Sophie, Countess of Wessex, may have a formal role in the royal family, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t dabble in less formal roles as well.
Just as every family has certain roles that members take on, for example, the parental favorite, the middle child, and the one most likely to live in their parent’s basement, Sophie has taken on the role of family ‘peacemaker.’
While that could be a difficult job in any normal family, playing peacemaker among the royal family must be a level of stress few can imagine.
She was known for having an extremely close bond with the Queen and perhaps learned a thing or two about pragmatism from the late monarch, who went through life with a stiff upper lip, as the British would say.
Sophie was reportedly tasked with playing the bridge between Meghan Markle, Prince Harry and the other royals, before the Queen’s funeral, after already taking on a similar job following the death of Prince Philip.
While King Charles has reportedly tried to extend multiple olive branches to Meghan and Harry, Sophie has done the same, using a different approach.
Sophie Wessex has been playing ‘peacemaker’ between the Sussexes and the royal family
Royal expert Camilla Tominey reported in the Telegraph that the job of playing peacemaker has fallen to Sophie, and she must be the one to make Meghan and Harry feel like they’re part of this week’s mourning period.
Camilla believed Sophie stepped in to make sure Prince Harry felt included at Prince Philip’s funeral and even stepped up to talk to him for half an hour.
In the report, a former aide told the Telegraph, “Sophie is made for the role of mediator. That’s why she’s the Queen’s favorite daughter-in-law – she’s down to earth and just gets on with it.”
The aide later mentioned Sophie’s previous life as being very normal (she co-owned a PR company before marrying Prince Edward) and that she can understand what Meghan and Harry are going through when it comes to being vilified in the media.
Sophie will travel to the Queen’s funeral in a car with Meghan Markle
The Countess of Wessex shared a car with Meghan on the way to the procession for the Queen’s Lying-In-State at Westminster Hall, and they will do the same as they travel to Westminster Abbey for the Queen’s funeral service on Monday.
Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral will take place on Monday, with guests allowed to arrive from 8:00 a.m. and the service beginning at 11:00 a.m. A national two minutes of silence will be held before the conclusion at 12:00 p.m.
It’s sure to be a very heavy day for the royal family, who have been holding vigils and doing walkabout since the Queen passed away on September 8.