A few weeks ago, the Duchess of Edinburgh carried out a solo foreign visit to Zambia. She highlighted conservation work being done along the Zambezi River, and she took a boat ride. The royal trip barely got any attention, and few British outlets carried the photos of Sophie and the elephants. That’s the way it is with Sophie and her husband Prince Edward – they travel regularly on behalf of the Firm, they never get much attention, and then their reward for working in almost complete silence is that, every six months or so, Sophie the PR whiz organizes an embiggening article about how she’s “a pair of safe hands” for the monarchy. “Safe hands” is not the same thing as “people not realizing she exists,” but don’t tell Sophie that. Well, the Mail’s Becky English wrote up another big piece about how Sophie is truly the best royal ever.
Sophie could write the royal manual! If anyone could write the manual on how to be royal, it would surely be the Duchess of Edinburgh. A former PR executive before she married Prince Edward, Sophie has an instinctive understanding of image and presentation. Yet her greatest strength may be her ability to make royal duty look effortless, loyal, hardworking and, crucially, unshowy. As the royal soap opera intensifies this week with the publication of Earl Spencer’s new book, Swan Song, and the Sussexes back on British soil, Sophie has appeared to float serenely above the drama, carrying out a five-day solo tour of Zambia.
Rebecca English on Sophie’s whole vibe: ‘Over the years Sophie has quietly set about cultivating a group of charitable patronages that she feels strongly about and, as a result, her personal passion shines through… The issue of sexual violence is something she has learnt more about during the course of her official travels and has led her to becoming a passionate advocate against it on the world stage. I’ve seen her give a seven-minute off-the-cuff speech on the issue, without any notes on the subject. She was seriously impressive.’
Former royal aide Alisa Anderson-Cole chimes in: ‘While all the drama is going on over the arrival in the UK by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the explosive publication of Earl Spencer’s new book, the Duchess of Edinburgh is putting duty before self, representing the UK on a solo visit to Zambia,’ she says. Even the non-arrival of her luggage was handled with characteristic good humour. ‘Typically, steadfast and unwavering in her support of the charities close to her heart, she coped with the non-arrival of her luggage by laughing it off and carrying on with engagements in her travel gear. Who could not smile watching her unselfconsciously dance with local women who have been treated for serious eye conditions? She is not afraid to show her fun side while promoting incredibly important issues like gender equality, education and nature. Once again she has proved what a huge asset she is to the King and the monarchy.’
The future of the monarchy: With King Charles due to turn 78 in November, the future of the monarchy is inevitably becoming more prominent. For Prince William, the crown is now within sight, even if his accession remains some way off. No one can know exactly what William’s reign will look like, but one thing is clear – Sophie has established herself as one of the monarchy’s most dependable figures. She could therefore become an increasingly important member of the Royal Family in the years ahead, a woman who understands that duty is as much about the unglamorous engagements as the glittering ones.
Practical Sophie: ‘Members of the Duchess’s circle have also often told me over the years about how much they value her friendship and loyalty,’ says Rebecca English. ‘And they rave about how “seriously practical” she is. One told me how they had spent the entire weekend trying to get their new oven to work. She came over, grabbed the instructions and had it working within minutes.’
English on how King Charles views his sister-in-law: ‘She and Edward are actually very sweet together,’ she says. ‘Although even I was surprised to hear her say, as they marked their 25th wedding anniversary, that she still fancied him in a uniform. That definitely wasn’t on my royal bingo chart! Along with Louise and James, they are a lovely little family unit. I know the King sees Sophie very much as a safe pair of hands and her growing closeness with the Princess of Wales will only go to strengthen the family in the future.’
It’s PR by rote, just spending an entire decade emphasizing the same talking points, using the exact same words, over and over again. Well, Sophie did change up one thing – when QEII was alive, Sophie always told people that she was QEII’s favorite, and that they had a very special bond. Sophie even told people that the Queen wanted Sophie to get more attention! Funny, isn’t it? Even funnier is that Sophie feels like has to be deliberately “unshowy” because King Charles is a petulant and jealous man who throws tantrums whenever anyone else gets attention. But even if Sophie waltzed around in provocative clothing, making political statements and attending high-profile events constantly, she still wouldn’t get that much attention?
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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- The Duchess of Edinburgh travels along the Zambezi River by boat to see the wildlife protected by Conservation Lower Zambezi in the Lower Zambezi National Park and to view the ecosystem and witness some of the challenges facing the park as well as conservation partnerships, sustainable tourism and community linked environmental protection, during her visit to Zambia Featuring: Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh Where: Lower Zambezi, Zambia When: 16 Sep 2026 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Duchess of Edinburgh as she travels along the Zambezi River by boat to see the wildlife protected by Conservation Lower Zambezi in the Lower Zambezi National Park and to view the ecosystem and witness some of the challenges facing the park as well as conservation partnerships, sustainable tourism and community linked environmental protection, during her visit to Zambia Featuring: Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh Where: Lower Zambezi, Zambia When: 16 Sep 2026 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Duchess of Edinburgh takes part in a Women in Wildlife roundtable with conservationists from Conservation Lower Zambezi and Wildlife Crime Prevention at the Royal Zambia Lodge in Lower Zambezi, during her visit to Zambia Featuring: Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh Where: Lower Zambezi, Zambia When: 16 Sep 2026 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
I guess Peggy, whos been screaming to Harry for ages, “Africa is mine!” just gave Africa to Sophie.
