Prince Edward was pictured today on his 62nd birthday at the Paralympic Winter Games in Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy, where he was joined by his wife Sophie.
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh appeared in good spirits as they mingled with attendees at the Paralympic village.
Edward, who has served as Patron of the British Paralympic Association since 2003, dressed warmly in official event merchandise for the occasion.
Sophie, 61, was spotted wearing a striking red Adidas puffer jacket while engaging in conversation with an athlete.
Prince Edward pictured on his birthday in Italy alongside Duchess of Edinburgh
|X: ROYAL FAMILY
The royal couple's schedule for the day includes watching Great Britain compete against Italy in Wheelchair Curling, alongside several Para Cross-Country Skiing events.
The King's youngest sibling and his wife presented a united front despite looming concerns about an upcoming memoir.
West End performer Ruthie Henshall is set to publish a memoir titled The Showgirl and The Prince, chronicling her secret on-and-off relationship with Edward that lasted from 1988 to 1993.
The 59-year-old Olivier Award-winner was prompted to write the book after unearthing love letters from the prince while clearing out her garage five years ago.
Prince Edward and the Duchess of Edinburgh pictured in Milan
|X: ROYAL FAMILY
"I found old diaries which I began writing in the 1980s and then found all my letters from Prince Edward, and I was struck by how precious this time in my life was," she told The Telegraph.
The pair first met when Edward, then 23, was employed as a production assistant for Andrew Lloyd Webber, with their romance developing quickly amid discussions about rehearsals.
Henshall soon found herself making covert visits to Buckingham Palace and taking tea with Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams has expressed concern that the memoir could prove deeply uncomfortable for the Palace.
Prince Edward turned 62 on Tuesday, March 10, 2026
|X: ROYAL FAMILY
"If she is as open about their romance as she was on television, just think what it could contain," Mr Fitzwilliams told The Mail.
He warned that "there will be considerable concern that it will contain intimate insights into their time together."
Ms Henshall caused a stir during her 2020 appearance on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! when she made candid remarks to comedian Shane Richie about her time with Edward.
"You performed in Buckingham Palace, you sang in the gardens, I sh****d in the bedrooms," she told him.
Mr Fitzwilliams described the potential combination of "scandal and stardom" as possibly "nightmarish" for palace courtiers.
The Duchess of Edinburgh wore a red puffer jacket
|X: ROYAL FAMILY
The memoir arrives during a particularly turbulent period for the Royal Family, following the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on his 66th birthday on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Mr Fitzwilliams noted that Edward "will now be drawn into the line of fire at a time when the monarchy faces its most serious crisis since the 1990s."
He emphasised that the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh "are two of only four members of the royal family under 70 and do invaluable work."
Edward has long been regarded as one of the more reserved members of the Firm, yet the coming months may prove challenging with the book's July publication date approaching.
It remains unclear whether any royals have been given advance sight of the manuscript.