Princess Anne and Duchess Sophie
They step into the breach for the sick Kate
© imago images/PA Images
Two women are ready to replace Princess Kate. What Princess Anne and Duchess Sophie bring to this job.
The British royal family is devastated by King Charles III’s cancer. (75) and Princess Kate (42) in need of personnel. Ultimately, two of the four most important working royals are out of action until further notice. And heir to the throne Prince William (41) is also stepping back to support his wife. That leaves Queen Camilla (76), who has a lot of appointments but will also be 77 in the summer. So now more and more family members from the second row have to step in. And there is now a female duo standing out who can adequately represent the sick Kate in the next few weeks: Princess Anne (73) and Duchess Sophie (59).
Two experienced forces for the crown
King Charles’ sister and sister-in-law have long been described as the secret weapons of the British royal family. Princess Anne is considered very hard-working and usually ends up at the top of the ranking of the most hard-working royals. She completes around 500 appointments every year for the Krone. But Duchess Sophie, the wife of Charles’ youngest brother Edward (60), is also an experienced force. Since her wedding in 1999, she has worked tirelessly – and, unlike some other family members, she has drawn attention to herself through her work and not through private quarrels. Since Princess Kate has been out since January and cannot return to her royal duties for the time being due to her cancer, Anne and Sophie are now particularly challenged.
Last week they proved that they can not only take on solo dates, but also harmonize well together. They represented the king at a reception for veterans of the Korean War from 1950 to 1953 at Buckingham Palace – and the British press has since celebrated the two as the new top team of the royals. The “Daily Mail” was the name given to it as “the new dynamic duo” that we would like to see more of. Also followers of the official Instagram page of the royal family were enthusiastic. “Two fantastic women,” said one user in the posting about the event. “I just love these ladies,” emphasized another.
Both were favorites of the Queen
It seems that Princess Anne and Duchess Sophie can be worthy representatives of the sick Kate. The two have been friends for years and have attended many events such as horse racing and rugby games together. It was clear how well they got along: they greeted each other with kisses on the cheeks and laughed a lot together. Both were favorites of the late Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022), who probably also valued them for their hard-working attitude.
So far, however, Anne and Sophie have rarely worked together. This combination could be an interesting constellation for the beleaguered Crown: Anne is considered rather harsh and matter-of-fact, while Sophie has a gentler nature. In this complementary double pack, they could perhaps make up for the fact that without Kate, an important glamor factor for the royals is currently missing.