Duchess Sophie’s revealing six-word remark about her relationship with Queen Elizabeth

, who celebrates her milestone 60th birthday on January 20, once gave an insight into her relationship with the late .Sophie has long been considered one of the monarchy’s “safest pair of hands” for her loyalty and unflashy approach to royal life.As patron of more than 70 charities and organisations, she has focuses on championing young people, and supporting those with disabilities, and she is becoming increasingly known for her work .During a visit to south Sudan in 2020, chief foreign correspondent, Christina Lamb, asked if she genuinely shared the closest of bonds with the late Queen. In a revealing six-word remark, Sophie said: “I think so. I hope so.”

When Sophie, Duchess of Sussex, first met the late Queen, she had a slightly different opinion, having a different background to other suitors. Royal expert and biographer, Ingrid Seward said: “Sophie wasn’t from that world.

” and was very nervous, shy and tongue-tied when she first met the Queen, who as a result thought she was a bit dull and told a friend, ‘You wouldn’t notice her in a crowd’.”According to the expert, however, the late Queen saw of Sophie “the more she liked her”. , Duchess Sophie worked at different companies, including four years at Capital Radio, The Quentin Bell Organisation and MacLaurin Communications & Media. In 1996, she launched her own public relations agency, RJH Public Relations, which she ran with her business partner, Murray Harkin, for five years.

The Queen also respected Sophie and Edward’s , Lady Louise Windsor, 21, and James, Earl of Wessex, 17. They can decide to use them from the age of 18, but Sophie previously said she thought this was “highly unlikely”, and Louise has chosen not to use the title.

In 2019, the late Queen and Sophie were on hand to celebrate the success of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Trust, of which they served as Patron and Vice-Patron, when Sophie called Her Majesty ‘mama’ – showcasing a deeply personal nickname for the late Queen. Sophie has also proved she is the — after Princess Anne, King Charles and her husband, Prince Edward, and she clocked up 257 official engagements at home and abroad last year.. In a speech ahead of Edward’s 60th birthday, Sophie gave a few clues on why her partnership works well.She touchingly said: “He has been my guide and shown me the way over the years. He has given me much help and advice — not always taken, I admit — and his knowledge and instincts that have been honed over decades of service are invaluable. “Together I think we make quite a good team. I am so proud of the man he is. He is the best of fathers, the most loving of husbands, and still is my best friend.”