The British monarchy has undergone substantial changes in recent years, with the death of the beloved Queen Elizabeth and the departure of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who left the United Kingdom to start a new life in the United States.
But amid all the turmoil, one hard-working member of the royal family has seen her star continue to rise: the Duchess of Edinburgh.
Behind the scenes of King Charles and the Princess of Wales’ royal health crises and the enduring rift between Prince Harry and Prince William, Sophie, 59, has been climbing the ranks of The Firm, as a family member often dubbed the late Queen’s “favourite” royal.
From attending lavish banquets to standing alongside Queen Camilla on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for the Standard Parade, her elevated status is made known at official royal events and engagements.
But she was given the chance to step into the inner circle when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced they were leaving the Royal Family in exchange for a more star-studded lifestyle in Montecito, California.
Meghan Markle is pictured alongside Sophie, then Countess of Wessex, on Remembrance Day in 2019
The Duchess of Edinburgh’s status was recently highlighted when she was “promoted” to the head table at the state banquet for Japanese royals last week. Above: Sophie seated next to Emperor Naruhito of Japan
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are among the few working royals under the age of 70 (along with the Prince and Princess of Wales). Following the stepping down of the young and glamorous Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Sophie has become a key and crucial member of The Firm.
This was demonstrated when Sophie was “promoted” to the head table at the lavish state banquet for Japanese royalty last week, where she was placed right next to Emperor Naruhito at Buckingham Palace.
Emperor Naruhito and King Charles have a long-standing friendship spanning decades and her placement at the banquet suggests that Sophie is well-liked and trusted by the monarch.
Although they are not known to be in regular contact these days, Sophie and Meghan are no different in their beliefs and have long championed similar causes, including ending gender-based violence and promoting girls’ education.
During her time as a royal, the Duchess of Sussex visited ActionAid in Johannesburg to raise awareness about sexual violence in schools, met with women to discuss gender inequality in Cape Town, and reached out to women who survived the Grenfell fire, helping them launch a cookbook.
She also spoke out more recently on International Women’s Day in March about the harassment she experienced online when she was pregnant and spoke at a Women in Leadership event in Nigeria during her quasi-royal tour of the nation.
Similarly, Sophie flew to Sierra Leone in 2020, where she visited a women’s centre, addressed sexual and gender-based violence, supported survivors and advocated for the role of women in peacebuilding.
Two months later, the Duchess travelled to the Republic of South Sudan and visited various initiatives to protect the safety of girls and women.
She also made a surprise visit to Iraq in 2023 as part of her work advocating for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams, who described Sophie as “cheerful, dedicated and caring”, said she has always been “an achiever”.
“(The Duchess of Edinburgh) is down to earth, which is essential, but without attracting negative publicity,” she said.
‘Sophie is the one who has achieved success. In recent years she has visited Kosovo, South Sudan, Iraq and Ukraine, as well as the Democratic Republic of Congo and other African countries, and has met victims of gender-based sexual violence.
‘Sophie is active on the ground in this area, as demonstrated by her visit to Sierra Leone in 2020, which is a prime example of what hard-working members of the Royal Family can achieve.
Sophie is pictured sitting next to Meghan in a carriage for Royal Ascot in 2018
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams noted that Sophie is a close confidant of King Charles and the late Queen.
Over time, the Queen came to regard Sophie as the Firm’s most trusted confidant (the pair are pictured together in 2018).
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams compared Sophie to Princess Anne (both pictured in 2022) because she just “gets on with it”
However, in contrast, she suggested that the Duchess of Sussex is a very different character to the Duchess of Edinburgh; stating that while Meghan is “self-obsessed”, Sophie prefers to “get on with it”.
She told FEMAIL: ‘Sophie was renowned as a confidante of the late Queen and King Charles knows he can trust her implicitly.
‘Her temperament is very different from Meghan’s. The latter, while not lacking in talent, is self-centered and reportedly temperamental.
‘Sophie is linked to almost 70 organisations. Meghan only had a few patronages, Harry had a few more (and) they decided to give them up to start a new life elsewhere.
‘Sophie and Edward do not seek publicity or praise. Like Princess Anne, they go about their lives well, are trustworthy, do a lot of good and not just for themselves, as the Sussexes often do.’
Meghan and Sophie appear to have had a troubled relationship since 2018, when the Duchess of Sussex officially joined the royal family after marrying Prince Harry.
To help her adjust, the late Queen is said to have suggested Sophie as a “sort of mentor” for Meghan.
But the Duchess of Sussex “felt like she had Harry” and didn’t need any further help from an adviser.
Royal expert Gyles Brandreth told Palace Confidential in 2022: ‘The Queen wanted Meghan to succeed in marriage and in her new role, and indeed did everything she could to encourage that.
‘I think he suggested to her that Sophie Wessex, who was certainly one of her favourites and who had been through this because she had married into the royal family and married Prince Edward, could help her, be a kind of mentor.
“I don’t think Meghan was interested in that. She felt she had Harry, she didn’t need to be offered a mentor… The Queen was very interested at first,” he concluded.
It has been claimed that Sophie (pictured at the Palace of Holyroodhouse garden party) was suggested as a “mentor” for Meghan Markle to help her adjust to the Royal Family.
Previously, Sophie had obligations to Meghan because she was of a higher rank than her (pictured during the Commonwealth Day Service in 2020).
Sophie and Edward are pictured alongside King Charles and Queen Camilla for the Trooping the Colour parade last month on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
Sophie, who was previously Countess of Wessex, had previously had a duty to defer to Prince Harry’s wife, who, as a duchess, held a higher rank.
But as of last year, her husband, Prince Edward, was given the title Duke of Edinburgh, which also made Sophie a duchess.
A friend of the couple told the Mail on Sunday last year: “Sophie is relieved. She no longer has to curtsy to someone in the family who has not only stepped back from royal duties but has spent the last three years criticising the institution Sophie works so hard to support.”
The Duchess of Edinburgh was welcomed into the Royal Family after marrying Prince Edward in 1999, and the couple have since had two children, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn.