Sophie married into the monarchy in 1999

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, has often been described as the royal family’s “secret weapon” and she could end up playing an even bigger role in the monarchy.

Sophie and her husband Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, are beloved members of the monarchy. They undertake hundreds of royal engagements each year in support of King Charles.

It’s said that both Prince William and wife Kate, Princess of Wales, are also fond of Sophie. Both share a close bond with her.

The Duchess of Edinburgh may take on a bigger role within the monarchy (Credit: Cover Images)

Duchess Sophie to have ‘bigger role’ within royal family

According to a new report, the Duchess of Edinburgh, 60, is keen to relieve some work pressure from King Charles, Queen Camilla, and the Prince and Princess of Wales.

A source reportedly close to Sophie told The Sun: “Sophie is very keen to take on more work for the royal family.  Until now, she has been a bit like Princess Anne. Someone who has done a hell of a lot of travelling to engagements all over the world without any real fanfare.

“The places she has gone to are often not very fashionable, to say the least. But she happily goes and gives each engagement her all because she knows she is representing the king.”

They added: “The duchess is very good at doing her own research for those engagements and writing her own speeches, as does the duke.  I suspect that as she takes on more work for the family, Sophie will have to have more staff.”

According to the report, Sophie’s 94-year-old father, Chris Rhys-Jones, feels delighted that his daughter will have a bigger role within the family.

Royal Insider has contacted reps for Buckingham Palace for comment.
Sophie is a valued member of the royal family (Credit: Cover Images)

Duchess Sophie felt ‘frustration’ after joining royal family

Sophie has now become one of the most beloved figures within the royal family. However, it wasn’t an easy journey to get to this point.

She married into the monarchy in 1999 when she and Edward tied the knot at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.

During those early days, Sophie still had her PR career. But in 2002, both Sophie and Edward stepped away from their business roles to support Queen Elizabeth II’s golden jubilee year.

She spoke to The Sunday Times in 2020 about her role within the monarchy. Sophie admitted: “Certainly it took me a while to find my feet.

“The frustration was I had to reduce my expectations of what I could actually do. I couldn’t turn up at a charity and go, right, I think you should be doing this. That’s what I was used to doing in my working life.”