Rebel prince or same old story? Prince Edward might not be the most famous royal around, but he's no stranger to rocking the boat.
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00:00Rebel prince or same old story? Prince Edward might not be the most famous royal around,
00:06but he's no stranger to rocking the boat. In 1987, Prince Edward took part in a charity event
00:13that wasn't exactly seen as becoming for a royal. The Grand Knockout Tournament was a
00:18televised charity game show event that pitted an array of celebrities against each other in a
00:24series of challenges. Members of the royal family took part in the show too, playing the role of
00:29teen captains while dressed in medieval-themed costumes. The royals who were brave enough to
00:35associate themselves with the TV special included Sarah, Duchess of York, Prince Andrew, Duke of
00:41York, Princess Anne, and Prince Edward. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Queen Elizabeth II wanted absolutely
00:48nothing to do with the bizarre spectacle. The TV special portrayed the family in a fairly
00:54undignified manner, which evidently went against royal protocol at the time.
00:59It also didn't help that Edward left a presser in a huff after receiving unfavorable reviews,
01:05as journalists in attendance simply laughed when he asked how they liked the TV special.
01:10What did you think of it?
01:16Thanks.
01:18While it wasn't exactly a hit with the critics, the show did pretty well.
01:2218 million Brits watched the royals and their celebrity colleagues participate in the shenanigans.
01:29Female royal wedding guests traditionally wear extravagant headpieces known as fascinators.
01:35However, this tradition was cast aside when Prince Edward and his wife, Sophie, asked their guests to
01:41abide by a no-headpiece rule when they tied the knot in 1999. Alas, the queen herself broke that
01:48rule when she sported her own feather fascinator. Though Sophie did not want to see hats on her big
01:55day, that's not to say she is not a fan of a chic headpiece. For example, the Duchess of Edinburgh
02:01donned a pink fascinator as a guest at Mike and Zara Tindall's wedding in 2011. She was also seen
02:08in a leopard print hat at King Charles III and Queen Camilla's civil ceremony in 2005. Sophie
02:14also wore a headpiece during her own wedding, the Anthemian tiara, an item that is believed
02:20to have been made out of pieces from Queen Elizabeth II's collection.
02:25Prince Edward and Sophie's royal wedding was unusual in more ways than one. For example,
02:31the intimate nature of the ceremony meant that no military or ceremonial state officials were
02:36invited. What's more, they chose not to share a kiss in front of the cameras, a tradition that
02:42had been established by Charles and Diana. By all accounts, these were not so much acts of
02:48rebellion as they were a concerted attempt by the royals to remain under the radar following
02:53Princess Diana's death, which had occurred just two years earlier. D.C. jewelry founder Daniel O'Farrell
03:00later spoke to The Express about why Edward's wedding was so intentionally unconventional.
03:06He said,
03:07"[Sophie, the Countess of Wessex and Prince Edward, are among the most unpretentious members
03:12of the British royal family, and their wedding in 1999 clearly reflected this. The bride and
03:18groom insisted on an informal family affair, minus all the ceremonial fuss and fanfare of
03:23Prince Edward's siblings' weddings." He went on to confirm the dress code for the wedding,
03:29including that pesky no-hats rule, telling the publication,
03:33In fact, the couple wanted their guests to be comfortable and requested everyone to come
03:38dressed in evening gowns or smart attire, but without any hats or headpieces.
03:44On the day of Prince Edward's wedding, he was set to receive the royal title of Duke of Cambridge.
03:50He declined the offer, however, and settled on the title of Earl of Wessex instead.
03:55Supposedly, Edward's desire to go with a different title was inspired by a movie.
04:01A courtier told The Telegraph in 2020,
04:04Prince Edward was going to be the Duke of Cambridge, but he watched the film Shakespeare
04:08in Love, which had a character called the Earl of Wessex. He liked the sound of it,
04:13and asked the Queen if he could have that instead.
04:15I have an ancient name which will bring you preferment in your grandson as a Wessex."
04:20Of course, Edward is now the Duke of Edinburgh, but that did not come about until 2023.
04:26King Charles III granted his brother the title following Queen Elizabeth II's passing.
04:31The title was last held by Edward's father, Prince Philip.
04:36Few royals have rejected the titles assigned to them and their children. Notably, even the
04:41estranged Duke and Duchess of Sussex seemed to be just fine with their children holding HRH titles.
04:48Prince Edward decided against this, however, as he and Sophie didn't want their children
04:52to become too comfortable with royal life. In a 2020 interview, Sophie told The Times,
04:59We try to bring them up with the understanding they are very likely to have to work for a living.
05:04Hence, we made the decision not to use HRH titles.
05:08They have them and can decide to use them from 18, but I think it's highly unlikely."
05:13Edward and Sophie have also made efforts to protect the kids' privacy,
05:17which might be another reason why they weren't given HRH titles.
05:22In a BBC interview, Sophie said,
05:25Certainly, when they were very young, we tried to keep them out of it.
05:30In 2022, Prince Edward stirred a little controversy after eagle-eyed viewers noticed
05:35he was the only royal who refused to sing the national anthem at that year's Royal Variety
05:41performance. This was the first event since Queen Elizabeth's passing, meaning that, for the first
05:46time in decades, the anthem featured the words, God Save the King, in honor of King Charles III.
05:53Some viewers speculated that Edward didn't sing along with the lyrics due to some secret feud
05:58with Charles. Body language expert Judy James spoke to The Express about her interpretation
06:05of the prince's silence during the national anthem performance. She claimed,
06:10Edward's body language gives some clues as to what his intention might have been.
06:14He is clearly adopting a pose of standing to attention while the anthem is sung.
06:18He is also doing nothing to hide his face or his facial expression,
06:22suggesting this was no form of oversight. James ultimately concluded that a blend of respect
06:29and affection suggested that Edward may have been dedicating the moment to his late mother.