The first event the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge did together after the terms of Sussexit were confirmed was their appearance at the UK-Africa Summit reception at Buckingham Palace. In our coverage, I mostly talked about how Kate looked dated and bangsy, but I did mention that Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex were at the reception too. Originally, Harry and Meghan were supposed to be there, but Harry jetted the f–k out of England as soon as he could, so Sophie and Edward seemingly took Harry and Meghan’s place. No surprise there, really – Sophie has been the Queen’s favorite in-law for years, and Sophie is very much a “second daughter” to the Queen. So it’s also no surprise that Sophie and Edward are being pushed as the “replacements” for Harry and Meghan:
Sophie Wessex is stepping up to attend more royal engagements in the wake of the Megxit crisis, The Sun on Sunday can reveal. Royal sources admitted that Prince Harry and wife Meghan’s decision to step down has left the Palace short of family members to represent the Queen. They revealed it is Prince Edward’s wife who has been chosen to pick up the slack.
One said: “Sophie’s a long-term favourite of the Queen and has been singled out as a person the Palace would like to help ease the burden. She’s very popular with other senior royals like Charles and Camilla, and has proved to be extremely good at public engagements. She’s proved to be extremely good at public engagements.”
This is the Windsor problem in a nutshell: “She’s very popular with other senior royals.” The Windsors are an insular clan and the queen chooses to put forward certain royals based on favoritism rather than ability or star power. That’s not a criticism of Sophie exactly, she seems like a nice woman who hasn’t been involved in anything scandalous or shady in more than a decade, and she’s proven that she serves the crown well. But she’s being pushed forward because the Queen likes her, not because Sophie will actually affect change or be “popular” with, you know, British subjects or Commonwealth subjects. Again, Sophie seems perfectly lovely. But she’s there because she’s the white, colonialist status quo. And it was especially f–king notable during the UK-Africa Summit.
Also, I posted this photo before but I still can’t believe this happened. This photo is perfect. UK-Africa relations, y’all.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red and Backgrid.
I’m starting to think if the Queen likes someone (ahem, Andrew) they might be a terrible person? It’s like if they don’t like you (harry and meghan), they might be decent humans?
I think you’re on to something here….
Sophie hasn’t done anything to show that she’s a horrible person. Pedo Andy is certainly a horrible, despicable person who deserves to be in prison, but I don’t think we need to group Sophie in with him just because she’s well liked by the rest of the family.
Lol. Please Google the “Sophie Tapes” scandal and get back to us.
I also think you are on to something. XO
I think Sophie gets the nod because she does get on well with Her Maj, AND is fundamentally incapable of outshining anyone, and doesn’t appear to have an interest in outshining anyone.
I agree with Kaiser’s take re: the “watch whiteness work” factor, but I think the other reason why this will work for the BRF is because Sophie is unassuming and innocuous and isn’t perceived as a “PR threat” by any major players in the family. She’s basically a warm body who knows how to dress and more importantly, knows how to blend into the background when necessary.
Exactly. She knows how, to blend into the background and she’s the right color.
Sophie will cut ribbons, open municipal buildings and generally do the day to day ‘bread and butter’ work the RF are expected to do. She will also not get any ideas about having causes or worse *independent ideas* (gasp).
I guess that’s what the RF want – someone to do the scut work while Charles and William (and Camilla and Kate) get the attention and the glamorous big thematic causes.
Bingo. It’s almost like…QE is terrible herself. Birds of a feather.
But she matches her purse to her outfit daily. She likes corgis. How could she possibly really be a horrible person like 85% of her family?
Yep the Queen is actually a terrible person. Her eyes are dark too. She seems to reject those actually trying to do good. She would rather have the elaborate illusion.
Does any one else remember the scandal about them a few years after they married?
In 2001, there was a sandal called the “Sophie Tapes”. I recall that a newspaper secretly recorded Sophie and her business partner while they worked at their PR firm. In the tapes, they discussed organizing “sex tours for clients”, professed their “fondness of cocaine”, and even questioned Edward’s sexuality. In addition, Sophie made disparaging remarks about former British PM Tony Blair and several other British politicians. Sophie subsequently resigned from the PR firm due to the ensuing uproar.