Yeah, ‘unshowy’ and ‘invisible’ are not synonyms. But if I have trouble with a kitchen appliance, I’ve got her on speed dial!
The only interesting thing about these photos is the elephant.
Nice job, if you can get it.
💯 agree
How long has she and Kate know each other and they are STILL just becoming close???
What a ridiculous family.
The issue is she does do pretty meaningful work, but it will never be covered, which in turn, makes her and Edward a really bad deal for the British people and government. She and Edward are also a cautionary tale that if you ever try to live a life outside the crown, you will be put in your place and realize that to be happy, you need to serve the crown quietly and the press will call you a “safe pair of hands” or a “good egg” and you will leave no real mark.
I’m sorry but this isn’t true at all. I wrote my own comment below, but Sophie is an extremely good deal for the UK government. I would say probably the best of the Royals by far. The UK government has labeled itself at the UN and in international relations as the leader nation on conflict-related sexual violence. Research the Foreign Office’s Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (started by William Hague with support from Angelina actually way back in the day), the PSVI International Alliance (an organization of countries focused on sexual violence in conflict founded by the UK), and their Special Envoy to the UN on sexual violence in conflict.
Yes, what Sophie “does” is not covered by mainstream media, but neither is anything I just mentioned above. And it’s actually the real work of the UK government and what matters. The Alliance inaugural Global Conference was opened by Sophie. She’s a very, very big deal in this area and the UK government very much relies on her to be the face of all these initiatives. I can promise you that if the UK government wants to for example get Nadia Murad for some initiative (the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Yadzidi victim of sexual slavery and violence), it is Sophie who has her on speed dial and will do the intro or “discussion” with Nadia.
Thank you for calling this to our attention.
I could not stop laughing at the article. Kaiser, it’s almost as funny as you!
Lazy and boring is what they mean, with truly atrocious dress sense.
If Sophie’s so great why doesn’t the press cover her more?
Was this written by AI?
It sounds like the spiel you’d expect to read about a holiday resort or a restaurant.
‘A former PR executive before she married Prince Edward, Sophie has an instinctive understanding of image and presentation.’
I’ve got it! It’s the little blurbs they have with the pages of ads at the back of Vogue. ‘Sophie is a swimwear brand for ladies who know their worth and value their individuality.’
This almost reads like a criticism of Kate, like Sophie is everything Kate isn’t.
As in, Sophie would have the good sense to not have creased semi-transparent linens on a fold up card table for a tea party?
Well that, but also the part about being hardworking, unshowy, passionate about her patronages and having the ability to speak knowledgeably about a subject.
Is it really highlighting conservation efforts if no one is paying attention?
Why wasn’t she traveling with a carry on bag of her first outfits? I understand she probably had several outfits for each day so I wouldn’t expect she would only travel with a carry on, but come on—what poor planning!
I’ve written here about this many times, sorry for the repetition, but my work is about conflict-related sexual violence and I have seen Sophie in more contexts than I can count. She is extremely serious and knowledgeable on the topic and is no-fuss and extremely supportive. I know this site has its own purpose, this is a gossip blog. I get it. But, while it’s true that the Royal Rota doesn’t cover Sophie’s work that is not a criticism of her imo but of them. They are not real journalists and they don’t cover real topics. Sophie may not get mainstream media coverage, but in my field she is VERY well known, VERY high profile, and VERY respected. The Royal Rota would not cover a meeting with the UN Secretary-General’s special representative on sexual violence in conflict and wouldn’t know who that is, but that doesn’t mean that’s not actually one of the most important posts and people working on this issue. I can only say that the UK government benefits immensely in terms of recognition as a leader on this issue because of Sophie’s work. Again, I mean that in terms of people who actually work on the issue of sexual violence in conflict. Not the general public.
I haven’t seen any of your previous posts, so I’m glad you chimed in this morning. News to me — at least Sophie brings something substantial to the table, unlike Princess Keen.
This does feel like a very paint-by-numbers puff piece from Becky English, which is to be expected. Dwell on any of the details and things start to unravel quickly!
For example, the issue of sexual violence “is something she has learnt more about during the course of her official travels”? Since she’s travelling in Zambia, it’s implied that Sophie, an adult woman, learned about this issue in Africa. And don’t worry, now that she knows about it, she’s totally against it! She can give a seven minute speech against it without a script! Now, does English quote any of those passionate speeches to illustrate her point and remind her readers about the very real issue of sexual assault being minimized or normalized, or that rape is an ongoing weapon of war? Of course not, but never fear, Sophie’s words are “seriously impressive”. Take Rebecca’s word for it. I say this not to diminish what may well be Sophie’s serious interest, but to point out that in order to get any coverage from the tabloids, she is forced to hide it.
I think I got stuck on this bit because it’s so jarring next to the tone of the rest of the article, which is basically selling “unglamorous, dependable” Sophie to future king William. Her selling points are that she’s low cost, she’ll do the jobs he doesn’t want (i.e. travel outside of the home counties), and she’ll never steal his spotlight. He’ll barely even notice her! That’s a promise. English hilariously even makes a direct appeal to William, just in case her writing was too subtle.
In a way, the way she writes about Sophie is kind of the way I imagine she would like to write about Kate.
This is immaterial to her work, to whatever degree recognized, but that outfit pictured seems like the first time things seemed right for her, flattering and relaxed, even the colours are good.
It’s as if trying to look “royal” squeezes the life out of all these women.