One of the reasons Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge flourished in her role as future queen because, from the minute she got married Prince William almost 10 years ago, she wholeheartedly embraced the royalty ethos of “keep calm and move on.” The obedient duchess remained largely out of the limelight, content to play a supporting role for William and the rest of the family. So far, she has also managed to get around any scandal. In 2020, a Palace source described Kate to Better life as “Princess Diana without the drama. “But all of that changed for Kate after the two-hour reveal Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan did with Oprah Winfrey almost three weeks ago.
The couple’s impressive claims, which characterized members of the royal family as racist and indifferent, came quickly and furiously. But for those who know and work with Kate, one of the biggest wonders was Meghan’s decision to talk about the persistent reports of her making Kate cry in a bridesmaid dress test before her 2018 wedding. Meghan told Oprah that the stories were false and that it was “the other way around” that really happened. She also said that after the test, Kate apologized and “bought” it, bringing flowers after the alleged explosion. Although she said she forgave Kate, Meghan added that she didn’t want to be “derogatory”, but she hoped her sister-in-law “wanted to [the reports] adjusted. “
Kate was “mortified” by the fact that the incident was resurrected so publicly, The Daily Mail reported following the interview. She was also “sad and disappointed” that Meghan had not included it so subtly in comments about the Royal Family doing nothing to stem the negative press tide that the Duchess of Sussex was receiving at the time.
After the interview aired in the United States (it aired a day later in the United Kingdom), Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, and William was immersed in crisis conversations, deciding what the palace’s response would be. As a result, “Catherine didn’t want to increase stress at such a difficult time, so in addition to looking at her mother [Carole Middleton] and sister [Pippa Middleton], she looked for a close friend within the Royal Family who could offer some support “, revealed a source.
Read on to find out which member of the “company” has supported Kate since the interview aired, and for more information on Harry and Meghan’s account, check out The Royals Made This “Fatal Error” with Meghan, says the Insider.
Since marrying William almost a decade ago, Kate has approached Sophie, Countess of Wessexwho married Prince edward in 1999. Like Kate, she did not come from an aristocratic background (her father was a sales executive and her mother, a nurse) and she had to carefully navigate her way through the infinite royal rules long before the Duchess.
Women are often seen laughing at Royal Ascot and Wimbledon and have made appearances together on several engagements, including a call from Zoom this year greeting nurses abroad.
“Sophie has been a friend and trusted ally of Catherine and has always been generous in sharing her insights from her experience,” said a real source. “During these past few weeks, Sophie has silently checked with the Duchess to see how she has been doing since the interview and has spent time with her to support her. She has been the close friend Catherine needed.”
And to find out the royal member whose reputation is at stake, check out This is the king who has the most to lose from Harry and Meghan’s interview, insiders say.
The two women take a similarly discreet approach in their respective roles in promoting the public image of the Royal Family. Although not a senior royalty like Kate, Sophie discreetly fulfilled her duties and spent years toiling for the Crown with almost no fanfare around her engagements.
Since Harry and Meghan left life as senior royalty nearly a year ago, Sophie has taken on more responsibility and, according to a source, she has become closer to Kate in the process. “Catherine and Sophie saw a substantial increase in the number of official commitments they must fulfill and both did so with grace and good humor,” said a source Better life. “The Queen trusted both of them to intervene and step up during last year’s difficulties. Sophie gets along with Catherine. They were good friends, but now they are closer than ever. They make a good team.”
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As a mother of three young children (Prince george, 7, Princess charlotte, 5, and Prince Louis, 2), Kate sees Sophie, who is the mother of Lady Louise Windsor, 17 and James, Viscount Severn, 13, as a kind of model. According to a Palace source, the two women often talk about their children and their future roles in the family.
“Both Catherine and Sophie understand what it’s like to raise a family inside the royal aquarium, but they still want their children to live as normal a life as possible,” said the source. “The Duchess and Countess share this goal and find great mutual support in each other.”
And to learn more about Kate and William’s goals of giving their children a sense of normalcy, see Eight things Kate and William did to give their children a “normal life”.
Last year, a real source said Better life that “Sophie has a very close relationship with Her Majesty. She is very popular in the family and is considered the Queen’s favorite daughter-in-law.”
In addition, Sophie’s husband, Edward, is the only one of the Queen’s children who has not divorced. A real source said Better life, “[Sophie and Edward] stayed under the radar all these years, which was a great relief for the Queen. “
The source continued: “Both Sophie and Catherine have always supported their husbands and the entire royal family, which made the queen very happy.”
Before the pandemic, Sophie and Edward drove to Windsor Castle every weekend to join the queen for an informal dinner and a Netflix evening. Although Sophie earned Her Majesty’s trust a long time ago, Kate has become much closer to the Queen since Harry and Meghan left real life.
And to find out more about what is tormenting Kate’s husband at the moment, check out The only thing William must do to save the monarchy, say insiders.
After marrying Edward, Sophie continued to run her own public relations firm until 2001, when she was forced to step down as president after a tabloid reporter posing as an Arab sheikh recorded her boasting that clients in potential could benefit from your real connections. “If someone gets a profile or additional benefit from being involved with us because of my situation, that is an implicit benefit. It is not something that someone promises, it is something that just happens,” she was recorded saying at the time.
She was also caught on the same tape calling then Prime Minister Tony Blair “ignorant” and saying that Prince Charles would never be allowed to marry Camilla Parker-Bowles as long as the Queen Mother was alive. (They were married three years after the Queen’s death in 2002.) Sophie worked hard to regain the Queen’s trust and the unfortunate episode is now a distant memory, a fact in which Kate is likely to find solace.
Diane Clehane is a New York-based journalist and author of Imagining Diana and Diana: the secrets of her style.