Oh dear.
Yup but don’t worry, Meghan’s avocado sandwiches, poisonous flowers, belly touching, personal baby shower are more dangerous and threatening to the Monarch’s survival.
Sophie is no saint. Once she married Edward she was caught on tape again bad mouthing the Queen and the family while at the same time offering access to the Queen. Has her personality and principles changed? Who knows. She married a man who she thought to be sexually ambiguous and who has a reputation, like Andrew, of extreme self-entitlement and rudeness. But now, like Kate — she’s never put a foot wrong.
It has been said to beware of history, as history is most often written and institutionalized by the victors. You can see that theory in live action as The Firm rewrites the personalities and erases actions of members of their own family in real time. The real tragedy is most people seem to buy the constant revisions, forgetting the truth of what they themselves know to have actually happened in their own lifetime. I feel like The Firm has taken as a working thesis, the plot line of The Emperor Has No Clothes.” They say what is true and we peasants are supposed to ignore what is really true.
Sophie is phenomenal at climbing.
She got Edward to marry her while not being part of that aristo circle, became the Queen’s favorite with no apparent jealousy from the other family members, snagged Bagshot Park for her family, and has her father included in the Christmas celebrations. She even kept her HRH while working for profit! She is the smartest decision Edward ever made.
All while relatively quiet and under the radar except for when her own foul behavior trips her up. And now we’re watching her rush to be Kate’s new best friend. She shops for her apparently!
The Wessexes also live a life of luxury and private planes but with little to no scrutiny.
It seems kind of gross that they’re pushing the Countess of Wessex forward to step into the void. I mean, there’s hardly a mention of her husband who’s actually the child of the Queen. Why is it not “the Earl and Countess of Wessex will step it up?”
Because all the men in that family get away with everything, apparently.
All this “easing the burden” stuff is a bit much too. No one is asking them to dig ditches or work construction, or be a nurse in a hospital. They dress up and stand there and take photos, and get to live in the lap of luxury for it.
Oh Lucy2 … it is SO, SO FUNNY. Meghan and Harry were the only ones actually working. Coming up with inventive and successful ways to help others. “They dress up and stand there and take photos.” Precisely!!!!! THIS IS NOT A REAL JOB!!!! Have some tea and get on with it. Grab your pearls and go. Fark.
@Shannon – are you familiar with The Prince’s Trust? Charles has been doing innovative economic development work for decades.
Mac, how much of that “work” do you think Charles actually *does*? He has a board, volunteers, people who do the *actual* work, he puts his name on it, shows up for the photo ops, and leaves. He is not in the trenches actually DOING the legwork. He’s not crunching the numbers to make the budget stretch. He shows up at a fundraiser or a gala to DRAW ATTENTION, to GET the donors to show up for the meet n’ greet. Let’s not pretend that he actually does more than that.
@ TheOG
By all accounts, Charles visits Trust projects without media quite a bit. I think he used to do it more, when the queen and Prince Phil were more active, but people involved with the Trust have always raved about his dedication and efforts. Of course he’s not doing the accounting, but the Prince’s Trust is entirely his project, the way Sentebale and the Invictus Games are Harry’s. I have issues with Charles, but his work with the Prince’s Trust isn’t one of them, frankly, the other royals should be doing more stuff like this. I thought Kate’s early childhood project would be a version of this, and it isn’t and that is disappointing.
@OG The annual budget for the Prince’s Trust is over $70 million. Obviously Charles does not do the work singlehandedly.
This story is total BS. Sophie has been a working royal with a full schedule for years. Since Princess Anne was also at the reception, I assume, as senior royals, Sophie and Edward we’re booked from the get-go. Also, Harry did attend the summit, but not the reception.
Agreed. I looked up the engagement numbers for 2018 and Sophie is sixth, right behind the Queen and the four children. More than William, Harry, Kate and Meghan (I will give the latter two leeway because Kate was pregnant and Meghan had only married into the family in May. But those lazy men have no excuse.)
