King Charles' relative Sophie shares 'brutal' truth about royal life

Lady Frederick Windsor is offering a rare, brutally honest take on what it’s really like inside the royal bubble.

In a new interview with The Times published November 12, the British actress — best known for her roles in Peep Show and Two and a Half Men — opened up about life after marrying into the British royal family, calling the experience “total hell” for many of its members.

Sophie Winkleman, 45, wed Lord Frederick Windsor — the son of Queen Elizabeth’s first cousin Prince Michael of Kent — in 2009. She regularly joins the royal family at events, such as Princess Kate’s annual Christmas carol concert.

“The more I get to know the royal family, the more I get that their lives are total hell and that level of unasked-for fame is a form of torture,” she told the publication.

Sophie explained that none of the royals “went on Pop Idol or something to be famous,” but were instead thrust into an intense spotlight from birth. “To have that sort of blinding spotlight in your face from when you’re born, not knowing quite whom you can trust, not knowing if someone’s going to betray you, people writing lies about you the whole time, is just brutal,” she added.

“I feel for them all,” she continued. “I don’t think a life with that much scrutiny and pressure is remotely healthy, but they have no choice.”

The actress also shared a lighter, yet telling, detail from her 2009 royal wedding. “I didn’t know anyone at my wedding,” she said, admitting that apart from a few close friends, the guest list was filled with unfamiliar royal faces.