It's another day, another royal engagement for Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie, who were spotted during a sporty day out in Headingley in Leeds before events took an emotional turn.
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh were all smiles at Headingley Stadium attending the Community Sport and Recreation Awards, where Duchess Sophie gave a heartfelt speech about her husband ahead of his 60th birthday tomorrow, which made him visibly emotional.
Surprising him with a lengthy and sincere tribute in front of the awards crowd, Duchess Sophie said of her husband, "Like my father-in-law, my husband never seeks compliments for himself. So when acknowledgement has come his way it has always been a total surprise to him, which is why I am grateful for this chance to, for once, be able to publicly celebrate and compliment him.
"He was so happy and humbled when Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth made him a Knight of The Garter in 2006 and was equally delighted and moved the day His Majesty The King – who we are both incredibly proud to support – made him Duke of Edinburgh. Both he deserves in equal measure and I am so proud of the man he is."
Duchess Sophie then continued, "He is the best of fathers, the most loving of husbands and still is my best friend. So here’s to you, my darling Edward, and may I along with all your family and so many friends and many others wish you the happiest of birthdays!"
During the visit to Headingley, the couple looked in high spirits as they toured the grounds, meeting with Leeds Rhinos female players and girls before joining the awards ceremony. The Community Sport and Recreation Awards was set up 25 years ago and recognises those championing grassroots work in sport on a national scale.
True to form, Duchess Sophie looked effortlessly sophisticated in a smart casual ensemble for the event, pairing wide-leg trousers with a long-line blazer and a simple stripy t-shirt.
The Duchess of Edinburgh posted a series of pictures from the couple's trip up north on her official Instagram page alongside the caption, 'The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh have visited Headingley Stadium in Leeds, to attend the Community Sport and Recreation Awards.
'During the visit, Their Royal Highnesses spoke to Leeds Rhinos female players and girls, who were taking part in Rugby League drills, before joining the Awards ceremony which recognises those changing lives through grassroots sport. The Duke is President of the Sports and Recreation Alliance, a role he took over from his father The late Duke of Edinburgh, in 2009.'
Their Royal Highnesses have acquired quite the fan base since taking on the roles of Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, with royal watchers commenting on how deserving they are of their new titles. 'Nice to see Edward and Sophie stepping up and earning the Edinburgh title. The King made a good choice,' wrote one follower on Instagram.
While another said, 'Duchess gave a beautiful speech today. I believe that the Duke is very proud of her and proud to have her as his wife and best friend.' And a third wrote, 'My second favourite Royals, first being William and Kate. Thank you for your service.'
The visit comes ahead of Prince Edward's 60th birthday tomorrow when the couple will no doubt spend more quality time together. To mark the occasion, Duchess Sophie posted a heartfelt tribute to her husband on social media, which consists of a series of videos and photographs of the couple throughout the years, as well as a clip of Sophie's speech.
At the beginning of the Instagram reel, we see Duchess Sophie delivering the surprise speech to Edward during their visit, before embracing him with tears in her eyes. The couple's special bond is clear in the footage and both parties are visibly moved.
Sophie captioned the post, '𝒮𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝓃𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓃𝑔𝑒…❤️ 𝓞𝓷 𝓛𝓸𝓿𝓮, 𝓕𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓷𝓭𝓼𝓱𝓲𝓹, 𝓓𝓾𝓽𝔂 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓢𝓮𝓻𝓿𝓲𝓬𝓮. “𝖧𝖾 𝗂𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗈𝖿 𝖿𝖺𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝗌, 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝗈𝗌𝗍 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗈𝖿 𝗁𝗎𝗌𝖻𝖺𝗇𝖽𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝗂𝗌 𝗆𝗒 𝓑𝓮𝓼𝓽 𝓕𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓷𝓭. 𝖲𝗈 𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾’𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗆𝗒 𝖽𝖺𝗋𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖤𝖽𝗐𝖺𝗋𝖽 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗆𝖺𝗒 𝖨 𝖺𝗅𝗈𝗇𝗀 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖿𝖺𝗆𝗂𝗅𝗒 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝗈 𝗆𝖺𝗇𝗒 𝖿𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗇𝖽𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗆𝖺𝗇𝗒 𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝗐𝗂𝗌𝗁 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖧𝖺𝗉𝗉𝗂𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗈𝖿 𝖡𝗂𝗋𝗍𝗁𝖽𝖺𝗒𝗌!” ✍🏻𝓢𝓸𝓹𝓱𝓲𝓮, 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓓𝓾𝓬𝓱𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝓸𝓯 𝓔𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓫𝓾𝓻𝓰𝓱 ❤️👑
'Happy 60th Birthday to Prince Edward, The Duke of Edinburgh.'
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