Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, are the shining figureheads of the British royal family. But almost casually, another member of the Windsors has played her way into the hearts of royal fans: Duchess Sophie is now at the top of their popularity scale. Rightly so, says PR expert Lindsey Puddifant, who was granted deeper insights into the character of the Queen’s daughter-in-law during her encounters with Prince Edward’s wife.
Duchess Sophie, 59, knows when a woman is in need. The royal is considered down-to-earth, sensitive and helpful. She lends a hand when it’s important. Distributes food to Ukrainian refugees at Christmas, advocates for women’s rights or supports the concerns of people with disabilities. She is currently a patron of over 70 charities, including the Royal Family informed on their official website. One of them is DEBRA UK.
The organization’s mission is to raise awareness of the rare skin disease epidermolysis bullosa, also known as EB. The Royal has been its patron since 2011 and passionately supports people who suffer from blisters on the torso, arms and neck, and the oral mucosa. Lindsey Puddifant is the charity’s PR director and has now been able to get to know Prince Edward’s wife, 59, a little better.
Duchess Sophie is informed and always in a chatting mood
The first meeting between the two women took place at a lunch in St. James’s Palace. Apparently it worked immediately. “She is so incredibly warm-hearted. She is so down-to-earth and approachable,” enthuses Puddifant in an interview with “Hello!”. Sophie obviously has a direct connection to people and takes away their shyness. “She is so nice to the members, whether adult members or children of the charity, and just loves to chat. She is very friendly and very considerate and knows a lot about the disease.”
One situation appears to have remained particularly vivid in the PR expert’s mind: Sophie took part in a charity dinner as part of a charity swim in the English Channel, where Scottish ex-footballer and DEBRA Vice President Graeme Sounness, 70, himself accepted the sporting challenge had to collect donations. “Sophie gave a speech where she was so warm and funny about the challenge that Graeme was taking on, because of course swimming 30 miles across the English Channel is no small feat,” recalls Lindsey.
And the Royal reacted with touching empathy to the obviously very emotional former top athlete, who, according to Puddifant, is always very moved when he meets people with the life-threatening skin disease. “She was so kind to him when he was very upset and when she spoke it was a funny conversation about how she wouldn’t want to do something as daring as swimming in the English Channel with all the jellyfish and one of the busiest shipping routes in the world .”
Sophie’s sensitive nature deeply impressed the PR director. “She was just very natural and highly intelligent, and that obviously comes through in the way she talks to people because she can both empathize and empathize. She has this compassion that is so beautiful.”
Just don’t be afraid of contact
On another occasion, the Duchess demonstrated that she has no fear of contact. During a DEBRA event at St. James’s Palace in November 2023, a little boy named Ben got up close and personal with Sophie. “He rushed up to the Duchess and wrapped his arms around her legs and she leaned down and gave him a real cuddle, it was just wonderful.”
After the warm welcome, the Mini was in love with shock. Shortly before, the royal environment had greatly intimidated him: “When we arrived at the palace, I was a little nervous because the police came with huge guns. There was the highest level of security, we had to show our passports to get in,” he reported excited later. “The Duchess of Edinburgh came to see us all and I told her about my EB and how I help out in our local charity shop to raise money for DEBRA. She was very friendly and cared a lot about DEBRA.”
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An experience that Lindsey Puddifant can only confirm: “Because she is so understanding, compassionate and empathetic, she knows how to reach people with this awareness of the disease and the charity. It makes a big difference for us because she is so generous with her time and efforts.”
The queen of challenges
Sophie is not only the prominent face of the organization, she is also actively involved in its development – and obviously knows how to motivate. “Two years ago she challenged us to do more, to branch out and to really try and do a big fundraising appeal and she challenged us with a target of £5 million.” An incentive with an impact. “We took on the challenge and in December last year we reached our £5 million target for the year,” says Lindsey proudly. “She inspired us to do it and have the confidence to do it and she attended events for us so we had the opportunity to raise the profile. Having the Duchess of Edinburgh on board People tend to pay more attention, don’t they?” And that’s obviously not just because of the title “Royal”.
Source used: hellomagazine.com