Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie spend their 26th wedding anniversary at Royal Ascot

Prince Edward and wife Sophie have celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary at Royal Ascot.

The Duke, 61, and Duchess of Edinburgh, 60, were wed on June 19, 1999, at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.

The couple share two children – Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, who is 21, and James Mountbatten-Windsor, Earl of Wessex, who is now 17.

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Their marriage is one of the longest-lasting unions of the modern British royal family.

Prince Edward is the only child of the late Queen Elizabeth, who has never been divorced.

It has been a busy lead up to their wedding anniversary, with Trooping the Colour on June 14, the Order of the Garter on June 18 and now Royal Ascot.

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Royal Ascot is the most glamorous event on the racing calendar and it remains a firm favourite among the British royal family and the elite.

Sophie met Prince Edward in 1987 while working at Capitol Radio; she was 22 and he was 23. At the time, Edward was dating a friend of Sophie’s.

They met up again six years later at a tennis charity event, and this time both were single.

Sophie and Edward got along famously and soon after they began secretly dating.

Royal author Ingrid Seward, who wrote the book, Prince Edward, says the couple almost broke up a year into their relationship after Edward got cold feet, realising this was a serious relationship that could lead to marriage.

They managed to get back on track and spent the next few years getting to know each other better before taking the next step.

Edward proposed an engagement ring featuring a two-carat oval diamond made by Asprey and Garrard, worth £105,000 (AUD$184,398).

In 1999, the couple announced their engagement, two years after Princess Diana died in a Paris car crash.

When they wed at St George’s Chapel it was considered a break in tradition.

A look at the timeless style of Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh

Most royals choose the much larger Westminster Abbey or St Paul’s Cathedral to tie the knot.

Edward and Sophie were happy with the smaller venue and chose to spend their honeymoon at Balmoral Castle before moving to their home, Bagshot Park in Surrey.

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While Bagshot Park is the couple’s main residence, their office and official London residence is at Buckingham Palace.

In 2003, Edward and Sophie welcomed their first child, Lady Louise, although she was delivered early after Sophie suffered a sudden placental abruption which led to an emergency cesarean at Frimley Park Hospital.

Prince Edward had been in Mauritius at the time and rushed back to be by his wife’s side.

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She recovered well and they went on to have a second child, James, Viscount Severn, in December 2007.

The royal couple have become steadfast full-time working members of the British Royal Family, stepping up to help support King Charles and the Princess of Wales during their cancer battles.

King Charles’ treatment is ongoing, and the Princess of Wales announced she was in remission earlier this year.

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