Duchess Sophie shared a close relationship with her mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth, and the monarch came to favor Prince Edward's wife so much that she was even called the late Queen's "true favorite." But in a new biography about the Duchess of Edinburgh, author Sean Smith shares that Sophie once made a mistake during the early days of her marriage that left Queen Elizabeth "not amused."
In Sophie: Saving the Royal Family (via the Daily Mail), Smith writes that the late Queen's remarked, "you wouldn't notice her in the crowd" when first meeting Prince Edward's new PR professional girlfriend. While the comment might not seem kind, it was actually a compliment of sorts. Smith noted that blending in was seen as a good thing by Queen Elizabeth, with the author calling Sarah Ferguson and Princess Diana the "tabloid gifts that kept on giving." After all, "it was greatly to Sophie's advantage to maintain a low profile," Smith notes.
Sophie and Edward married in 1999, and two years later, the duchess (then known as the Countess of Wessex), made an embarrassing gaffe after the News of the World tricked her with a fake Sheikh pretending to be a potential public relations client. "The Queen was willing to ignore the media storm over Sophie's Fake Sheikh, but that did not mean she was able to escape being at the wrong end of the 'look,'" Smith wrote.
Smith shares that Sophie "was at a palace state banquet and was still fussing around trying to find her seat when the Queen rose to speak," which annoyed Queen Elizabeth.
"The Queen was not amused at having to wait," he added. Apparently, Sophie later shared, "I shan't forget that look," and "made a mental note never to do that again." The incident certainly didn't repeat itself, as the future Duchess of Edinburgh then "became the model daughter-in-law, so much so that she was routinely referred to in the media as the Queen's second daughter."
"Quietly, and without fuss, the Queen began to rely on Sophie for female company after both Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother died within such a short space of time," Smith writes, revealing that the pair would "stay up late discussing history" or watching TV together. "Sophie would love to do it," he added.
