A lesser-known royal has been taking etiquette lessons ahead of her major TV role, despite her close connection to the Royal Family.
Sophie Winkleman, the wife of King Charles’s second cousin Lord Frederick Windsor, has been taking etiquette tips from an advisor to prepare for her role as the Duchess of Rochester in Julian Fellowes’s period drama Belgravia.
Despite her parent-in-laws being the Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, it seems that the actress wanted to feel as prepared as possible for the show, taking tips from its historical adviser Alastair Bruce.
As reported by The Daily Mail, Sophie said: “Alastair has been my mainstay for this whole series – he’s been magnificent.
“I’ve asked him questions every single day, from how do you pick up that stem, how do you lay your knife and fork in between eating, everything. I find it’s such a joy and luxury to have someone like that on set every day.”
Although Sophie, 44, is only part of the Royal Family through marriage, the actress – who also starred on Peep Show – has good relationships with senior royals including King Charles and Prince William.
After a serious crash in 2017, Sophie said she heard from every member of her husband’s family, including King Charles who at the time was the Prince of Wales.
She told Hello in 2018: “Prince Charles sensed correctly that everything would be chaos at home, so he asked his cook, instead of taking care of him, to take care of us. So, our lunches and dinners were cooked at Clarence House then delivered for weeks on end while I was in hospital and then still disabled at home.
“It saved our bacon, literally, because my darling husband – well, he’s good at fry-ups but that’s about it. The children would have had cholesterol coming out of their ears had their diet been left to him. It was a magnificent way to help.”
She continued: “Sophie Wessex came to visit me in hospital and was so helpful and lovely, and the Cambridges (now Wales’) sent some wonderful flowers.
“I know William rang up Addenbrooke’s for me because one of his very good friends is the air ambulance guy there. So when he heard about it, William called and said: ‘Sophie is my cousin, please take good care of her,’ which was very lovely. I heard from pretty much every member of Freddie’s family, I was spoiled to bits by them.”
Sophie also once revealed how using the pool at Buckingham Palace, with the late Queen Elizabeth’s permission, helped aid her recovery.
She said: “Physio left me in so much pain, it wasn’t working. She (Queen Elizabeth) asked how I was, and she said, ‘We can’t have that. You have to go in the water.’ She told us that when horses had broken backs, they swam, and so she let me use her pool at Buckingham Palace. That’s the reason I got better. It was so typically thoughtful.”
Despite marrying into the Royal Family, Sophie has been able to continue her acting career as she is not a senior working royal. She can often be seen at a number of royal events, most recently attending Princess Kate’s Together At Christmas carol service last month.