You can’t have a favorite family member, and many people deny their favoritism, but people often have one relative that they like a little bit extra. This also applies to the British monarchy. (The royal family really is just like us.) One royal family member reportedly held a special place in Queen Elizabeth II’s heart. And this chosen member may surprise you.
Royal expert and biographer Ingrid Seward told OK! According to the magazine, Prince Edward’s wife, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, had the most important bond with the late monarch than anyone else. In fact, Elizabeth considered Sophie her “true favorite.”
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“Aside from her daughter Anne, the Queen was closer to Sophie than any of the other royal women,” Seward told the magazine. “It was a real intimacy, and Elizabeth has always been Sophie’s biggest confidant.”
Elizabeth had a most precious reason for feeling this way. “The Queen found her very down-to-earth. She rejected things like expensive security and loved her lack of class and grace,” Seward continued. “I think she also saw Sophie as something of a surrogate daughter.”
Fellow royal expert Katie Nicholl also weighed in on Sophie’s relationship with her mother-in-law.
“Sophie had a great relationship with the Queen, but she never saw it as a hassle,” Nicole said. “She was very willing to volunteer to provide support when needed, and she did so with quiet enthusiasm and an always bright smile. In return, Elizabeth not only relied on Sophie, but implicitly I think I learned to trust her.”
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A court source previously told the publication that as an example of the Queen’s trust in Sophie, the Duchess reportedly succeeded in persuading the Queen to watch the hit Netflix show The Crown. are.
Seward also explained that Sophie and Elizabeth have a lot in common, including a shared love of military history, so they have a lot to relate to.
“Sophie has apparently been to World War I battlefields and museums in northern France, but obviously she hasn’t been able to go to the Queen,” Seward said. “So Sophie called her from there and told her.”
There’s no doubt that a life of luxury can be stressful at times, and Elizabeth seems to appreciate Sophie’s ease.
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“I think she saw in Sophie a very thoughtful young woman, and she welcomed her into her inner circle right away,” Nicole explained. “Sophie understood her place in the company hierarchy and was never in trouble. Even in the early days, when there was some drama around her, the Queen He was on her side.”
After Elizabeth’s death, Sophie remained the light of the family. She has recently been dubbed the “royal family’s secret weapon.” The Duchess of Cambridge also plays the role of “peacekeeper” between Prince William and Prince Harry, and it was revealed that she and the Duchess have a “sisterly bond”, but this comes after the Princess of Wales battled cancer last year. It became especially noticeable during this period.
