Happy birthday, Sophie Wessex

Seeing (again) over Christmas the cosy bond between the Queen and her daughter-in-law shows how Her Majesty values warm family relationships like all of us. Prince Edward's wife fits the bill admirably.

The couple, who celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary last June, have two small children: Lady Louise Windsor, aged six, and James, Viscount Severn, three this year.

Sophie had a happy and grounded early life in Oxford, was educated at West Kent College and worked in public relations before she met (on a real tennis court) and married the Queen's youngest.

Since theirs is the only marriage of the four to have survived, Edward and Sophie have a special place in the Queen's hearth and home. The Countess and ma-in-law are often to be found, feet up on the sofa, watching TV together.

On Christmas Day, it was Sophie who shared the Queen's car to church — the rest of the clan walked — and in so many little ways, their closeness is apparent.

All of which seems a long way from that morning when Sophie Rhys-Jones walked into the Shropshire Star office at Ketley for a meeting with me. Wearing a baseball cap and a jolly smile, she was working on publicity for the new Heart FM radio channel and talking to journalists about its launch.

When we met, Sophie's relationship with Prince Edward was just hitting the headlines and on the same day, a celebrity magazine had the first colour spread on the couple — without their knowledge, I seem to recall.

So when she signed in at the front desk, the name Sophie Rhys-Jones rang a big bell with the girls — they were already suspicious because I'd borrowed the best cups and saucers for coffee (saucers? At our place?)

And since my office was glass-sided with the ubiquitous row of plant life alongside, the future Countess and I spent the next hour stifling smiles as a parade of people drifted by on some fictitious business, trying to nonchalantly peer through the pot plants without being noticed.

Since Sophie was visiting me on mutual business, I deliberately hadn't even mentioned the romance but as we chuckled at the parade of interested passers-by I did suggest that maybe this was something she'd have to get used to.

There was a pause, then she bit her lip and said "Yes, I suppose I will, won't I", like the reality had just dawned.

I so liked her down-to-earth openness, there was absolutely no edge and she had all the hallmarks of a jolly good egg.

We met up several times after that and when I briefly moved jobs, Sophie spotted the announcement and sent me a lovely "keep in touch", good luck note.

I was privileged to be one of the few journalists to witness the couple's wedding at Windsor Castle in 1999 and am delighted that all goes well as they build their own new family.

She had some bad moments early on while still trying to work in PR; that's the irony, isn't it — you are criticised if you give up the day job when you marry into The Family but try to earn a royal living, and that's still not right.

Sophie found to her cost that someone will always try and catch you out. But she handled it all with dignity and composure and got on with her new duties.

Her pregnancy scares were as bad for them as for any couple; their daughter was born prematurely with a rare eye condition and Sophie nearly died.

Needless to say, she and Edward now dote on young Louise and James (as does Granny Queen) and try to give them as relaxed and normal a life as possible.

Sophie is hugely popular when on royal duty and backing her own charities — especially those involving children, disabilities and communication problems.

A jolly good egg indeed. I've thought so since I first met her that morning in Shropshire and her mother-in-law clearly thinks so, too!

By Royal Correspondent Shirley Tart