Duchess Sophie admits 'secret weapon' nickname is 'backhanded compliment'
Sophie has addressed how she is portrayed within the monarchy
Popular royal Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, has admitted she likes to keep her head down while addressing how she is referred to as a “secret weapon” in the press.
The wife of Prince Edward, 60, recently travelled to Bosnia and Herzegovina to represent King Charles at the 30th anniversary commemoration of the Srebrenica genocide.
Her three-day visit last week saw Sophie deliver a moving message on behalf of the monarch, urging the memory of victims of the massacre to be honoured through “understanding and tolerance between all peoples”. But amid her trip to the Balkans, Sophie modestly denied she operates in a “frontline role” for The Firm.
Duchess Sophie is often branded the royal family’s ‘secret weapon’
Portrayed as being as steady as a rock within the royal family, Sophie carried out 257 engagements in 2024. This tally is said to make her one of the hardest-working royals – behind her husband Edward, Princess Anne, and the king.
She was also regarded as being very close to her late mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II. All of that hard graft led to Sophie being dubbed a “safe pair of hands” and a “secret weapon” by royal observers. And she is also perceived to have stepped up as the king and Kate, Princess of Wales, have endured cancer.
“Now, more than ever, we’re seeing what a vital cog Sophie is in the royal machine,” author Katie Nicholl has previously said.
The journalist continued: “People say she is the ‘secret weapon’ within the monarchy, and I think that’s absolutely true, because she’s always there at pivotal moments to help steady the ship.
“She’s seen as a very safe pair of hands, which really became evident during the final years of the late queen’s life as she relied more and more on her substitutes.”
However, it seems Sophie herself may not agree with such an assessment.
How Sophie considers herself within the royal family
Speaking to the Mirror while she was away, Sophie played down the influence she commands.
“I like to fly under the radar,” she is said to have claimed. Sophie reportedly went on: “It’s all very well being a secret weapon. But if no one knows, maybe it’s too secret.”
Sophie continued by jokingly minimising her position. “I suppose I should take it as a backhanded compliment,” she said. “I don’t see myself in a frontline position, per se.”
I suppose I should take it as a backhanded compliment.
However, Sophie did concede that a slimmed down royal family depends more on its core members. But she also pondered whether she might end up with another label in the future.
Sophie added: “That said, admittedly, there are fewer working members of the family these days. So I suppose more and more I’m becoming less secretive. I just wonder what they are going to describe me as next!”
Read more: Sophie Duchess of Edinburgh delivers message from King Charles in Bosnia
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