Whether prompted by a desire to keep up with those pert Middleton sisters or simply by a resurgence in energy as her children move out of the sleepless phase of infancy, Sophie Wessex has sharpened up her act. Almost beyond recognition. The attention-grabbing, skin-tight electric blue number by fashion’s master of flattery, Roland Mouret, that she wore to last Sunday’s Easter Service at St George’s Chapel showed off her Pilates-honed figure and was particularly well-suited to her new role as patron of the London College of Fashion. Royal favourite: Sophie, Countess of Wessex (right) has her hat readjusted by the Queen . Days ago, in Robert Hardman’s documentary Our Queen, she gave her first television interview since her wedding. The programme makers and the viewers — most of whom had never heard her voice — were impressed by her self-deprecating, warm, fluid manner. Her accent was refreshingly unaffected, neither plummy nor estuary. As she jokingly spoke of her terror of Buckingham Palace banquets, she said she had been copying the Queen’s manner, seeking to emulate her elegant style and the way she never rushes when talking to people. Whatever Sophie has been striving to perfect — that polish in both appearance and attitude — it seems to be working. Honed: Sophie Wessex on Easter Sunday in skin tight Roland Mouret at St George's Chapel in Windson . Last month, the organisers of a fundraising dinner in aid of the National Autistic Society were stunned when she spoke for 20 minutes, knowledgeably and movingly on the subject, rather than uttering the usual brief platitudes favoured by most royals, including Kate. It was astonishing and financially effective, said a trustee, photographer John Swannell. Apparently, she always does her homework. No wonder bright-eyed Sophie is a great favourite of the Queen. They share an interest in horses and military history, sometimes staying up late at Windsor to discuss what they have read. The Queen respects her work ethic, the effort she puts into her engagements, and bringing up her children. She alone has managed to stay married to one of the Queen’s children, and that child, Edward, as the baby, carries special status with his mother. There has been speculation that Sophie might feel threatened by the Queen’s fondness for the Duchess of Cambridge, with whom the Monarch has undertaken a few joint engagements to introduce her into her role. She would never do joint engagements with Sophie. But the Duchess’s gravitational pull is towards her mother, Carole, in Berkshire, and Charles at Highgrove. While the Queen now enjoys good relations with Camilla, that bond will never be as straightforward as the one she has with Sophie, whose mother died in 2005. Sophie has the advantage of proximity as the Wessex pile, Bagshot Park, lies 11 miles from Windsor Castle. As her children, Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn, are only nine and five, these relationships are as near as the Queen can get to enjoying a nuclear family. They ride together in Windsor Great Park and drink cups of tea by the fire almost every weekend. The Queen always chooses Sophie to sit next to her on the way to Church on Christmas Day. She gave Sophie the choice of furniture and pictures from her own collection when she revamped ten bedrooms at Bagshot, so there is now a tartan Balmoral room and another with a naval theme. The Queen has helped teach Sophie’s children to ride, and has advised her on the rehabilitation of her image. After all, a few years ago it certainly didn’t look as though Sophie would become the Monarch’s pet or such a sought-after charity patron, let alone a fashion plate. Stylish: Sophie, Countess of Wessex coming out of her shell, looking confident at a wedding in 2011 . She was a PR girl who featured in some toe-curling snaps of Chris Tarrant pulling up her top when she worked at Capital Radio. She met Edward playing a publicity game of ‘real’ tennis, and eyebrows were raised when they married because there had been talk he wasn’t the marrying kind. He designed her a strange necklace for a wedding present, and the bridesmaids and pages seemed to be in fancy dress as the last of the Plantagenets. Sophie declared her desire to carry on working at RJH, the PR company she had set up with her partner Murray Harkin. Then, in 2001, disaster struck. Sophie (and her partner) was recorded by the News Of The World’s notorious ‘fake sheikh’ being indiscreet about other royals and offering to use those royal connections for clients. She was so traumatised, one friend says, that she talked about leaving the country in tearful despair, believing she would be relegated to daughter-in-law non grata. The avowed career girl was forced to put aside her fantasy of being an entrepreneur as well as a royal. Backed up and counselled by the Queen, she adopted a lower register of unglamorous, low-profile public engagements with the aim of starting a family. The royal wives: Sophie, Countess of Wessex, left, with Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, right, last year . But that didn’t go smoothly either. In 2001, she suffered