King Charles has found a huge source of support in Duchess Sophie (Image: (Image: Getty))
As King Charles battles cancer, he’s leaning on other working royals to fulfil Royal duties. One such family member who has been noticed ‘stepping up’ is the Duchess of Edinburgh, Sophie Wessex.
Sophie officially became a part of The Firm 25 years ago when she tied the knot with Queen Elizabeth II’s youngest son, the Duke of Edinburgh. In recent years, Sophie has been spotted dedicating more time to high-profile engagements, including attending the Sovereign’s garden party at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla last month.
With her increasing presence, former BBC Royal correspondent Jennie Bond shared with OK! her predictions for Sophie’s future role: “I think we can expect Sophie to keep up or even increase her workload as the key member of the royal family she now is. She has really come into her own in recent years and is now rightly getting the recognition she deserves.”
King Charles has been leaning on his sister-in-law Duchess Sophie a lot in recent months ( Image: Getty Images)
However, Jennie pointed out that Sophie still has her ‘own family’ to consider, which could impact her Royal duties, adding: “She still has her own family to consider…her 93 year old father and her children, now 20 and 16. But she seems to be devoting more and more time to high profile royal engagements.”
“I think she is also much admired for carrying out overseas tours, often highlighting extremely difficult subjects such as violence against women in conflict zones, without very much attendant publicity.
“The King relies heavily on the small band of working royals he has around him…particularly since his cancer diagnosis and with Catherine out of action. This, I think, has brought him closer than ever to his youngest brother and Sophie,”
“I think Charles will always be grateful for the huge support and affection Sophie gave to his mother, the late Queen…who came to regard her as another daughter.”
In spite of the Princess of Wales being ‘out of action’, she has managed to perform two significant public appearances since announcing her chemotherapy treatment. In one stunning moment in June, the nation was captivated as she appeared at Trooping The Colour, exuding grace in a chic white mini dress her first public outing since December.
Subsequently, a wave of applause welcomed her presence at the Wimbledon’s Men’s Final a month later. A statement from Kate in June conveyed her ongoing battle, stating she is making good progress but acknowledged she is “not out of the woods yet” while noting that her path to recovery includes “good days and bad days”.
