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DARLING DUCH
Inside the life of the most down-to-earth royal as Sophie Wessex celebrates her 59th birthday
AS Sophie Wessex celebrates her 59th birthday today, it’s expected she will be quietly celebrating at home with her family.
The down-to-earth duchess has had a busy week attending royal engagements, so it’s likely she will have some downtime with her husband Prince Edward and their children Lady Louise, 20, and 16 year old James, the Earl of Wessex.
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It's also been an emotional week for the royal family.
The Princess of Wales has been admitted to hospital for a "planned abdominal operation", and King Charles is to be treated for an "enlarged prostate" next week, and Sophie is likely to be sharing her support from afar.
The Duchess of Edinburgh has been keeping busy this week visiting the Katherine Low Settlement, a charity which supports refugee families, and attending a Gala Dinner at the Residence of France, an annual celebration of the country's food and drink.
She also went to the Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel Exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, in London and visited community leaders at Burview Hall in Surrey.
And it’s her commitment and dedication to royal life that has seen her emerge as one of the key players in the monarchy, according to royal expert Jennie Bond.
Speaking exclusively to Fabulous, Jennie said: “She is now a much valued and senior member of the small group of working royals and is dedicated to supporting and assisting her brother in law, King Charles - and she does it well. She uses her royal platform, but without fuss or fanfare.
"She certainly is someone who has kept her feet firmly on the ground, despite her royal status and her increasingly senior role in the family.”
It’s true that Sophie, who lives at the £30million, 120-room Bagshot Park in Surrey, has been given more royal responsibility following the accession of King Charles.
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While the mum-of-two has always had her own patronages and charity work since marrying Edward, she was catapulted into life as a senior working royal following the death of the Queen.
And it’s perhaps down to her close relationship with both the late Queen and her husband Prince Philip as to why the King sees her as a supportive ally.
Jennie explained: “Sophie learned some hard lessons about being royal in the early years of her marriage when she and Edward were trying to combine commercial careers with royal duties. But since becoming a full time royal, she has hardly put a foot wrong.
“She earned the respect and love of the late Queen and they became especially close after Sophie’s mother died of cancer.
"Elizabeth regarded her more as a daughter than a daughter in law and they spent hours together at Windsor, often watching old films or studying military history.
“She was also a favourite of Prince Philip - you can see how relaxed they were together in the lovely photo Sophie took of her in laws at a Balmoral picnic: the picture the Queen chose to release on the eve of her beloved husband’s funeral.
“Sophie has metamorphosed from a girl next door to a royal duchess, but she has never lost her innate likeability or her sense of the normal, even amongst the pomp of state banquets.”
"It was her fun and down to earth nature during the King’s Coronation that made her a huge hit with the public.
“I think one of the most telling images of Sophie was from the Coronation concert last year when the TV cameras spied her rocking her stuff in the Royal box as Lionel Richie belted out All Night Long,” Jennie said.
“The Duchess looked like any other music fan, just loving the moment and completely unselfconscious. It was lovely to see.”
Unlike Prince Edward, Sophie comes from humble beginnings.
The daughter of a tyre salesman and a secretary, she was working in PR at Capital Radio when they met in 1987.
Edward was dating her friend at the time, but six years later they got together after a charity event.
Sophie continued to work for a few years after they got married before finally becoming a full-time royal in 2002.
“I remember our first meeting many years ago when she was just becoming known as Edward’s girlfriend,” Jennie said.
“I was lunching at The Ritz with one of the Queen Mother’s ladies in waiting when I saw Sophie at a nearby table. I seized the moment and introduced myself which was probably very annoying for her, but she was charm personified, and we chatted for a few minutes.
"And I really don’t think she has changed much since then.
"Yes, she and Edward live in a mansion, have titles and huge privilege, but Sophie has known a life outside those cloistered palace walls and she has kept her sense of perspective.
“For example, she has told her children that, titles or no titles - and they have chosen thus far not to use their HRH status - they should expect to have to earn a living.
"Sophie was happy for her daughter to take on a seasonal job at a garden centre for less than £7 an hour.
"And during the pandemic Sophie served as a volunteer with the Royal Voluntary Service, talking with people on the phone to help them combat the feeling of isolation - and she carried on talking with some of them after the pandemic ended.
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“She will also often travel under the radar to places like Malawi, Botswana or Ethiopia to visit projects dedicated to promoting eye health and preventing blindness, and she does this from the heart after her daughter Louise was born with a squint.
“Sophie is one of the strengths of the new monarchy – elegant, engaging and empathetic. I think people have really taken her into their hearts.”
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