a life-threatening ectopic pregnancy, followed by months of IVF. Daughter Louise was born in 2003 several weeks early by emergency Caesarean, and it was reported at one point Edward was told he might have to choose between the survival of mother or child. But both flourished, although Louise had exotropia, a serious eye condition, which triggered her mother’s interest in children with developmental difficulties. Then, happily, a son arrived in 2007. By now, RJH had collapsed owing several creditors lots of money, though Sophie had scaled back her involvement years before. And she had made a decision; having been through such a struggle to have children, she would be a very hands-on mother. No surprise that many of her charities involve children’s causes, and the enthusiasm she shows when meeting them is obviously genuine. She is said by one royal observer to have ‘an almost Diana-like effect on people, a natural warmth and sweetness, whereas Edward can be so awkward’. Edward apparently retains an antipathy to the media although Sophie, arguably a far greater victim of its sting than he ever was, displays a likeable breeziness and lack of resentment in her attitude. Both of the couple’s children are now at a private prep school. The Wessexes have a nanny among other staff (a housekeeper, two maids and a gardener as well as office personnel) but early on agreed they would rarely go away at the same time. Sophie often does the school run herself. Last year, the Wessexes carried out two foreign tours for the Diamond Jubilee, to Gibraltar — a politically sensitive mission given Spain’s antipathy, which the Queen tellingly trusted them to carry off — and the Caribbean. Though that may sound like nice work, it was apparently far from a pool and cocktails job, consisting of two weeks of back-to-back engagements while away from their children. New to the family: Sophie marrying Prince Edward at St. Georges's Chapel in Windsor Castle in 1999 . As well as Pilates classes with mothers from her children’s school, sessions with a personal fitness trainer, running, riding and tennis keep Sophie fit. She started displaying the results in a startlingly revamped wardrobe — her confidence obviously went through the roof — about two years ago. In her mid-40s she acquired a taste for high fashion. She started sporting one-shouldered evening gowns, and daring figure-hugging evening dresses such as the one she wore to the Paralympic Ball last summer. Her teeth got whiter, her skin smoother, her hair blonder and more coiffed. Hello! readers voted her outfit — not Kate’s — the most attractive at Zara Phillips’ wedding. Her hats seemed to get bigger and more ‘look-at-me’. If she was worried the Middleton sisters were about to overshadow her, she certainly did something about it. She made sure the photographers couldn’t ignore her. The fact she was a mother-of-two, energetic in her charity works and had been learning from the Queen’s unhurried style made her look the model royal. And as we can see from her blue suit and endearing manner this week, she’s not as bland as we all feared, either. Of course, such rehabilitations never go as smoothly as one would like. Even in recent months, Sophie has had the odd hiccup. There was a furore over her acceptance of some dazzling suites of jewellery from the despotic state of Bahrain; the Queen backed her in keeping them and it all fizzled out (presumably she felt that if she had refused, there would have been a diplomatic incident). Old friends: Sophie Wessex and the Queen back in 2001 . Even friends admit she has a temper — she was photographed last year shouting at her protection officer in the street for reasons unknown — and opinions are divided about whether she is really incredibly ‘down to earth’ and people-friendly, as most people say, or whether she can be a trifle grand when she thinks she can get away with it. But surely it’s a good thing she seems to enjoy her royal status, even though friends are staggered by her life now. ‘She hated the idea of spending her life shaking hands and ribbon cutting. She was a bright, ambitious young girl who set up her PR business. I am astonished at the life she lives today,’ says one. Unofficially, Edward and Sophie have the Ruritanian role of attending all the weddings of crowned heads of Europe, representing the Queen for a new generation. It’s not all glamour though: can you imagine any other royal visiting the Ginsters factory as Sophie did last month, and actually putting on the workers’ overalls and hairnet? The Queen has rewritten the rules so when she and Prince Philip die, Edward, rather than Charles, will become Duke of Edinburgh. With that in mind, Edward has picked up the most famous of his father’s duties, which is the Duke of Edinburgh’s award scheme, so that it will last into another generation. As the Queen knows, the future Duchess of Edinburgh will surely be his greatest asset.
The Queen has advised Sophie Wessex on the rehabilitation of her image .
At one time Sophie considered leaving Britain in despair .
Sophie and the Queen enjoy late-night chats at Windsor together .
