Duchess Sophie has been a member of the Royal Family for almost 26 years and appears to be more popular now than ever before.
Even though Prince Edward’s wife has been a working royal for over a quarter of a century, her efforts have not always been as well publicised as other members of the Firm.
In 2018, attention was very much focused on Meghan Markle when she married Prince Harry.
So when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as senior working royals in 2020, Sophie gave a cutting eight-word response when asked if she and Prince Edward would be stepping up their duties to fill the void left by Harry and Meghan.
“What did people think we were doing beforehand?” the Duchess of Edinburgh is reported to have said.
The comment was first revealed in Katie Nicholl’s 2022 book, The New Royals: Queen Elizabeth’s Legacy and the Future of the Crown.
The royal author remarked on how Sophie received less media attention than Meghan because of her more ordinary approach to royal work.
While some might see this as a negative, it has been quite the opposite for Sophie, who is often considered to be the Royal Family’s “secret weapon” and among the most hard-working.
Over the last few years, the 60-year-old has also been dubbed “Super Sophie” by royal fans.
Although the Duchess seems to be a natural at the job, the mum-of-two did once reveal that it took some adjustment after previously having a career in the public relations industry.
The Duchess set up her own PR company, R-J H, with business partner Murray Harkin in 1996.
While Sophie continued on with her company for a few years after marrying Prince Edward in 1999, she eventually opted to become a full-time working royal.
Speaking about the change, the Duchess once said: “I had to take a really big step back and go, okay, they want you to be the icing on the cake, the person to come in to thank their volunteers and funders, not necessarily to tell them how to run their communications plan.”
Over the last year, Sophie has also received more praise from royal fans as she has stepped up for her brother-in-law King Charles, 76, who was diagnosed with cancer last year.
She has been being dubbed the “quiet achiever” of the Firm by royal fans.
