Sophie's Relationships with the Queen and Royal Family

[XeniaCasaraghi]

The woman is 90....perhaps she just wants to make nice with whomever is near. Whatever it is who cares! Not everyone in a family is treated the same way because they are not the same people.

 

[tommy100]

I think its important to remember that for a long long time (10 years or so) Sophie was the only daughter / daughter in law living close to Windsor. In fact from the mid 1990s to 2005 she was the Queen's only daughter in law. I think this explains a lot. Also the Queen maybe wants to be close to her younger grandchildren, having spent time with the others she may have felt she wants to be able to make up for lost time with Louise and James.

As Queen Camilla says Edward and Sophie live only a few minutes from Windsor so the Queen can just pop over or they can just pop over to her in a way that Anne and her children and Charles and his children couldn't.

Part of me also feels that Sophie wants to be close to the Queen, I don't mean this is a bad way but I do feel Sophie knows what side her bread is buttered and knows being close to the Queen will only help her, as well as wanting to be close to her mother in law for all the right reasons. If, for example, Sophie does have an interest in military history I'd be prepared to bet she's developed an interest in it partly knowing the Queen has an interest in it. That's not a bad thing, I think its nice to take up the same interests as members of your family but I think the key difference with Sophie is she's actively sought to be friendly / close to the Queen and put the effort and taken up the interests to do so.

Maybe the Queen changed her ways slightly after Diana and Sarah and Mark Phillips all left the family in the 1990s, maybe she lowered her defences a little and actually went out her way to be close to Sophie more than she did with the others? But equally there are stories of, for example, Diana not taking up offers of going to lunch with the Queen.

People learn from mistakes and change, maybe thats what the Queen did.

 

[Isabella]

I don't think Sophie was ever the center of attention even early in her marriage.


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Well, she certainly got a lot of tabloid interest early in her marriage (the fake sheikh scandal, etc.) - she definitely got a lot of attention for a while, even if much of it wasn't positive attention. And there really wasn't a heck of a lot else going on in the family at the time.

Sorry Queen Camilla but I really don't think where family members live would alter the Queens feelings. We are all only guessing what she feels about who.


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It's not that proximity would change the Queen's feelings, but it would likely have an effect on who she spends her time around. Edward and Sophie live just a few minutes from Windsor, and the school that Louise and James attend is located just outside the walls of Windsor Castle. So, the Wessexes are always conveniently "around."

 

[Queen Camilla]

Sophie and Edward also live in Buckingham Palace.

Sophie is more than likely to join the Queen for breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner or cocktails than Catherine.

The Queen can invite Catherine over to Buckingham Palace but Sophie, because she lives in BP, can just drop by.

There are more chances of The Queen having meals or drinks or encounters with Sophie because of the location of their residences.

Sophie is still at Sandringham.
She and Louise were again seen going to church with the Queen.

William and Catherine may still be at Anmer but that is 3 miles down the road rather than in the same house.

Time after time it is reported that Sophie is still at Sandringham while all others have left. The same thing is reported when the family goes to Balmoral.

 

[HRHHermione]

Sophie and Edward also live in Buckingham Palace.

.

No they don't- they live at Bagshot Park

(Edited to add that their offices are at Buckingham Palace and they do have an apartment there, but it is not their primary residence and there's no reason to believe they spend any extended time there)

 

[camelot23ca]

If the Queen is like a lot, (most?), people, she probably has very different feelings towards her children and their spouses vs her grandchildren and theirs. I think it's easier to see your children and people of their generation as adults and therefore to develop the sort of closeness that comes from being - almost - peers.

William and now Kate are probably much more similar to Louise and James in The Queen's mind than they are to Edward and Sophie.

 

[Skippyboo]

William is a 33 years old man with 2 children of his own. Louise and James are 12 and 8 years old children. Their relationships with the Queen are going to be different. They are going to talk to her about different things.

However William's or Kate relationship with the Queen is independent of her relationship with Louise or Mike. Just like her relationship with Sophie is independent of her relationship with Camilla or Tim.


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[Reinosa]

I've read in the Spanish press that Sophie calls the Queen "mamá" "mother" or "mommy" (I don't know the exact word she uses). Is that true?

https://www.vanitatis.elconfidencia...phie-wessex-mama-discurso-buckingham_2308007/

 

[Dman]

Sophie’s close relationship to The Queen goes back to the early 90’s. Sophie was literally the first royal girlfriend who was overwhelmingly and publicly welcomed to the royal family long before she and Edward became officially engaged.

