Duchess Sophie shares ‘frustration’ after marrying Prince Edward | Royal | News
The Duchess of Edinburgh faced challenges in her early days as a royal (Image: Getty)
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, who celebrates her 61st birthday today, is also looking forward to celebrating her 27th year as royal. She met Prince Edward in 1987 while working at Capital Radio, but actually started dating the prince in 1993.
She admitted it took her a while to “find her feet” as a royal after her marriage to Prince Edward, saying: “The disappointment was that I had to lower my expectations of what I could actually do.”
In 2001, just two years after their wedding, the couple faced potential tragedy when the Duchess suffered an ectopic pregnancy and had to be taken to London’s King Edward VII Hospital, where she underwent emergency surgery.
Just this week he met Thames Valley Air Ambulance crews on happier terms when he visited their base in Stokenchurch.
Sophie has admitted in the past that it can be difficult to adapt to the “ceremonial” nature of such visits and resist the temptation to offer long-standing public relations advice.
Sophie is now seen as the Firm’s ‘secret weapon’ (Image: Getty)
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The Duchess admits that while she instinctively wanted to give business advice to charities, what they wanted from her was just “the icing on the cake – the person to come in and thank their volunteers and funders – not tell them how to run their communications plans”.
However, he quickly learned that his role was expected to be more ceremonial; He focused on being “the icing on the cake – the person who will come in and thank their volunteers and funders – who doesn’t have to tell them how to execute their communications plan.”
Although Sophie has learned to temper her natural tendency to step in with guidance, she has nevertheless become an increasingly valuable member of the royal team. He has been described many times as the Royal Family’s “secret weapon”. Woman magazine stated that the public “really took him to heart”.
Duchess admits she often tends to give business advice (Image: Getty)
Sophie and her husband Prince Edward are also said to have a strong working relationship with Prince William and Princess Catherine. According to reports, the future king wants his aunt and uncle to take a more prominent public role when he ascends the throne.
Royal commentator Ingrid Seward believes Sophie’s effectiveness comes from her understanding of the limitations of her position and her collaborative approach. “With Sophie, it’s not all about her,” says Seward.
“He was one of the first ‘outsiders’ to join the royal family and understand that it’s about everyone working together as a team. He really understands that and doesn’t want to be the center of attention.”
The couple are considered some of the royal family’s most powerful assets (Image: Getty)
Yet despite her reputation for being quite adaptable to her official duties, Sophie is said to maintain a determined and independent streak. Last year’s visit to war-torn Ukraine, for example, was reportedly far from straightforward, despite being officially approved by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
A source told The Times that efforts were being made behind the scenes to dissuade him from traveling. “The government tried to stop him from going to Ukraine, but he refused,” the source said.
The Duchess is said to be planning future visits to other conflict zones, regardless of official reservations.
