Duchess Sophie in Bavaria was born in Munich on 28th October 1967 as the oldest of five daughters from Duke Max and Duchess Elizabeth in Bavaria. She was baptized under the names Sophie Elizabeth Marie Gabrielle, and is a direct descedant of the last Bavarian king: Ludwig III. (1845-1921) was her great-great grandfather.

Princess Inheritress Sophie spent her childhood together with her parents and sisters in Wildbad Kreuth, where she also attended the first years of elementary school. From 1978 to 1980 she attended the Young Girls Elementary Boarding School run by the English Ladies religious congregation in Heiligenstatt, and then transferred to the Hohenburg Young Girls Secondary Boarding School in Lenggries.
In 1984 she entered the Adolf Weber Gymnasium in Munich, where she completed her studies with an A-level certificate in 1988. After the successful A-level examinations, a residence of several months in London followed, in which she enrolled in seminars at the Inchbald School of Interior Design. Her interest was especially devoted to the various styles of interior design.
Princess Inheritress Sophie studied history and English language & literature at the Catholic University in Eichstätt.
On 3th July 1993 she married Prince Inheritor Alois von und zu Liechtenstein. They have four children - Prince Joseph Wenzel, born on 24th May 1995; Princess Marie Caroline, born on 17th October 1996; Prince Georg, born on 20th April 1999; and Prince Nikolaus, born on 6th December 2000.