 

[Blog Real]

Is Sophie a friend of Sarah Ferguson? or aren't they close?

 

[Queen Claude]

I've read in the Spanish press that Sophie calls the Queen "mamá" "mother" or "mommy" (I don't know the exact word she uses). Is that true?

https://www.vanitatis.elconfidencia...phie-wessex-mama-discurso-buckingham_2308007/

Diana called the Queen Mama, so I would not be surprised if Sophie also calls the Queen Mama. It's not unprecedented, married-ins in previous generations referred to their royal in-laws as Mama and Papa.

 

[JR76]

Sophie called Queen Elizabeth "mama" in a speech during a reception in honour of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Trust at Buckingham Palace earlier this week.

 

[Reinosa]

Sophie called Queen Elizabeth "mama" in a speech during a reception in honour of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Trust at Buckingham Palace earlier this week.

I think it is very sweet.

 

[HereditaryPrincess]

Is Sophie a friend of Sarah Ferguson? or aren't they close?

There have been rumours that both Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson didn't get along well with Sophie. Allegedly, Edward used to get on well with Sarah until there was an argument between the two and Sophie was left in the middle. These are all rumours though, so take them with a pinch of salt.

 

[tommy100]

Ermm didn't Sophie and Ed marry in 1999 so Diana had sadly died by then and Fergie had been divorced from Andrew since 1996, separated since 1992.

I suspect it shows there was no real connection between Sarah and Sophie (most likely because there was never a reason for there to be, how many women would invite their brother-in-laws ex wife to their own wedding really?) but it doesn't show a rift.

 

[HereditaryPrincess]

Ermm didn't Sophie and Ed marry in 1999 so Diana had sadly died by then and Fergie had been divorced from Andrew since 1996, separated since 1992. I suspect it shows there was no real connection between Sarah and Sophie but it doesn't show a rift. Andrew and Fergie may seem close now but 3 years after divorce things may have been less rosy to the point Fergie wouldn't attend the wedding(equally it may have distracted from the wedding a little, it was all quite fresh then probably compared to now)

A little condescending, but you're right. I read 1993 in an article and must have gotten it in my head that Edward and Sophie married then - which I was questioning as I was sure they had married in 1999!

 

[JR76]

A little condescending, but you're right. I read 1993 in an article and must have gotten it in my head that Edward and Sophie married then - which I was questioning as I was sure they had married in 1999!

Edward and Sophie dated for several years before marrying and there are stories about Diana and Sophie meeting. These stories also say that Diana indeed didn't like Sophie that much.

 

[Countessmeout]

Yes Sophie and Edward started dating in 1993 so the other two were around.

There were rumors that Diana called Sophie 'Miss Goody two shoes' and her and Sarah both complained Sophie got special treatment from the queen. But the tabloids always spread such rumors. Look at the Kate vs Meghan feuds and so on. Any time a royal woman enters the picture certain stories pop up.

Sophie was said to be close to Anne. That Anne befriended Sophie unlike either of her previous sister in laws.

 

[Susan D]

The Countess of Wessex's wedding tiara was an insult and while I'm sure that Sophie Rhys-Jones gets along okay with the Queen, I do not believe that she was welcomed into the Royal Family.

 

[Countessmeout]

The Countess of Wessex's wedding tiara was an insult and while I'm sure that Sophie Rhys-Jones gets along okay with the Queen, I do not believe that she was welcomed into the Royal Family.

Like the tiara or not, and many don't, the queen had it crafted personally for Sophie from pieces from her personal collection. That doesn't sound like something she would do for someone she didn't welcome into the family.

She could have given Sophie something from the vaults to wear once and taken back. Or bought something from auction for cheap. Instead she chose to have it made for Sophie.

Its much nicer now that it has been redone in recent years for Sophie.

 

[WillVictoria]

Yes Sophie and Edward started dating in 1993 so the other two were around.

There were rumors that Diana called Sophie 'Miss Goody two shoes' and her and Sarah both complained Sophie got special treatment from the queen. But the tabloids always spread such rumors. Look at the Kate vs Meghan feuds and so on. Any time a royal woman enters the picture certain stories pop up.

Sophie was said to be close to Anne. That Anne befriended Sophie unlike either of her previous sister in laws.

I remember hearing a story (although given the UK press take it with a grain of salt), that Diana really didn't like Sophie because she thought the BRF was using Sophie to replace her.

