FIT FOR ROYALTY
Prince Edward was once given an 18ct gold gift worth £3.6k from Sophie Wessex – but King Charles has a £26k version
We shared how Sophie paid tribute to her husband on his milestone birthday
PRINCE Edward reached the milestone age of 60 yesterday and wife Sophie praised him in a tearful speech.
But what do you buy a member of the royal family who has everything for a special occasion?
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Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh is said to have bought her husband a 18-carat gold pocket watch when they tied the knot.
The lavish item is thought to be similar to the Lowes and Sons’ 18ct gold Full Hunter Pocket Watch, which retails for £3,600.
The description reads: “An fantastic antique gold full hunter chronometer pocket watch with Thomas Russell movement, crafted in 18ct yellow gold.”
Meanwhile, Prince Edward is said to have gifted his bride-to-be a pearl cross necklace with matching pearl earrings for their nuptials.
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He and Sophie, 59, have been married since 1999 having met at a promotion shoot for the Prince Edward Summer Challenge two years earlier.
While the expensive pocket watch is a very generous gift, King Charles own watch was around seven times the price.
The monarch’s favourite watch is said to be his Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Chronograph.
The Toric watch was the first from legendary watch designer Michel Parmigiani in 1996, to celebrate the arrival of his Parmigiani brand.
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This particular product can cost an eye-watering £26,000.
In honour of his 60th birthday, Sophie paid a tearful tribute to Edward at the end of the recent Community Sport and Recreation Awards.
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She said: “Edward is best of fathers, the most loving of husbands and he is still my best friend.
"I am so proud of the man he is."
Edward has been appointed to a new role by King Charles - as four new images were released to mark his 60th birthday.
The King appointed Edward to the Order of the Thistle, Scotland's highest honour.
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Edward can be seen wearing a red jumper underneath a dark buttoned waistcoat.
Other pictures show him smiling with his three dogs, Labrador Teal, cocker spaniel Mole and Labrador puppy Teasel.
It comes after Edward revealed his wife Princess Sophie is his “rock” in a rare interview.
Edward told ITV gardening expert Alan Titchmarsh: "I’m incredibly lucky that I found Sophie and that she found me."
During the interview, Edward also praised his father Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, for being “brilliant with people” even if it sometimes “didn’t necessarily come across that way”.
“He was always, always encouraging everybody,” he said. “You sort of needed to get to know him.
“He was just an extraordinary man. He was the Prince Albert of our age.
"He had an extraordinary mind. He loved design, he loved innovation.”
Edward revealed some of his lasting memories of his father, including teaching his daughter Lady Louise to drive a carriage.
He said: “It was entirely off her own bat… he took her out with the team.
"I think it was only the second time, he was driving along and he said, ‘Do you want to have a go?’
"She didn’t have time to even answer the question, he just handed the reins across.
“We’re very lucky, we’ve got two, of what we would think are particularly brilliant children.
"They are forging such different paths for themselves. I think that’s also equally fascinating,” he added.
Asked about adjusting to his new title, Edward said it had been a “huge privilege” but had also bestowed “quite a lot of weight of expectation as well”.
“I mean, there’s an awful lot of legacy that came with that title and everything that my father had done,” he continued.
“Especially when you’re not inheriting it, this is a choice… that comes with all the expectations that people have.
“It’s just the weirdest and strangest feeling. You walk into a room and, particularly still today.
"There are name places on a card and I still look around going ‘Yes, but where am I sitting?’.”
In a newspaper interview, Edward said the monarchy is “as important as ever” in “trying to bring people together”.
He told the Daily Mail: “Our role – being part of the monarchy – in trying to bring people together is as important as ever, if not more so today.
The duke carried out a series of engagements with Princess Sophie earlier this week, ahead of his milestone birthday this weekend.
He was presented with a Leeds Rhinos rugby shirt with “HRH 60” on the back during a visit to Headingley Stadium on Friday.
Edward noticed the detail on the back and said to his wife: “Yours is more subtle than mine.”
He told the young players: "Thanks a bunch. I really need to be reminded."
King Charles made Edward the Duke of Edinburgh to mark his 59th birthday.
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Queen Elizabeth II also granted Edward the additional title of Earl of Forfar to mark his 55th birthday.
It comes as Charles, 75, is undergoing treatment for cancer and the Princess of Kate is recuperating from abdominal surgery.
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