The year in royal work: Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh
The King's sister-in-law is the focus of Day 5 of my year-end work analysis
HRH THE DUCHESS OF EDINBURGH
“Which royal would you like next to you at a dinner party?” was a question I got asked a few weeks ago.
“Assuming we can talk about anything?”
“Sure, why not.”
“Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh” was my immediate response. Her life since marrying Prince Edward in 1999 has been a roller coaster, yet one on a constant upward trajectory. She’s got a sense of humour, loves history, is involved in a wide range of organizations, and is clearly a well-liked member of the royal family. Her image of a relaxed Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at Balmoral, released by the Queen after his death in 2021, shows the closeness of her relationship with her in-laws.
In 2002, after being indiscreet to a prospective client who turned out to be a journalist — showcasing a downside of the “half-in, half-out” working royal role desired by Harry and Meghan — Sophie closed her PR firm and became a full-time working royal. Since then, she’s been the consumate working royal.
This year showed her to be one of the stars of a royal family.
Her work takes her around the world. She supports projects helping victims of sexual violence, such as the Scar Free Foundation, which enables surgical expertise in reconstruction surgery be shared between UK experts and those in conflict areas, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As the global ambassador of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, she works to eliminate avoidable blindness, such as trachoma, which has harmed the sight of around two million people.
Sophie’s interests are eclectic. She’s involved in sports — she was in Paris to cheer on cyclists, field hockey (the correct term for a Canadian for whom “hockey” involves a sheet of ice) and wheelchair basketball teams — as well as agricultural fairs across Britain. She even started a annual competition for her military service organizations.
Those myriad obligations keep her busy. In the past eight years, she’s averaged 220 engagements a year. And in the last few years, she’s been either the third or fourth busiest royal when it comes to the total number of engagements. This year, Sophie is firmly in fourth place, behind her husband, and his siblings: Charles and Anne.
In 2024, her annual tally is definitely an undercount of the work she accomplished. In October, the Duchess of Edinburgh completed four days of confidential engagements in Chad (with no details, I counted each day separately as just one engagement, though royals often do a half-dozen engagements daily when out of the country.) In April, she became the first member of the royal family to visit Ukraine since the Russian invasion yet the high-security trip was never recorded in the Court Circular (and thus is not included in my figures, which come from that official record).
The hard work of both Sophie and Edward will become more and more apparent in coming years. Aside from William and Kate, they are the only working royals under the age of retirement. So, as older Windsors inevitably slow their schedules, the Edinburghs are bound to move closer and closer to the heart of the working Crown.
Her work outside the United Kingdom are significant. In 2024, they accounted for roughly one-third of all the official engagements she undertook.
Sophie's travels to foreign nations and Crown dependencies in 2024:
Chad
Ethiopia
France
Germany
Guernsey
Italy
Malta
Tanzania
Uganda
Ukraine*
*not in Court Circular
For those who think that a lot of royal work occurs in gilt drawing rooms of palaces and castles, the above graphic is a reality check — Sophie does 85 percent of her engagements outside royal residences. Of those residences that she uses, the biggest share is St. James’s Palace, where her office is based. That share of inside/outside work is pretty typical for working royals. For instance, her husband, Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, does 80 percent of his work in public venues.
The year in royal work
Day 1: Princess Alexandra and the Duke of Kent
Day 2: The Duchess of Gloucester
Day 3: The Duke of Gloucester
Day 4: Princess Anne
My latest appearance on Global TV’s The Morning Show on December 2:
My latest article for Zoomer: ‘Cooking & the Crown’: Inside Tom Parker Bowles’ New Cookbook, Plus 4 Royal Recipes
“You may be surprised by the simplicity of many of the recipes,” explains Parker Bowles in his book. Indeed, his first breakfast option is the porridge that his mother, Queen Camilla, eats every day in winter along with a teaspoon of honey from royal beehives. “Food is the great leveler. I want to strip away the pomp and circumstance and get right to the meat of the matter – a collection of wonderful recipes that you really want to cook from over two centuries of regal eating.”
My cousin's son went to the same school as her son and said she's a very down to earth and genuine person who is very good at putting you at ease.