The Duchess of Edinburgh, 60, is a hard-working royal known for her down-to-earth nature – but she’s not afraid to speak her mind, as she once proved when asked about Meghan Markle
The Duchess of Edinburgh ‘delivered a cutting response’ when questioned whether she and Prince Edward would shoulder additional responsibilities following Meghan Markle, Prince Harry and Prince Andrew’s withdrawal from royal duties. One royal commentator revealed that Sophie, renowned for her dedication within the Royal Family, retorted with: “What did people think we were doing beforehand?”
The razor-sharp riposte was initially revealed in Katie Nicholl’s 2022 publication, The New Royals: Queen Elizabeth’s Legacy and the Future of the Crown. Katie observed that Sophie receives considerably less press coverage than Meghan due to her more conventional lifestyle.
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This strategy appears to have served Sophie exceptionally well, having joined the Royal Family in June 1999 upon marrying Queen Elizabeth II’s youngest child, Prince Edward.
Sophie operates as a full-time working member of the Windsor dynasty and backs more than 70 charitable causes and organisations. She advocates for women’s rights, farming, British athletics and individuals with disabilities, as stated by Buckingham Palace. Sophie has even earned the title of the Windsors’ “secret weapon” from a palace insider.
They remarked: “Since she became a working member of the family she has worked tirelessly for each and every cause she is passionately involved in.”
Prior to her royal life, Sophie was a public relations expert. She was employed at Maclaurin Communication and Media before launching her own firm, R-J H, alongside business associate Murray Harkin in 1996. When she became engaged to Prince Edward, Sophie Rhys-Jones made it abundantly clear she intended to continue her career following marriage.
Sophie developed an intimate friendship with the late Queen, establishing herself as a cherished daughter-in-law. She once addressed Her Late Majesty Elizabeth II as “mama” during a public address, demonstrating the depth of their bond.
Following Sophie and Edward’s nuptials at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, the couple welcomed two children, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Earl of Wessex.
Sophie ceased her external professional activities in 2001 after referring to the late Queen as an “old dear” during an interview with a journalist masquerading as a sheikh whom she believed was a prospective client.
Sophie revealed her initial royal challenges, explaining: “I had to take a really big step back and go, OK, 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.”
Under King Charles’s reign, Sophie’s profile is ascending, as she has garnered increasing public affection. She has ranked as the seventh most popular Royal in a YouGov survey, trailing behind figures such as Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William.
Earlier this week, the Duchess spent four days on a top-secret overseas trip for a series of moving meetings with women affected by conflict-related rape.
She visited the Democratic Republic of Congo for a high-security visit to “shine a light” on the “weaponisation of rape” and support those who survive horrific war-related sexual violence.
During the trip, she visited Beni, in the conflict-hit east of the African nation, and became visibly moved as she listened to a 16-year-old girl who told her she was attacked by a police officer, while another woman described being sexually assaulted while fleeing rebel-held areas.
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