it's not a magazine I would ever buy.

I love the Emilia Wickstead dress she has on - it's such a gorgeous colour. Their dog Martha is also very cute.

Agree about the dress and the color! Gorgeous pictures, too. I'll be buying Harper's Bazaar, as well.

[Dman]

I like that Sophie did this interview and posed for these pictures in HB to help celebrate her upcoming 50th Birthday. I wish the royals did this more often for their charities and other milestones.

[Lee-Z]

New role for slimline Sophie at 50: Countess of Wessex tells of lessons she learnt from the Queen as she poses for series of photos and is interviewed ahead of her birthday | Daily Mail Online

Daily Mail picked up the Harper's Bazaar interview too

[annaelfka]

HRH The Countess of Wessex: The Countess of Wessex speaks to Harper's Bazaar editor Justine Picardie

[Rudolph]

Any complaints from the British press that this interview wasn't given to a tabloid or Sunday paper?

[annaelfka]

Originally Posted by Rudolph

Any complaints from the British press that this interview wasn't given to a tabloid or Sunday paper?

???
It was featured in DM, Express and other articles.
DM was one of first to reveal it.

[Marty91charmed]

I just read what Sophie said about the queen... Wow! I think she hit the nail on the head.... Couldn't have said it better... Especially the part of the"service"...

Shouldn't this interview be on the general news thread?

[Rudolph]

Originally Posted by annaelfka

???
It was featured in DM, Express and other articles.
DM was one of first to reveal it.

Haha but the interview was given to HB and not a British paper. I know the press gets its nose out of joint when royals give interviews or photo ops to Hello and not the tabloids.

[annaelfka]

They were given info and one pic in advanced. Plus I don't think papers in DM or Express manner do interviews with royals. Who would talk to them?
But the interview and those 3 pics are outsanding. Very happy we got this treat! HRH The Countess of Wessex: The Countess of Wessex speaks to Harper's Bazaar editor Justine Picardie

[Rudolph]

I think its a lovely piece and I'm not criticising Sophie in any way. I was taking a shot at the British press because they usually whine over this sort of thing.

When Zara Philips released Mia's baby pics to Hello the Daily Mail went on a rant about it even though the DM printed the photos

[sm1939]

she looks great , think she is a credit to the royal family

[ROYAL NORWAY]

The Queen makes everyone feel special, says Countess of Wessex - Telegraph

When it comes to the art of “talking meaningfully”, there is no better person to learn from than the Queen, it seems.
The Countess of Wessex has declared that her mother-in-law’s social skills are so well-developed that she “makes everybody feel very special.”
In a candid interview, the Countess revealed that she had learned a number of lessons from the Queen, whose “measured” way of doing things has inspired her to try and behave similarly.
But it is perhaps the Queen’s conversational knack that has made the greatest impression on her.
“The art of talking meaningfully is one that has to be learnt,” she told Harper’s Bazaar magazine.

“It’s hard to make people feel that the conversation you’ve had with them was worthwhile, but the Queen is very good at that.”
The Queen has also taught her that it does not matter how tired you are, you must always carry on, she said.
“In the early days, I used to rush around as quickly as I could, but when you observe the Queen, she does things in such a measured way, and I hope I’ve learnt to try not to bounce into the room, but do things in a slightly more elegant way,” she told the magazine.
The Queen would “never let anybody down”, moreover, she added, and likened her to “the proverbial stick of rock” with the word “service” running through her.
The Countess, who turns 50 in January and has been praised for her sense of style, also defended the fashion industry against those who might be “slightly dismissive of it.”
She described it as a “huge bonus to our economy that is often underestimated.”
Born Sophie Rhys-Jones, the former public relations manager married Edward, Earl of Wessex, at Windsor Castle in 1999.
She has previously been described as "the Queen's favourite", with the two sharing a passion for horses and military history.
The pair are said to share “long and meaningful talks”, so the daughter-in-law has had more opportunities than most to learn directly from the Queen.
The Countess has been lauded for her commitment to public service, serving as patron or president of more than 70 charities.
She and her husband, who met at a charity event in 1993, share a home in Bagshot Park, Surrey but make visits around the world.
The full interview with her appears in the February issue of Harper’s Bazaar UK, on sale from January 2.

[Rudolph]

The Countess of Wessex's Marie Antoinette moment - Telegraph

A big thank you to the Countess of Wessex for clearing up an issue that has divided nations, governments and dinner tables for decades. “It’s very evident that Muslim women can be fashionable while also retaining their modesty,” the Queen’s daughter-in-law declares in the February edition of Harper’s Bazaar. The burka, she surmises, “proves you don’t have to show a lot of flesh in order to be beautiful and stylish.”

Phew. There we all were debating peripheral matters like female subjugation and global safety against terrorism (and after all, male Jihadists in burkas have so far only massacred people abroad), when all the time the real bone of contention was whether or not the burka would get a tick or a cross on the fashion pages.

On the eve of her 50th birthday, the former Sophie Rhys-Jones is undoubtedly “prettier now than ever” but her words are pure Marie Antoinette.

[Marty91charmed]

I wonder why all these nasty articles are posted for each royal member exect some favourites.... It really is tasteless and unnecessary.... what is the purpose?

[annaelfka]

I am really mad at DM & other papers that followed, who took few words of Sophie totally OUT OF CONTEXT and produced some nasty BS...
Of course people believe in everything they read, so many nasty comments followed.
It was pure joy to read that interview, but papers made it realy nasty... I don't blame her for not wanting to have anything to do with "modern" press....
Oh and that BS of Sophie trying to steal spotlight of we alll know who. Just laughable.

[Molly2101]

The Harper's Bazaar article does state when Sophie said it initially she paused as she was very aware that what she says will be interpreted.

"One of the aims, she says, is ‘to try to use fashion to break down barriers and dispel the myths about Muslim women’. She pauses – aware, perhaps, that anything she says might be open to misinterpretation – and then continues: "

[annaelfka]

In just one week from today, The Earl and Countess of Wessex will attend engagements in support of The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Trust and Tomorrow's People on The Countess' 50th birthday, on Tuesday 20th January 2015.
Let's start celebrating Countess of Wessex's upcoming 50th birthday by taking a closer look at HRH's beauty secrets:

HRH The Countess of Wessex: Countess' beauty secrets.

[Molly2101]

Nice idea Anna and it's lovely to see people speak about Sophie.

With regards to their engagements on her birthday, I am looking forward to seeing them on Sophie's birthday. I have to say though, am I the only one who immediatley imagined them taking a photo of each other's eye on their phone for this - "They will meet with eye care students and take part in a presentation of "Peek", a portable eye examination kit which turns a smart phone into a comprehensive eye exam tool that takes high resolution images of the eye."

Maybe I am...