Sophie Wessex on her 50th birthday: the Countess who quietly became a royal star

The Countess of Wessex attends the Queen's Diamond Jubilee service in St Paul's with husband Prince Edward and daughter Lady Louise Windsor.

Sophie has grown in confidence in recent years, really hitting her fashion stride in 2011.

She looked sensational in a striking Bruce Oldfield dress to welcome foreign royals on the eve of Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding.

The Countess has come a long way since meeting Edward in 1993 as Sophie Rhys Jones.

Edward and Sophie married in 1999 at St George's Chapel, Windsor.

In the early years of her marriage, Sophie Wessex focused on starting a family.

She suffered difficult pregnancies but eventually had two children Lady Louise Windsor in 2003 and James, Viscount Severn four years later.

The Countess of Wessex representing the Queen in 2012 on a tour of Gibraltar.

Singing along to nursery rhymes including Humpty Dumpty and Incy Wincy Spider, Sophie shows off her maternal side at Wittering, Cambridgeshire.

A royal visit to the 5th Frimley Brownies in Surrey.

Sophie chats with model Poppy Delevingne in her capacity as patron of the London College of Fashion.

The Queen is a big fan and the duo share many interests, including military history and riding.

Sophie Wessex tours South Africa.

Meeting the cast of Downton Abbey.

The royal celebrates the 50th anniversary of Dr Who by welcoming past doctors – and daleks – to Buckingham Palace.

At a garden party in Edinburgh the Countess is delighted to have her hand painted with henna.

Sophie gets stuck into a game of hockey while visiting the England team at Bisham Abbey in Marlow, England.

At one point close to tears, Sophie paid an emotional visit to Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey where she gave birth to her two children.

Sophie holds her own against Kate in an ostrich-feather creation at the Coronation Festival.

The Countess of Wessex was moved to tears when she unveiled a memorial to the 48,000 miners who worked in Britain's coal mines during the Second World War.

Sophie tries her hand at archery at Stoke Mandeville Stadium, where she inspected training facilities for paralympian athletes.

Sophie tries her hand at the unusual game of table cricket.

Sophie Wessex at the wedding of Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall.

The Countess of Wessex and Lady Louise Windsor at Trooping the Colour 2011.