Princess Sophie heartfelt tribute moves husband Prince Edward to tears: Pics

Princess Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh made husband Prince Edward emotional with her sweet tribute ahead of his 60th birthday.

Sophie wished her “darling” husband of almost 25 years a happy birthday during a speech at the Community Sports and Recreation Awards in Leeds.

During her surprise speech, the duke looked visibly moved as he put his hands over his face and wiped a finger at the corner of his eye.

In June, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh will celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary; the couple walked down the aisle in 1999.

The duchess began by commenting on the likeness between the duke and his father, Prince Philip.

She said: "Now I know from the many years of marriage we have chalked up, 25 years in June to be precise, he will be horrified at seeing me up here speaking about him in public.

“Without looking at him, I am guessing he will now be sitting back with slightly narrowed eyes, possibly with his arms folded, or one arm stretched out across the table and to all intents and purposes looking identical to his father when I made speeches about him."

Sophie spoke out on Friday during a royal visit to Leeds where Edward was presented with a birthday cake in the shape of a tennis court.

The duchess continued: "He has been my guide and shown me the way over the years. He has given me much help and advice (not always taken I admit), and his knowledge and instincts that have been honed over decades of service are invaluable.

“So we share speech notes (not this one, sorry darling!), chat through issues our patronages may be tackling, and together I think we make quite a good team.”

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh share two children: Lady Louise and James, Earl of Wessex.

They welcomed their daughter Lady Louise on 8 November 2003 and had their second child, James, on 17 December 2007.

At another stage, the duchess called her husband an “iceberg,” describing how what is seen of her husband above the surface is only a “small proportion” of the work he does behind the scenes.