Whether prompted by a desire to keep up with those pert Middleton sisters or simply by a resurgence in energy as her children move out of the sleepless phase of infancy, Sophie Wessex has sharpened up her act. Almost beyond recognition. The attention-grabbing, skin-tight electric blue number by fashion’s master of flattery, Roland Mouret, that she wore to last Sunday’s Easter Service at St George’s Chapel showed off her Pilates-honed figure and was particularly well-suited to her new role as patron of the London College of Fashion. Royal favourite: Sophie, Countess of Wessex (right) has her hat readjusted by the Queen . Days ago, in Robert Hardman’s documentary Our Queen, she gave her first television interview since her wedding. The programme makers and the viewers — most of whom had never heard her voice — were impressed by her self-deprecating, warm, fluid manner. Her accent was refreshingly unaffected, neither plummy nor estuary. As she jokingly spoke of her terror of Buckingham Palace banquets, she said she had been copying the Queen’s manner, seeking to emulate her elegant style and the way she never rushes when talking to people. Whatever Sophie has been striving to perfect — that polish in both appearance and attitude — it seems to be working. Honed: Sophie Wessex on Easter Sunday in skin tight Roland Mouret at St George's Chapel in Windson . Last month, the organisers of a fundraising dinner in aid of the National Autistic Society were stunned when she spoke for 20 minutes, knowledgeably and movingly on the subject, rather than uttering the usual brief platitudes favoured by most royals, including Kate. It was astonishing and financially effective, said a trustee, photographer John Swannell. Apparently, she always does her homework. No wonder bright-eyed Sophie is a great favourite of the Queen. They share an interest in horses and military history, sometimes staying up late at Windsor to discuss what they have read. The Queen respects her work ethic, the effort she puts into her engagements, and bringing up her children. She alone has managed to stay married to one of the Queen’s children, and that child, Edward, as the baby, carries special status with his mother. There has been speculation that Sophie might feel threatened by the Queen’s fondness for the Duchess of Cambridge, with whom the Monarch has undertaken a few joint engagements to introduce her into her role. She would never do joint engagements with Sophie. But the Duchess’s gravitational pull is towards her mother, Carole, in Berkshire, and Charles at Highgrove. While the Queen now enjoys good relations with Camilla, that bond will never be as straightforward as the one she has with Sophie, whose mother died in 2005. Sophie has the advantage of proximity as the Wessex pile, Bagshot Park, lies 11 miles from Windsor Castle. As her children, Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn, are only nine and five, these relationships are as near as the Queen can get to enjoying a nuclear family. They ride together in Windsor Great Park and drink cups of tea by the fire almost every weekend. The Queen always chooses Sophie to sit next to her on the way to Church on Christmas Day. She gave Sophie the choice of furniture and pictures from her own collection when she revamped ten bedrooms at Bagshot, so there is now a tartan Balmoral room and another with a naval theme. The Queen has helped teach Sophie’s children to ride, and has advised her on the rehabilitation of her image. After all, a few years ago it certainly didn’t look as though Sophie would become the Monarch’s pet or such a sought-after charity patron, let alone a fashion plate. Stylish: Sophie, Countess of Wessex coming out of her shell, looking confident at a wedding in 2011 . She was a PR girl who featured in some toe-curling snaps of Chris Tarrant pulling up her top when she worked at Capital Radio. She met Edward playing a publicity game of ‘real’ tennis, and eyebrows were raised when they married because there had been talk he wasn’t the marrying kind. He designed her a strange necklace for a wedding present, and the bridesmaids and pages seemed to be in fancy dress as the last of the Plantagenets. Sophie declared her desire to carry on working at RJH, the PR company she had set up with her partner Murray Harkin. Then, in 2001, disaster struck. Sophie (and her partner) was recorded by the News Of The World’s notorious ‘fake sheikh’ being indiscreet about other royals and offering to use those royal connections for clients. She was so traumatised, one friend says, that she talked about leaving the country in tearful despair, believing she would be relegated to daughter-in-law non grata. The avowed career girl was forced to put aside her fantasy of being an entrepreneur as well as a royal. Backed up and counselled by the Queen, she adopted a lower register of unglamorous, low-profile public engagements with the aim of starting a family. The royal wives: Sophie, Countess of Wessex, left, with Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, right, last year . But that didn’t go smoothly