How Sophie Wessex was a ‘soothing’ presence to the Queen and became ‘like a daughter’ to her

Sophie Wessex was reportedly a “soothing” presence to the Queen and became “like a daughter” to her after setting herself “a series of tasks” early on after joining the Royal Family. 

• The Countess of Wessex is said to have been very “close” to her late mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II.  
• The Queen supposedly often invited Sophie to have a “lift” to church with her as she helped her stay “completely calm”. 
• This royal news comes as the unique connection between Princess Catherine and Meghan Markle's outfits at Queen Elizabeth II's funeral was revealed.  

Joining the King, the wider Royal Family and royals and leaders from across the world, the Countess of Wessex paid her final respects to her late mother-in-law at Queen Elizabeth II’s State Funeral and Committal Service on September 19. Later on that day the Queen was laid to rest in the King George VI Memorial Chapel in a private burial attended by just her close family. Sophie Wessex is understood to have had an incredible with the Queen and looked visibly moved during a walkabout at Balmoral viewing floral tributes last week. 

Now it’s been suggested that Sophie and the Queen regularly enjoyed Saturday catch-ups at Windsor Castle and that she became “like a daughter” to Britain’s longest-reigning monarch. 

Sophie married the youngest of the Queen’s children, Prince Edward, at St George’s Chapel in 1999 and according to The Sun, a source has claimed that she soon focused on mastering pursuits often favored by the Royal Family.

“In her early days of marriage, Sophie set herself a series of tasks – she’s quite driven and focused like that – of learning how to ride properly, how to fish, how to shoot game and, more recently, carriage driving,” a friend alleged to the publication. 

They added, “She became like a daughter to Her Majesty, they were that close. It was a view that was shared by Prince Philip, who admired Sophie for the way she buckled down to her duties.”

And it seems as though their bond was also forged via their shared love of films and history - especially military history.

“They watched countless films together,” a royal source claimed. “If some particular event or battle caught their imagination, the Queen would sometimes arrange for the Royal Archives - kept at Windsor - to be opened so the two could pore over any relevant documents.”

They went on to suggest that Sophie is “very keen on history” and “proud of her knowledge of military campaigns”, leading to her and the Queen talking for “hours” about whether different generals or admirals made the right move in “some battle or other”. 

Whilst the late Sovereign is also said to have liked spending time with the Countess before church at Sandringham and Balmoral especially as she helped the Queen to feel “calm”. 

A former royal equerry claimed, “If Sophie was staying at Sandringham then you can pretty much guarantee the Queen would ask her – usually last thing on a Saturday night – if she would like ‘a lift’ to the church. And the same happened at Balmoral. The Queen liked to be completely calm before church and she found Sophie’s presence soothing.” 

Sophie and Queen Elizabeth were often pictured enjoying time together at royal events and occasions over the years and their wonderful relationship has often been remarked upon. The Countess of Wessex and the rest of the Royal Family are currently in royal mourning and Sophie’s precious memories of her late mother-in-law are likely all the more treasured as she grieves the loss of such a remarkable monarch.