Kate Middleton and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, share a surprisingly close connection, with both having ‘ordinary’ backgrounds before they were swept into the regal fold by marriage. The Princess of Wales and the Duchess, who are neighbours in Windsor, have fostered a special companionship based on similar upbringings, distinct from those of their Royal husbands, Prince William and Prince Edward.
“Sophie and Catherine are very close – I think much more so than people realise,” commented Royal expert Katie Nicholl. “There’s not a huge age difference between them, and Sophie really welcomed Catherine when she married into the family. She was an outsider and so-called commoner, just as Sophie was, so they had that bond from an early stage.”
Hailing from Kent with working parents and attending prestigious private schools, Sophie’s beginnings, despite a comfortable lifestyle, were not among the elite, paralleling Kate’s upper-middle-class upbringing in Berkshire to parents who worked in aviation, as detailed in a 2001 BBC report.
READ MORE: All the parts of England set for 45-hour snow deluge with three inches falling every hour
Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp, click the link to join
Photographs have often captured the close bond between Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and Princess Kate, with moments like their shared laughter at Royal Ascot in 2017 when Sophie nearly took a tumble into their carriage. They’ve been seen together on shopping trips in London and enjoying Wimbledon side by side.
In 2018, they co-hosted the Commonwealth Fashion Exchange event at Buckingham Palace. During the pandemic, the duo joined forces to make a video call to nurses across the globe, reaching out to places such as Australia, India, Malawi, the Bahamas, and Cyprus, reports the Mirror.
While some who have married into the Royal Family, like Princess Diana and Meghan Markle, have spoken about the difficulties of meeting the high expectations of The Firm, Sophie has earned universal respect and affection. Her ability to connect with both young and old members of the Royal Family has led to her being seen as a “bridge between generations”.
Royal commentator Katie Nicholl notes, “Sophie is a very popular member of the family because she’s easy-going, there’s never any drama, and she just gets on with the job, quietly and diligently.”
Sophie is also believed to share a close relationship with Queen Camilla, having been instrumental in supporting Prince Charles during his cancer diagnosis in 2024. Alongside her husband, Prince Edward, Sophie has been a strong support for Prince William amidst his well-publicised rift with his brother, Prince Harry.