I wondered the same thing, Boxy Lady!
@Boxy Lady: I think there’s a lot of scandal that’s been carefully wiped clean about Edward. Sophie actually put her foot down and demanded that he marry her after they’d been together for many years, and I think it was mostly to hide the fact that he’s a closeted bisexual.
I also take this as that TQ knows the Cambridges aren’t going to step up and support her and/or Charles in any real meaningful way. Chuck’s dream of the RF being just him and his children has burned out – he’s going to have to rely on support from his siblings who have the work ethic his heir and daughter in law does not.
I don’t expect the Cambridge’s sudden work ethic to last – once the hoopla surrounding Sussexit dies down, they will go back to being ‘bare min’. Once the results of Kate’s ‘landmark’ survey are released she’ll disappear to reflect and plan her work around said results which means we won’t see her for months.
I pity Charles a tad; NOTHING he planned on professionally really worked out, did it? The man thought he’d be king, but his mother has had such a long reign, he’s had little power his entire life, after being groomed for it his entire upbringing. Neither of his sons took on the Prince’s Trust, and now Harry and Meghan have left.
Lmao. No one cares about Sophia.
The only time Kate stands straight is when she’s leaning away from people of colour
Ha!
Sad but true.
Oh boy!
Wow, the royals are really circling the wagons. I remain convinced that Andrew’s clear association with Epstein was the last straw for Harry and Meghan. They wouldn’t sign on to the coverup.
Sophie has been doing around 300 -350 engagements since she and Edward were told they were going to be full time royals, which was 15 years ago. She does a lot of speeches and sometimes on things like women’s issues, so she hasn’t just been sitting on her ass sending out surveys. Sophie had higher engagement numbers than Kate ever has even when she was part time and running her PR business. It’s pretty insulting for them to suggest that Sophie needs to work more. It’s the Cambridges who have been slacking.
That’s what I thought. She’s always put in the numbers but faded into the background because of the younger royals. I think she knows how to do royal work and non-royal work (she did work before marrying Edward). I don’t mind seeing more of her and see how future Kween compares since she’s the one who is going to save the monarchy.
I was coming here to say the same thing. Sophie works constantly-she just doesn’t get the same coverage the younger, more glamorous royals get. So basically all this means is that they want more press to cover her?
Yea but if the press cover her more will William get jealous and elated at the same time? You know…cos the rumours will hit him less but at the same time he wants attention when he wants it lol
exactly! it’s Kate who should be stepping it up a notch.
Hey, she came up with 5 questions! What more do you want in just 8 years!
YES! I just said this below. Sophie works. Not Anne-numbers, but she works constantly and has some very interesting projects/causes. (remember when she biked from Edinburgh to London?) Its insulting to say she should step up more when Kate routinely goes weeks without being seen.
You said it! It’s ridiculous.
The Windsor destruction machine is prepping for the wheels to start rolling over the Wessexes. If at any particular point the Cambs feel threatened that Sophie is out shining them in any way shape or form, mark my words, Sophie is gonna get it.
I think she is exactly the type of worker they want. Will do a lot but not be glamorous enough to overshadow the Cambridges.
Well I guess Will and Kate have won one thing: a couple who’ll do the heavy lifting engagement wise and not overshadow them or complain in the process. Once everything dies down they can go back to coasting.
It seems like a good plan, however, Sophie is very stylish (the fit of the dress above is not her usual style) and her work is highly regarded. You know what Iyanla Vanzant said, “If you do something here, you do it everywhere” and I think Sophie may be in danger of receiving the same treatment if she does her job a little too well because one thing we know, above all else, the Cambridges are petty AF.
I don’t see the press taking more interest in her than Kate. Even if she does work harder and dress better, no one cares. I don’t think she’s direct competition for Kate (or Edward for William) and that’s the most important part.
Her?
Didn’t she shit talk her in laws to an undercover reporter?
No but she was secretly recorded talking s*it about her husband and lot of other juicy details like her penchant for organizing sex tours for her clients at the PR firm she worked for. She’s garbage just like the rest of them.