This would have been post-separation/divorce and young Sophie superficially resembled Diana. Whether it had any basis in fact or not, Diana seemed to believe the BRF was going to build-up Sophie as the more controllable Diana replacement, and it rubbed her the wrong way. Of course, this wasn't Sophie's fault, but it probably colored Diana's perception of her

 

[Leopoldine]

Like the tiara or not, and many don't, the queen had it crafted personally for Sophie from pieces from her personal collection. That doesn't sound like something she would do for someone she didn't welcome into the family.

She could have given Sophie something from the vaults to wear once and taken back. Or bought something from auction for cheap. Instead she chose to have it made for Sophie.

Its much nicer now that it has been redone in recent years for Sophie.

I like the re-do very much.

I also thought that HM giving Sophie a tiara made of elements worn by Queen Victoria was a significant show of confidence in Sophie.

 

[Nico]

The Countess of Wessex's wedding tiara was an insult and while I'm sure that Sophie Rhys-Jones gets along okay with the Queen, I do not believe that she was welcomed into the Royal Family.

What on earth are you talking about ? Sophie's tiara was made with elements from Queen Victoria' s coronet. It was a HUGE honor to be able to wear such a significant and historical item.

Sophie was definitly more than welcomed in the BRF ( she was even included in some royal events while not yet married to Edward). But Diana was notoriously not that pleased ...

 

[Mirabel]

What on earth are you talking about ? Sophie's tiara was made with elements from Queen Victoria' s coronet. It was a HUGE honor to be able to wear such a significant and historical item.

In its original state, that tiara was described as cobbled together from pieces of Victoria's coronet, and that's what it looked like.

I never heard anyone speak admiringly of that tiara (probably the reason Sophie had it altered).

 

[Heavs]

I think there are similarities in looks between Diana and Sophie but a lot of that is due to being blonde women in the 90s. I think they seem like very different personalities but in terms of Sophie being more a compliant replacement? She was planning on keeping her own career and not being a working royal and was much older when she met Edward than Diana was when she married Charles. Different circumstances.

I don't think you can say Sophie gets on with the Queen (and everyone agrees that's true) but wasn't welcomed into the Royal Family, individual relationships notwithstanding. She has become a very good asset professionally as well after her PR business became untenable.

Her father has often been seen at events with the family and invited to important occasions, after her mother died. That would not be the case if it had been a chilly reception. It's been said that that paved the way for Kate's family to be more included and now to a certain extent Meghan's mother.

 

[Claire]

I have always wondered about the tiara - it seems unfinished. Its seems an oversight at the weeing which made me wonder if there was something to it - maybe Sophie didn't originally want a tiara, maybe the tiara she was to originally wear broke or was considered incorrect for her to wear. I even wrote the the palace asking for the piece pedigree and was told that it was not part of the royal collection - which always bothered me - if it was Victoria's ? I was later told that was because it was not originally a tiara at all. But enough off topic.

 

[Nico]

In its original state, that tiara was described as cobbled together from pieces of Victoria's coronet, and that's what it looked like.

I never heard anyone speak admiringly of that tiara (probably the reason Sophie had it altered).

She waited 20 years to make the alterations. So i guess she was quite pleased with the original state during that period of time.
Sophie was later showered, literally, with jewels from HM's personnal collection. So to insinuate that the wedding tiara was some kind of a snub is just pure nonsense.

 

[Osipi]

One thing I've read several places is that the Queen and Sophie both share a love of horses and military history and that's what has bonded them over the years.

It stands to reason also that with Sophie's home at Bagshot Park and the Queen preferring to be in residence at Windsor Castle, they would be able to get together more often. Lady Louise also shares the love of horses and is often seen riding with her grandmother.

 

[Dman]

Guys, Sophie was never snubbed by The Queen.

If you remember, the British press accused The Queen of snubbing both, Edward and Sophie, because they felt the couple should’ve been made a Duke and Duchess on their wedding day. Instead The Queen honored the couple with the titles the Earl and Countess of Wessex. Some people didn’t like Sophie’s tiara and the chatter of the snub continued.

The truth is...the two ladies has always been close. In fact, they spend lots of time together to this day and The Queen goes to visit the Wessexes at their home very often.

 

[tommy100]

I don't think the Queen has ever snubbed Sophie, a lot of people didn't like her wedding tiara but it was made from historically significant pieces, you could say then the Queen really must have not liked Fergie as hers was purchased for the wedding from a jewellers just before.

The Queen and Sophie clearly have an excellent relationship as seen in so many ways. I guess like any relationship it has developed over time and probably wasn't as visibly close back just before and after the wedding as it is now.