Sophie Winkleman has pulled back the curtain on royal life, offering a candid look at the pressures faced by senior royals and it’s no fairytale.
The actress, also known as Lady Frederick Windsor, told The Timesthat growing up under the unrelenting gaze of the public is “a form of torture.”
“The more I get to know the royal family, the more I get that their lives are total hell,” Sophie said.
“That level of unasked-for fame is brutal. None of them went on Pop Idol, to be famous. To have a blinding spotlight in your face from birth, not knowing whom to trust, is just relentless. I feel for them all.”
The Peep Showstar, married Lord Frederick Windsor, son of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent at Hampton Court Palace in 2009.
While the couple avoids regular public duties, they have joined the royals for high-profile events like Royal Ascot, Trooping the Colour, and the Princess of Wales’s Christmas carol service.
Sophie also reflected on the support she received from the family after a 2017 car crash left her with a broken spine. The late Queen Elizabeth II offered Buckingham Palace’s swimming pool for her recovery, while a thoughtful Prince Charles arranged for two meals a day from his Clarence House kitchen for months.
“It was heartwarming,” Sophie said proving that even in a life of relentless scrutiny, royal kindness still shines through.
Sophie Winkleman is full of praise for her royal in-laws, telling The Timesthat the senior royals’ hard work often goes unseen but makes a world of difference.
“The senior royals work really hard with thousands of charities in Britain and around the world, behind the scenes as well as front-facing. There’s no getting away from the fact they add huge prestige and heft to whatever cause they’re supporting,” she said.
The actress and her husband, Lord Frederick Windsor, previously lived in Los Angeles for seven years, where their eldest daughter, Maud, now 12, was born.
The couple returned to London to be closer to family, and their second daughter, Isabella, now nine, was born in 2016 at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
Balancing parenting, a career, and a connection to the royal world, Sophie has shown she can navigate both Hollywood and palace life with ease and a touch of charm.