The lovely Sophie, Countess of Wessex, is being honored by her mother-in-law with the Royal Victorian Order.

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The Countess, 45, is being recognized for her service to the Queen and to the monarchy. The RVO, founded in April 1896 by Queen Victoria, is given to people ”who have served the Queen or the monarchy in a personal way”, according to Buckingham Palace. It is a personal gift from the Sovereign.

To see the different grades and photos of the order, see Wikipedia: Royal Victorian Order.

A very happy ten years to HRH Prince Edward and his wife, Sophie, Countess of Wessex.

A few days earlier the Countess was seen with their daughter, Lady Louise, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. The Royal Family was watching the Trooping the Colour ceremony celebrating the Queen’s official (read: national) June birthday.

The names chosen by The Earl and Countess of Wessex for their son are James Alexander Philip Theo.

The baby takes the title of Viscount Severn. Photo is © Press Association

Sophie, Countess of Wessex, gave birth to a healthy boy yesterday.

It was reported that HRH would deliver her second child via caesarian this Friday, but it occurred Monday instead.

The life of the Countess and first child Louise hung in the balance in 2003, when the baby was delivered via emergency C-section. Two years prior to the birth of Louise, Sophie  had to be airlifted to hospital after suffering an ectopic pregnancy.

So this successful pregnancy has Sophie and her husband, HRH Prince Edward, “absolutely thrilled!” His mother The Queen and the entire Royal Family couldn’t agree more!

Happily, the Countess of Wessex is pregnant with her second child.

HRH has had a lot of difficulty with previous pregnancies, so with every best wish, congratulations to Sophie, Prince Edward, the Queen, and the rest of the family!