Countess' sorrow at lost baby

LONDON, England -- Prince Edward's wife Sophie has spoken of her sadness at losing their first baby, but said she is optimistic that they could still start a family.

"I'm obviously very sad -- but it was just not meant to be," she said. "But there will be other chances."

The 36-year-old wife of Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, thanked members of the public and the media for their sympathy after an operation for an ectopic pregnancy.

"The nurses have been unbelievably fantastic," she said, recovering at the King Edward VII Hospital in central London.

Sophie, who was visited on Friday morning by Edward and her parents, Christopher and Mary Rhys-Jones, was surrounded by flowers and get well messages.

After spending an hour and a quarter with his wife, Edward spoke to reporters about the "fairly traumatic time" Sophie had been through.

"First of all thank you very much indeed for your concern and sympathy, that is very much appreciated," he said.

"The patient is doing remarkably well. She is experiencing a certain amount of discomfort and will be in hospital for a few days."

About 40 minutes later Sophie's parents left the hospital in central London. Her father, Christopher Rhys-Jones, when asked how the Countess was, said: "She is fine but a bit tired. Thank you very much for your concern." Sophie was rushed to the private hospital by air-ambulance helicopter on Thursday morning from the couple's home at Bagshot Park, Surrey.

Surgeons then operated to remove the foetus from her Fallopian tube, Britain's Press Association reported.

The news agency said that Sophie lost a lot of blood during the two-and-a-half hour operation.

Doctors said that if the condition had continued undiagnosed, it could have been life-threatening.

It is unclear whether Sophie and Edward knew she was pregnant. In an ectopic pregnancy, the baby develops in a Fallopian tube instead of the womb.

No announcement of a royal pregnancy had been made.

When they married more than two years ago, the former Sophie Rhys-Jones said she wanted to start a family.

It is understood that after she leaves hospital, Sophie is likely to convalesce for six weeks.

She has been undertaking official royal engagements with Edward following a turbulent period in her personal life.

Earlier this year, Sophie had embarrassing publicity in a Sunday newspaper when an undercover reporter, posing as a rich Arab sheikh, caught her on camera being indiscreet about other members of the Royal Family and leading politicians.

Her business partner was forced to resign and Sophie was widely criticised in the media for allegedly cashing in on her royal status to win contracts for her London-based public relations company, R-JH.

Since then, she has taken a relatively low-profile role in the business which has undergone restructuring.

Life for her husband has also been difficult with the recent controversy surrounding his film production company Ardent.

A row between Edward and his brother the Prince of Wales erupted after an Ardent film crew was caught filming at St Andrews University where Prince William, second in line to the British throne is studying -- in breach of a media agreement to allow the teenager his privacy.

Sophie and Edward were married in Windsor, southern England, in June 1999 after a six-month engagement and by November 2000 bookmakers were offering odds on the Countess being pregnant.

In April this year the Countess told the national Sunday tabloid, the News of the World: "If I'm lucky enough to have any children, one of each would be nice. I certainly don't think I have left it too late."