Tuesday 13 September 2022 12:07 AM Sophie has quietly and unobtrusively become one of the unsung treasures of the ... trends now
Hunkered down on her heels, eyes red-rimmed as she studied the floral tributes and loving messages, the Countess of Wessex appeared lost in thought.
Her deep sorrow was evident in this and every other image of her seen in the days since the Queen died.
And it should come as no surprise. Sophie and her mother-in-law were so close that she had become like a ‘second daughter’.
Indeed, after losing her own mum, Mary Rhys-Jones, to stomach cancer in 2005 at just 71, she had taken to affectionately calling the Queen ‘Mama’.
They spent a lot of time together. Sophie and her husband Prince Edward, the Queen’s youngest son, live with their two children just a stone’s throw away from Windsor Castle at Bagshot Park. Walking their dogs together was a favourite past-time. They also shared a love of military history, spending hours poring over ancient documents in the Royal Archives at Windsor.
Hunkered down on her heels, eyes red-rimmed as she studied the floral tributes and loving messages, the Countess of Wessex appeared lost in thought
The seeds of their fond relationship were sown in 2002 after the Queen lost first her sister, Princess Margaret, then her adored mother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, within weeks. It was such a comfort to have another female family member in her life.
The shattering death of her beloved Philip last year brought the Queen and Sophie even closer, with the monarch often inviting her to take her late husband’s place with her in the back of the car.
This deep-rooted affection and respect explains why, as the Queen’s nearest and dearest gathered in Scotland last week to mourn her sudden passing, Sophie was the only non-blood relative – aside from Princess Anne’s husband, Sir Tim Laurence – who was front and centre of the intimate family group.
For Sophie, 57, has quietly and unobtrusively become one of the unsung treasures of the Royal Family. ‘Sophie wasn’t born into aristocracy. She’s always worked for a living.
‘As countesses go, she’s pretty grounded. And that’s something the Royal Family needs,’ says one royal insider.
There is even a swell of chatter that Sophie and Edward – who are set to be made the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh in line with Philip’s wishes – could be ‘promoted’ to William and Kate’s second in command. How far they have both come after the shakiest of starts. In some respects, Sophie and Edward were the Harry and Meghan of their day.
After losing her own mum, Mary Rhys-Jones, to stomach cancer in 2005 at just 71, she had taken to affectionately calling the Queen ‘Mama’
Like the Sussexes, they insisted on trying to break the mould and forge lucrative commercial careers – she in PR and he in TV production – in tandem with their royal duties.
Then Sophie was sensationally caught up in a humiliating ‘sting’ operation engineered by the News of the World after talking with a ‘Fake Sheik’ posing as a potential client. Her taped indiscretions about senior politicians were highly embarrassing.
For his part, Edward was lambasted for trying to cash in on his royal links in his commercial ventures. Unlike the Sussexes, Sophie and Edward wound down their businesses and dug in to royals duties, rebuilding their reputations within the Royal Family.
The Countess is now the second hardest working female royal after Anne, and has won plaudits for her choice of work on preventable blindness and the issue of sexual violence in war.
One senior Whitehall source told me that her championing of the cause has been ‘invaluable’.
‘She is not afraid to shy away from the questions that need to be asked of those in charge and hold their feet to the fire,’ they say.
Baroness Stedman-Scott OBE, Under Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, speaking to me in a personal capacity, has known Sophie for 18 years through a charity helping the long-term unemployed. ‘When she first came to visit us she didn’t want any fuss or fanfare
