Duchess Sophie makes first statement after assuming late Queen’s rare title

Duchess Sophie, who shared a special bond with her late mother-in-law Queen Elizabeth, inherited the monarch’s lesser-known title in a rare feat.

Elizabeth ascended to the throne in 1952, just six years after her marriage to Prince Philip. Before their wedding, Philip received the title of Duke of Edinburgh as British royal dictated that a man did not assume the male version of the title held by his wife.

Hence, for the first few years of her marriage, Elizabeth was known as the Duchess of Edinburgh – a title which is now assumed by Sophie.

The 60-year-old royal spoke about taking on the big responsibility for the first time to The Mirror while discussing her work during her recent trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The former Countess of Wessex dubbed it as “quite a big moment” when her title was changed.

“First of all, it was quite large shoes to fill because not as many of the population alive today will remember but the Queen was Duchess of Edinburgh for the first few years when she and my father-in-law first married,” she revealed.

“For me, it was quite an emotional thing to sort of step into her shoes [as being Duchess of Edinburgh], it felt like quite a big moment.”

When King Charles took the throne after his mother’s passing in 2022, Prince Edward and Sophie were dubbed the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.

This was done in accordance with the wishes of the King’s late parents as Edward had shown his commitment to Duke of Edinburgh’s Award youth scheme.

“But of course being practical, my role and my husband’s role is to support the King as it was to support the Queen,” she continued.

“We are fortunate because we are able to not be in front and centre role, so it allows us the flexibility to explore our own interests and then also be available to do things like this where the King asked if I would represent him here.”

It appears to be fitting that Sophie, who has been known as the late Queen “true favourite”, according to royal expert and biographer Ingrid Seward