either. In 2001, she suffered a life-threatening ectopic pregnancy, followed by months of IVF. Daughter Louise was born in 2003 several weeks early by emergency Caesarean, and it was reported at one point Edward was told he might have to choose between the survival of mother or child. But both flourished, although Louise had exotropia, a serious eye condition, which triggered her mother’s interest in children with developmental difficulties. Then, happily, a son arrived in 2007. By now, RJH had collapsed owing several creditors lots of money, though Sophie had scaled back her involvement years before. And she had made a decision; having been through such a struggle to have children, she would be a very hands-on mother. No surprise that many of her charities involve children’s causes, and the enthusiasm she shows when meeting them is obviously genuine. She is said by one royal observer to have ‘an almost Diana-like effect on people, a natural warmth and sweetness, whereas Edward can be so awkward’. Edward apparently retains an antipathy to the media although Sophie, arguably a far greater victim of its sting than he ever was, displays a likeable breeziness and lack of resentment in her attitude. Both of the couple’s children are now at a private prep school. The Wessexes have a nanny among other staff (a housekeeper, two maids and a gardener as well as office personnel) but early on agreed they would rarely go away at the same time. Sophie often does the school run herself. Last year, the Wessexes carried out two foreign tours for the Diamond Jubilee, to Gibraltar — a politically sensitive mission given Spain’s antipathy, which the Queen tellingly trusted them to carry off — and the Caribbean. Though that may sound like nice work, it was apparently far from a pool and cocktails job, consisting of two weeks of back-to-back engagements while away from their children. New to the family: Sophie marrying Prince Edward at St. Georges's Chapel in Windsor Castle in 1999 . As well as Pilates classes with mothers from her children’s school, sessions with a personal fitness trainer, running, riding and tennis keep Sophie fit. She started displaying the results in a startlingly revamped wardrobe — her confidence obviously went through the roof — about two years ago. In her mid-40s she acquired a taste for high fashion. She started sporting one-shouldered evening gowns, and daring figure-hugging evening dresses such as the one she wore to the Paralympic Ball last summer. Her teeth got whiter, her skin smoother, her hair blonder and more coiffed. Hello! readers voted her outfit — not Kate’s — the most attractive at Zara Phillips’ wedding. Her hats seemed to get bigger and more ‘look-at-me’. If she was worried the Middleton sisters were about to overshadow her, she certainly did something about it. She made sure the photographers couldn’t ignore her. The fact she was a mother-of-two, energetic in her charity works and had been learning from the Queen’s unhurried style made her look the model royal. And as we can see from her blue suit and endearing manner this week, she’s not as bland as we all feared, either. Of course, such rehabilitations never go as smoothly as one would like. Even in recent months, Sophie has had the odd hiccup. There was a furore over her acceptance of some dazzling suites of jewellery from the despotic state of Bahrain; the Queen backed her in keeping them and it all fizzled out (presumably she felt that if she had refused, there would have been a diplomatic incident). Old friends: Sophie Wessex and the Queen back in 2001 . Even friends admit she has a temper — she was photographed last year shouting at her protection officer in the street for reasons unknown — and opinions are divided about whether she is really incredibly ‘down to earth’ and people-friendly, as most people say, or whether she can be a trifle grand when she thinks she can get away with it. But surely it’s a good thing she seems to enjoy her royal status, even though friends are staggered by her life now. ‘She hated the idea of spending her life shaking hands and ribbon cutting. She was a bright, ambitious young girl who set up her PR business. I am astonished at the life she lives today,’ says one. Unofficially, Edward and Sophie have the Ruritanian role of attending all the weddings of crowned heads of Europe, representing the Queen for a new generation. It’s not all glamour though: can you imagine any other royal visiting the Ginsters factory as Sophie did last month, and actually putting on the workers’ overalls and hairnet? The Queen has rewritten the rules so when she and Prince Philip die, Edward, rather than Charles, will become Duke of Edinburgh. With that in mind, Edward has picked up the most famous of his father’s duties, which is the Duke of Edinburgh’s award scheme, so that it will last into another generation. As the Queen knows, the future Duchess of Edinburgh will surely be his greatest asset.
advised her on the rehabilitation of her image. friends: Sophie Wessex and the Queen back in 2001 hairnet? The Queen has rewritten the rules so