Duchess Sophie Receives New Honour for Supporting Armed Forces Community
Duchess Sophie takes on a new patronage at Oswestry hospital, strengthening her ties with a service dedicated to supporting military veterans.
Duchess Sophie has long been involved in charitable causes and supporting communities close to her heart. Adding to her philanthropic work, the royal has now received a new honor that recognizes her connection to an important cause.
The new honor sees the Duchess of Edinburgh become patron of the Veterans’ Orthopaedic Service at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital. The announcement was marked by the unveiling of a portrait of Sophie at the hospital’s Headley Court Veterans’ Orthopaedic Centre on Wednesday.
“We are absolutely delighted that Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh has become Patron of our Veterans’ Orthopaedic Service,” said Stacey Keegan, Chief Executive of the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital. She added, “Her Royal Highness has shown a genuine interest in the care and well-being of veterans and members of the Armed Forces community, and we were honoured to welcome her to RJAH for the official opening of the Headley Court Veterans’ Orthopaedic Centre in 2023.”
Keegan also said that the patronage recognizes the work its teams have carried out over the years, as well as their ambition to continue developing specialist services for veterans. It also expressed hope that its relationship with the Duchess would continue to grow as it builds on the strong foundations already in place.
Sophie has been keeping busy with her latest overseas engagements, spending three days in Bangladesh from November 9 to 11, 2026. The Duchess began her visit in Dhaka, where she met Dr. Zubaida Rahman, wife of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, and visited a training institute for Bangladeshi women serving in UN peacekeeping missions.
She also joined young female athletes for a hockey session at the country's national sports institute before traveling to Cox's Bazar, where she met Rohingya refugees and learned about programs supporting women and children living in the camps.
