Prince Edward’s most heartfelt moments with his wife, Sophie, ahead of their 24th wedding anniversary

Today, they are key players in the royal family, gaining recognition and respect for their hard work.

There’s something else that should be cause for satisfaction for the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh as they look forward to their wedding anniversary tomorrow: they’re still together, unlike some other royal couples.

It’s been 24 years since Prince Edward, 59, and Sophie, 58, married at St George’s Chapel Windsor.

This was the result of a long five-year courtship and questions as to why there had been no proposal.

Still, the time they took to get to know each other had clearly been a strong foundation for a long-lasting relationship and a happy family.

Here, The Mail’s Royals section looks at some of the touching moments in that long time romance…

1993 – Sparks fly

Edward, the youngest son of the late Queen, had first met Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1987 when she was working in public relations for Capital Radio.

But it was a second meeting six years later that would get the ball rolling.

By then, Sophie was a public relations manager and in charge of publicity for Edward’s Real Tennis Challenge.

At the time, Edward, one of the most famous players in the country, was leading a Real Tennis marathon for charity.

Their first date would have been a tennis match followed by dinner at Buckingham Palace.

By the end of the same year, the press was increasingly aware of the couple’s relationship and Edward issued a statement saying:

“I am taking this unusual step of writing to you directly in the hopes of keeping your reporters and photographers from destroying that part of my life that I rightfully consider private and, more importantly, Sophie’s life.”

1994 – Two royal weddings (but no proposal)

Prince Edward and his then girlfriend Sophie Rhys Jones aboard the Royal Yacht Brittania in Cowes in July 1994

The Prince and his plus-one arrive for the 1995 Duke of Edinburgh Award Christmas party

The relationship certainly seemed serious when Edward took Sophie to the wedding of his mother’s cousin, Lord Ivar Mountbatten, in 1994.

Later that year, in July, they were also seen together at the wedding of Edward’s cousin and Princess Margaret’s daughter, Lady Sarah Chatto.

It was the same year that it was first reported that Sophie had also moved into Buckingham Palace – a place usually reserved for engaged couples only.

1996 – Still no marriage

Edward and Sophie were pictured laughing together at the Dorchester Cup Polo match at the Guards Polo Club in Windsor in 1996

While members of the royal family are typically no strangers to taking a long-term critical look at their relationships, Edward became increasingly weary when asked several times if he was going to propose.

Edward reportedly told a Radio Times reporter, “If you shut up, mind your own business and let me do it when I want, it’s much more likely to happen.”

It was alleged that the interview of the late Diana, Princess of Wales on Panorama the previous year had delayed all previous engagement attempts and that the Prince had decided to wait instead.

1998 – Finally an engagement

Sophie Rhys-Jones and Prince Edward smiled at photographers in the grounds of St. James’s Palace during the announcement of their engagement in January 1999

During a vacation to the Bahamas in December 1998, Prince Edward proposed to his long-term girlfriend, Sophie.

They announced their engagement the following month, in January 1999, when they were both 34 years old.

Prince Edward proposed to Sophie with an engagement ring made by Asprey and Garrard, which was estimated to be worth £105,000.

When asked why it took so long for the royal family to propose, Edward told reporters: “It’s impossible to understand why it’s taken so long, but I don’t think it would have been right before, and I think neither would she have said yes.’