How prince edward was 'scared of making same mistakes as charles

Prince Edward commented in 1986 about the problems of being a member of the royal family and having a relationship,biographer Ingrid Seward writes in her book, “Prince Edward: A Biography”.

The book, published in 1995, claims Edward said: “It’s not going to affect me at all because my anonymity has gone and I accept that. “But you become very conscious of the feeling that if

you try to get to know anybody they are going to suffer a stigma for the rest of their lives. “I cannot have a normal relationship with just about anybody – but that’s the way it goes."

Ms Seward claims in the biography that “the failures of the marriages of his beloved sister Anne and then, in rapid and ever more embarrassing succession, Andrew and Charles, made Edward

even more determined to put caution before commitment”. When Princess Anne, Queen Elizabeth II’s only daughter, married Captain Mark Phillips in 1973, the royal couple seemed perfect for one

another.  However, the demise of their marriage and the events that led to its destruction proved to be anything but enchanting. Nearly one billion television viewers in 74 countries tuned

in to witness the marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1981. However, before long, the fairytale couple grew apart, an experience that was particularly painful under the

ubiquitous eyes of the world’s tabloid media.  Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew – the second son of the Queen and Prince Philip – married after a whirlwind romance that was captured in the

same way as Charles and Diana’s fairytale.  However, the marriage was in trouble just one year later due to the demands of Andrew's Naval career, and they legally separated in 1992.  Ms

Seward’s biography reveals a letter that the Earl of Wessex wrote personally to Britain’s newspaper editors at the start of his relationship with Sophie, Countess of Wessex, voicing his

concerns that history will repeat itself. The letter, written in the early Nineties, read: “I am taking this unusual step of writing to you directly in the hope of stopping your reporters

and photographers from destroying that part of my life that I am entitled to regard as private and more importantly, Sophie’s life. “We are not planning to get married, we only met each

other in the last few months, but we are good friends.  “If this situation changes we will let you know in a proper and formal manner. “I am very conscious that other members of my immediate

family have been subjected to similar attention and it has not been at all beneficial to their relationships.”  Edward and Sophie will celebrate their 20th anniversary in June.