The rise of DUCHESS SOPHIE

The Duchess of Edinburgh has transformed from PR girl into the Royal Family’s secret weapon’

With the Princess of Wales not working while she undergoes cancer treatment and King Charles also taking time off earlier this year with his own cancer diagnosis, there are, worryingly, few senior members of the Royal Family left to pick up the slack.

But one royal who has really stepped into the spotlight recently and taken on more responsibility is the Duchess of Edinburgh, who royal biographer Emily Andrews has described as ‘a hard worker, a stalwart of The Firm and charming’.

Most recently, Sophie, who is married to the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s youngest son Prince Edward, visited Ukraine to show her solidarity with those affected by the war since Russia invaded two years ago. During her visit, in a meeting with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska, she delivered a message on behalf of the King.

When she married Prince Edward in 1999, few knew who the then Sophie Rhys-Jones was – and even fewer could predict how integral she would become within the Royal Family.

Here, we look at how Sophie, who has been described by royal insiders as ‘one of the new stars of the show’, has risen through the royal ranks.

Humble beginnings

When Sophie started dating Prince Edward in 1993, she was working in PR after training to become a secretary at a college in Kent, where she grew up. She spent four years working at Capital Radio in the press and promotions department, as well as public relations companies, The Quentin Bell Organisation and MacLaurin Communications & Media.