Born on 20 January 1965 at the Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, The Countess of Wessex is the only daughter of Mr and the late Mrs Christopher Rhys-Jones. She has an elder brother, David.

When the Countess was still young, her family moved to Kent, where she began her education at Dulwich College Preparatory School, Cranbrook.

She then progressed to Kent College School for Girls, Pembury, before completing her education at West Kent College and embarking on a career in public relations.

During her time at school, she took part in many sporting activities and represented her schools in netball, hockey, athletics, gymnastics and swimming. Outside school she was a keen enthusiast of ballet and amateur dramatics.