Sophie Wessex ‘dashed’ from a royal engagement with retirees to rush to Balmoral with her husband Prince Edward on receiving news of the Queen’s health, sources claim
- Sophie Wessex, 57, left a royal engagement to rush to the Queen’s side yesterday
- She ‘dashed’ out of event at Woodhouse Centre in Oxted to travel to Scotland
- Countess was photographed look sombre and emotional on the way to Balmoral
- Was with King Charles III and Prince Edward when the death was announced
- Full coverage: Click here to see all our coverage of the Queen’s passing
Sophie Wessex ‘dashed’ out of a royal visit with retirees in Surrey yesterday morning after hearing of the Queen’s declining health mid-engagement.
The mother-of-two, 57, left Woodhouse Centre in Oxted, where she had been completing a royal engagement in the early afternoon, as soon as she heard about the Queen’s declining health, Hello! Magazine reported.
Sophie began the day by visiting to Sunnydown School in Caterham and then headed to Woodhouse Centre in Oxted in the afternoon. This event took place at the same time as The Royal Family published a statement on the queen’s health.
She was meant to attend a third event later in the afternoon, however, a source told Hello! she ‘dashed’ out of the second event and travelled to meet Prince Edward, 58, directly in order to go be by the Queen’s side in Balmoral.
Pictures showed Sophie, who was known as one of the Queen’s closet confidantes, being driven to the royal estate by her nephew Prince William around 5pm.
The royal mother-of-two appeared deep in thought and was sombre as she rode in the back of the car alongside her fellow royals.
The Queen’s death was announced at 6:30pm yesterday, after her four children and Prince William made their way to Balmoral.
Sophie Wessex, 57, ‘dashed’ out of a royal event she was attending in order to rush to the Queen’s side yesterday (pictured, visiting Surrey yesterday)
Pictures showed Sophie, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward being driven to the royal estate by her nephew Prince William around 5pm
Sophie appeared to be in good spirits during the Oxted event, where she greeted royal fans and signed the guest book.
The Countess of Wessex, who had opted for a green and white flower number for the occasion, signed the guest book and chatted with members of staff at the event.
The royal showed her dedication to her family with a special necklace with pendants that read ‘E,’ ‘L’ and ‘J’, the initials of Prince Edward, their daughter Lady Louise Windsor, 18 and their son James Viscount Severn, 14.
However she appeared to leave the workshop, which offers lessons for retired and people with disabilities, in Surrey swiftly and didn’t complete her third scheduled appearance of the day.
Sophie began the day with a visit to Sunnydown School in Caterham and then headed to Woodhouse Centre in Oxted in the afternoon. This event took place at the same time as The Royal Family published a statement on the queen’s health
Sophie spoke to some of the residents in attendance at the centre. Her visit happened around the time that it was announced doctors were concerned about the Queen’s health
Instead, she swiftly left Oxted to catch Royal Air Force flight KRF23R with her husband and Prince William and Prince Andrew.
After landing in Aberdeen just after 4pm, Sophie, Edward and Andrew were driven to Balmoral by Prince William as they raced to be at the Queen’s bedside to join a vigil led by Prince Charles and Princess Anne yesterday.
Sophie lives at Bagshot Park in Surrey, with Edward and their two children James, Viscount Severn, 12, and Lady Louise Windsor, 16. She was recognised to be the Queen’s favourite royal.
She ran her own PR company before marrying Prince Edward and earned the Queen’s trust by throwing herself into Royal life.
She was known as one of the Queen’s closest confidantes, and she appeared deeply emotional as she was driven to Balmoral, hours before the monarch’s death was announced.
Her Majesty’s daughter-in-law has often been noted as the monarch’s ‘favourite’ family member after she married Prince Edward, and her ‘rock’ after the death of Prince Phil last year.
The royal showed her dedication to her family with a special necklace with pendants that read ‘E,’ ‘L’ and ‘J’, the initials of Prince Edward, their daughter Lady Louise Windsor, 18 and their son James Viscount Severn, 14
Sophie’s current royal reputation is a far cry from the turmoil that followed the countess early on in her marriage, when she was still running her own public relations consultancy.
A ‘royals for hire’ storm was sparked after she posed beside a Rover 75 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, having secured a £250,000 contract to publicise it.
However in recent years, former aides have previously described the Queen’s relationship with Sophie – who lost her own mother, Mary, in 2005 – as ‘like mother and daughter’, adding: ‘There is a great deal of love and mutual respect between them.’
And in 2021, a tearful Countess described the queen as ‘amazing’ as she and her husband Prince Edward comforted Her Majesty at Windsor Castle following the death of her husband Prince Philip.
The Countess of Wessex, who had opted for a green and white flower number for the occasion, signed the guest book before swiftly leaving Oxted to catch Royal Air Force flight KRF23R with her husband and Prince William and Prince Andrew
It was often Sophie who’s picked to travel with the Queen when she was attending church services at either Sandringham or Balmoral.
She won the coveted spot because the monarch ‘found her presence soothing’ and liked to be ‘completely calm before church’.
It was believed that the mother was seen by the Queen as the Royal Family’s safest pair of hands, because her marriage to Prince Edward has lasted, while Charles, Anne and Andrew have all been divorced.
The Queen and Sophie’s close 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, who was brought up in Kent by a tyre company executive father and a secretary mother, was even thought to have convinced the Queen to watch The Crown – suggesting she might enjoy the Netflix series which is based on her reign.
Sophie was known as one of the Queen’s closest confidantes, and she appeared deeply emotional as she was driven to Balmoral, hours before the monarch’s death was announced
She is patron of more than 70 organizations, focusing largely on the rights of women and girls across the world.
Writing for Town and Country, royal journalist and author Victoria Murphy pointed out, that on International Women’s Day 2019 Sophie stood up in Buckingham Palace and vowed to devote herself to championing and supporting women peace-builders and the victims of sexual violence in conflict.
‘Her work does not regularly receive the kind of media attention that the younger royals command, but Sophie, now 55, has become a stalwart member of the “firm”,’ Murphy wrote, adding: ‘The spotlight on Sophie has intensified in the vacuum left as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle step back.’
Meanwhile people who have worked with the Countess of Wessex on a professional level told Murphy that they admired her ability to say what she thinks while still remaining polite.
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