Sophie already works a great deal for the royal family, and does a lot of the shorter overseas visits too (she was in Sierra Leone this week I think.) So sure, she could probably get her numbers higher, but its not like she barely works now.
So based on that….clearly the one who should step up is Kate, since she’s the FFQC and she is the one who barely works. this is the time both she and William should start pulling in 300+ engagements a year. It will be interesting to see if she keeps up her current pace.
Sophie was put in charge of wrangling Ivanka and Jared at the big dinner last summer and managed to keep them from getting in any pictures with the Queen, Charles, William, and Kate.
Yep.
How long do William and Kate get to coast?
The Queen doesn’t believe the Monarchy is supposed to affect change or that anyone, aside from her, should have star power. The monarchy is about being stable and everyone under the Queen is supposed to simply be a representative of her. No one is supposed to stand out on their own. That’s how the Firm works. That isn’t how the real world works and they continue to be surprised by it. They continue to believe the public should think that born male Royals are more interesting than the women. The fact is the women are always more interesting than the men for many reasons. The women who marry are always the most interesting. Everyone would forget Edward exits if it weren’t for Sophie.
What really burns is that Sophie does a lot of women-focused work, as does Camilla. Things related to human trafficking, sexual abuse, domestic violence. If Meghan were to do any work in those fields, she would automatically be called “too political.”
Why is Sophie walking next to Will?
Are you joking? It’s early still and I cant quite tell 🙂
Yes????? 😉
I just scrolled back up – hahahahaha
If I were Sophie and Edward, I’d have a few conditions. “We’ll step in but when it comes time to “slim down” during Charles’ reign we’re not included in the trimming” or bigger budget or cheaper rent, SOMETHING if possible.
Sophie works. She regularly does 300 engagements a year or so
If someone needs to step up, it should be William, Kate and possibly Camilla (her numbers are low compared to her husband and others)
Was just coming to say just that. She already does more engagements a year that Kate, but SHE is the one who needs to step it up? These people can’t even keep their narrative straight.
The wife of the 11th in line ttithe throne should not have to increase her work load. FFQC Kate needs to get off her duff.
I recall people wondering why Harry wouldn’t take on the Prince’s Trust, maybe Harry had already planned to step back..
Sophie will not be attacked by the press..
Apart from the one scandal where Sophie was recorded disparaging her husband/British politicians at her PR firm, she’s been scandal free since right? I always thought she and Meghan mind bond as the two women who actually had a career before marrying into the royal family but looks like that never happened. I don’t mind her and you can’t say she doesn’t work, she is one of the hardest working members of the BRF. I’d rather see Sophie more than the York sisters.
But I have always wondered about Prince Edward and the rumors of his sexuality. My mom told me people were surprised when he finally got married because people had always suspected he was gay. Not sure there was anything to substantiate the rumors? I was too young to pay attention to royal family gossip when he got married.
Ok, for everyone who says it’s William and Kate who need to step up, not the minor royals, I’m going to throw this out: the heirs to the throne (and their spouses) do NOT need to “step up” because of the way a monarchy works. They get the throne by virtue of their birth alone, not based on how much work they do. Maybe that’s dumb, but that’s what a monarchy is.
But the other royals — what justifies funding THEIR lifestyles? They will never have the throne, or any position of real importance. The royal family can’t even predict how many kids any one member of the family may have, so when kids come along (like Edward) they scramble to give him a title and something to do. It’s THESE royals who need to step up their work to justify their lifestyles.
The monarch is the only one with a constitutional role, the rest, including the prince of Wales are technically hangers on. So they all need to earn their excessive funding except for the monarch who is doing a specific job. It’s a constitutional monarchy which means that while direct heirs probably will get the position they might not, and they are meaningless until they are in the position. William has no more value to the monarchy than Edward or Anne right now. Until he’s monarch, he’s a hanger on. Charles is as well, but he’s managed to look useful for all these decades. In a post Brexit world there will be more scrutiny of this. Harry was smart to get out when he did because the target would have been even worse on him. William banks on a likely but not certain future position.
So much for paring down the number of working”royals” like Charles claims he wanted