Sophie was visibly emotional as she spoke about her two children with Prince Edward, Lady Louise Windsor and James Viscount Severn, after a poignant royal moment

The Duchess of Edinburgh was moved to tears this week as she made a rare comment about her two children, Lady Louise and James, Earl of Wessex.

Sophie and Edward chose not to give their daughter and son a royal title at birth and very rarely speak about their private family life. But the proud mum opened up about Louise, 21, and James, 17, during a visit to L’Arche – a south London community of “friends and equals” made up of people with learning disabilities and their supporters.

While there, Sophie was asked about the moment her two children stood vigil beside the coffin of their late grandmother, Elizabeth II following her death in September 2022. Louise and James both took their place in Westminster Hall alongside their older cousins, including Prince William, Prince Harry, Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips, in a poignant tribute.

Lady Louise and James joined their older cousins to hold vigil besides the Queen’s coffin ( 
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The Telegraph was on hand to capture her moving response: “Unflappable, she thinks a moment before answering. It was, she says, ‘incredibly moving’, leaving her ‘just so proud of them’ – ‘all of the cousins’ – for the way they listened to instructions.”

Sophie continued: “I suppose there was a part of me initially that thought, ‘Would it be appropriate for James, perhaps, to do it?’ because he was younger than the others, but he was really keen to do it. And I think it was really important for him to do it, and obviously for Louise as well.

“But they did it so well, each and every one of them. I was slightly holding my breath, wanting them to feel that they’d done it well more than anything else. I wasn’t worried about anything happening; it was more that I wanted them to feel that they’d done their bit for their grandmother. It was incredibly moving, and lovely to see her surrounded by them.”

According to the publication, Sophie then paused, put her hands on her heart and seemed to “blink to stop tears falling”, before saying: “I don’t think I can talk about it any more.”

Sophie spoke of her pride for all the late Queen’s grandchildren ( 
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Sophie has a very close relationship with the late Queen. The monarch is said to have ‘trusted’ and ‘relied’ on Sophie to a greater extent than many others in her inner circle, and reportedly saw her as ‘more like a daughter’ than a daughter-in-law.

Their special bond was said to be down to their similar interests, with the pair often spending Saturday or Sunday evenings together at Windsor, watching old war films and historical documentaries. Sophie was frequently given the honour of travelling with the Queen when she attended church services at either Sandringham or Balmoral, a sign of just how close they were.

The Duchess also famously once referred to the Queen by a deeply personal nickname in a speech – ‘mama’. And when she was asked once whether she genuinely shared the closest of bonds with the late Queen, as many reported, Sophie touchingly replied: “I think so. I hope so.”