4 Royal Roles Queen Elizabeth Handed to Duchess Sophie but Not Camilla

Queen Elizabeth had a long list of royal duties to divide among the members of her family, and Duchess Sophie found herself bestowed with some important roles. Over the years, the late Queen trusted her daughter-in-law with several responsibilities that gave her a distinct place within the Royal Family. And some of those roles never made their way to Queen Camilla.

One of Sophie’s most notable royal roles came when she became Patron of Girlguiding in 2024, taking over from Queen Elizabeth. The late Queen had been closely connected to the organization for decades and served as its patron since 1953. Meanwhile, Sophie had already spent more than 20 years as its president. So, the appointment felt like a natural continuation.

Sophie took on another role that had been held by Queen Elizabeth for decades when she became Royal Patron of Mothers’ Union in February 2025. The organization works with communities around the world on issues including gender-based violence, maternal health, poverty, and support for families.

The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust was an important part of the late Queen's legacy. Sophie took on the role of Vice-Patron in 2015, three years after the Trust was created to mark the Queen’s 60 years of service to the Commonwealth. She became heavily involved in its work to tackle avoidable blindness, travelling to Malawi, Bangladesh, and India to see the projects firsthand. As per Town & Country, Sophie said in a speech during a reception of the Trust, “Mama, when I have returned from my travels, I have been so proud to share with you the work I have witnessed being carried out under the umbrella of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust and the care of so many people working so hard to save and cure sight.”

Sophie became Patron of the British Cycling Federation at the end of 2016, after Queen Elizabeth stepped down from the role. The timing was quite fitting, considering Sophie had already completed a gruelling 450-mile cycle from Holyroodhouse to Buckingham Palace earlier that year for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. She has since remained closely involved with the sport and even cheered on Team GB at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she watched the women’s sprint cycling team win gold.