Duchess Sophie Opens Up About Inheriting One of Queen Elizabeth's Titles: 'For Me It Was...'
The Duchess of Edinburgh recently reflected on her evolving role within the royal family and the weight of carrying forward Queen Elizabeth’s legacy.
Prince Edward and his wife, Sophie, are among the royal members who prefer to stay out of the spotlight. Still, when it came to discussing Queen Elizabeth's legacy, the Duchess of Edinburgh didn't hesitate to share her thoughts about carrying the prestigious title once held by the late monarch. She also used the opportunity to address the informal title she has as the ‘secret weapon' of the royal family, and the emotional toll it has taken on her.
The Duchess recently visited Bosnia and Herzegovina to mark the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide. During her visit, she opened up about her duties as a senior royal member and what it feels like to carry forward the late Queen’s legacy. She told The Mirror, “First of all, it was quite a large shoe to fill because not as many of the population alive today will remember, but the Queen was Duchess of Edinburgh for the first few years when she and my father-in-law first married.”
The late monarch became the Duchess of Edinburgh after her marriage to Prince Philip and held the title till she ascended to the throne. Reflecting on inheriting the prestigious title, Sophie further added, “For me, it was quite an emotional thing to sort of step into her shoes [as being Duchess of Edinburgh], it felt like quite a big moment.” Sophie became the Countess of Wessex upon her marriage to Prince Edward. However, when the prince was given his father, Prince Philip’s, title of Duke of Edinburgh, she became the Duchess of Edinburgh.
During the interaction, the mother of two also threw light on her and her husband’s duties as the senior members of the royal family. The royal couple has learned to strike a fine balance between their personal life and royal duties, despite playing a key role in the monarchy. The Duchess said, “But of course being practical my role and my husband’s role is to support the King as it was to support the Queen and we are fortunate because we are able to not be in front and centre role, so it allows us the flexibility to explore our own interests and then also be available to do things like this where the King asked if I would represent him here, it so happens it also covering an area of interest personally for me too. But yes, we are there to support, and that will continue.”
Besides her royal title, the Duchess is also famously known in the media as the Royal Family’s ‘secret weapon.’ Shedding light on the informal title, she said, “I like to fly under the radar. It’s all very well being a secret weapon, but if no one knows, maybe it's too secret.” The former Countess continued, “I suppose I should take it as a backhanded compliment. I don’t see myself in a frontline position per se, that said, admittedly, there are fewer working members of the family these days, so I suppose more and more I'm becoming less secretive. I just wonder what they are going to describe me as next!”
Although the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh prefer to keep their professional and personal life under wraps, they have nonetheless gained prominence with their unwavering loyalty to the monarchy. According to The Sun, experts believe they may soon replace Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in supporting the monarchy.
