Duchess Sophie and Prince Edward reveal secret to their happy marriage in rare interview

lovingly described his wife as his “best friend” as he spoke about the secret to their long and happy marriage on their official visit to Nepal.

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, who celebrated 25 years of marriage last June, are currently on the final day of their six-day trip to Britain’s oldest ally in Asia.

The couple’s banter has been evident during their joint engagements, and their friendly rivalry has come to the fore.

When asked about their good-humoured interactions and the secret to such a happy ship during an interview on the fourth day of their trip, Edward said, “Because we’re best friends.” Nodding, Sophie said: “That’s true.”

Asked if humour was important too, the duchess added: “Oh, there’s always got to be humour. Especially when you’re travelling and you’ve got no idea what’s about to happen. You’ve got to laugh.”

The ease at which they bring levity to their work will have helped the unprecedented situation they found themselves in last year.

After working quietly behind the scenes for decades, the couple found themselves taking on a more prominent role as they stepped up while the King and the Princess of Wales received cancer treatment. The Prince of Wales also reduced his duties to support his wife and their three children through the difficult period.

As a result, the duke and duchess, both 60, became crucial members of the Firm almost overnight, increasing their workload to cover the many engagements both at home and abroad.

The couple provided great support to the Queen and Princess Anne, who were also busy conducting royal duties up and down the country.

Sophie, in particular, was thrust into the spotlight after staying relatively under the radar while championing important causes such as human tracking, sexual violence in conflict, women’s rights, and preventable blindness.

But as her profile increased, so did her favour with the British public.

Her approachable demeanour and willingness to engage with the public were quickly recognised, especially by Charles and William, who were grateful for her steadfast support.

YouGov’s Royal Family popularity tracker found that between January and October last year, her popularity steadily increased from 47 percent to 53 percent.

Nicknamed the Firm’s “secret weapon”, Sophie became one of Queen Elizabeth’s close confidants during her final years. The late monarch, who viewed the duchess as more like a daughter than a daughter-in-law, greatly trusted and relied on her support and advice.

is understood to be keen to elevate his aunt and uncle’s public profile further, as they have proven themselves to be safe hands.

On the first full day of their visit to Nepal, the duchess conducted engagements on her charity work, particularly focusing on the exploitation and trafficking of women.

During the couple’s joint interview, the duchess vowed to keep “banging the drum” when it comes to these issues.

“If people in my position don’t champion people like that, they have very little voice,” she said. “And they are so very vulnerable and in many countries, there isn’t a lot of help for them.”

Asked why she is so keen to spotlight these difficult and sometimes controversial areas, Sophie said: “It’s not an easy subject but it’s important that people are aware of it… Historically, they’ve always been there, but it’s been hard for them to have a voice.

“And to change behaviours, you have to keep banging the drum. So I keep on banging the drum.”

The duchess reflected on her visit to Maiti Nepal, a non-profit organisation that provides shelter, reintegration and rescue services to women and girls who have been trafficked, and said: “It is the most fantastic organisation. These women are in desperate need of help. I met some of the young women there and they are really changing their lives with the help of Maiti.”

Edward said that an important part of their visits to countries such as Nepal is to showcase the “brilliant” work of organisations that don’t get the full recognition they deserve.

He said: “If we can just shine a bit of a light on the work that they’re doing and it helps them to be able to tell the story better and to give them a better profile, then that’s what you really hope for.”

Sophie added that she hopes that their engagements capture the attention of relevant ministers. “They’re [the organisations are] looking for local help from ministers and things,” she said. “It’s amazing what a royal visit will do. These people will turn up and then hopefully they might learn something when they get there. And if that changes something for them for the better, then it’s great.”

It’s an example of the Royal Family’s soft power at its best, with their work helping to attract attention to charities and causes they highlight.

As they reflected on their first trip to Nepal, the couple said they had enjoyed learning about the depth of the relationship between the two countries and reinforcing the friendship that dates back over 200 years.

The Duchess revealed that the Attestation Parade on Friday was a particularly “emotional and beautiful” moment, as she stood just a few feet away from the new Gurhka recruits as they swore their allegiance to the King and formally joined the British Army. “It was very real and very tangible”, she said. “I found it quite an emotional day.”

Edward also spoke of his pride that they were “following in a long trail of family visits here”.

When asked what it was like to plant a tree alongside those planted by the late Queen and Prince Philip at Nepal’s Godawari Botanical Gardens, Sophie revealed that the couple revels in friendly competition.

“The first thing we always check is that the trees are doing really well,” she said. “It’s a bit of a competition between the two of us when we plant a tree, whose then does better over the years.”

Laughing, Edward turned to his wife and said “yes, I wonder why you mentioned that” after they were asked who was winning.

During the tree planting on Thursday, Edward took the lead. He reminded Sophie that she’d be planting a rhododendron in just a moment, and he jokingly got annoyed when she started repositioning the plant before he started shovelling the soil. “Sorry,” she said, as they both started laughing.

They then took turns watering the tree, with Sophie – who went second – saying: “This is going to make all the difference.”

Reflecting on the moment, Edward said: “There was a lot of banter going on.”

The duke and duchess are clearly a team and have a lot of fun together, something that we see whenever the king and queen are out and about together.

Admiration, affection and amusement are clearly at the heart of leading a successful life and relationship at the very top of the Royal Family.