Prince William has ‘big plans’ for ‘charming and unpretentious’ Duchess of Edinburgh – who has ‘worked below the radar’ for years, royal expert claims

It’s no surprise that The Duchess of Edinburgh has worked her way up in the Firm, becoming one of family’s trusted senior royals and often referred to as a ‘secret weapon’.

Sophie, 60, has become a household name over the years, evolving from a behind-the-scenes royal to appearances front and centre stage, stepping up to the job after Harry and Meghan left England for sunny Montecito. 

So it’s no wonder that the Prince of Wales, who is the future King of the country, appears to be full of praise for his aunt.

Palace insiders told the Times that William, 42, and Sophie ‘get on very well,’ before predicting that under his reign, the heir to the throne will be ‘eager’ to give the mother-of-two and her husband a more prominent role in public life.

This hint has been met with much happiness from royal experts, who have praised her likeable personality and prudent work ethic.

Former BBC royal correspondent, Jennie Bond, told Ok magazine: ‘She is dignified and elegant, and yet still the same Sophie she was when she met Edward: unpretentious, generous and with a natural charm.

‘She has worked below the radar for many years, neither expecting nor receiving the publicity she deserves.

‘At just sixty, she is a relatively young member of the senior royals… so I am sure there will be a major role for her in the future, and King William will be leaning heavily on both Sophie and Edward to support the monarchy in all it does in the future.’    

Her importance to the institution was highlighted when she was stood next to Queen Camilla during the annual appearance on Buckingham Palace’s balcony for Trooping the Colour last spring.

This came at a time when only a few select royals made their way on the balcony compared to years where it was so full, not everyone could fit onto it, echoing a new area of a ‘slimmed down’ monarchy.

It also showed that Sophie shares a strong bond with many senior royals such as King Charles, Queen Camilla and the Princess of Wales.

Her support for the Prince and Princess of Wales was further seen when she showed she was there the pair twice last year. 

At Trooping the Colour, she was seen putting her hand on Prince William’s back as a sign of support.

The Prince of Wales, who is 17 years younger than Sophie, had spent the past few months covering some of his father’s duties, while King Charles received treatment for cancer. 

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh is pictured with Prince William at a private screening in June 2023 

Pictured L-R: James, Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh and Lady Louise Windsor 

She also did the same to Kate on Remembrance Sunday, when Kate was easing herself back into royal duties after announcing that she was focusing on remaining cancer-free in September. 

The warmth of her palm displayed not just the comfort of a family member, but also a friend and a mother. 

And last week, the Duchess of Edinburgh revealed that she was determined ‘not to tread on toes’ when she first joined the Royal Family.

On Wednesday, Sophie visited L’Arche, a south London community of people with learning disabilities and their supporters and Community Shop Lambeth, a ‘social supermarket’ tackling food poverty. 

It marked her last day of royal engagements as a 59-year-old, as Sophie celebrated her 60th birthday on Monday. 

She spoke to the charity about why she was drawn to organisations that focus on disability and was quoted in the Telegraph saying: ‘It goes back to when I first started to get involved with taking on patronages and engagements.

I was trying to find, not a unique thing for myself, but a direction of travel I suppose. 

‘And, of course, inevitably every time I went down a route, I found a member of the family working very hard doing something and I retreated a bit and thought, “No not there, treading on toes.”‘

The Duchess said because she had a background of working in public relations before marrying Prince Edward and entering The Firm, she soon thought she would be best placed engaging with people directly. 

The Duchess of Edinburgh (pictured in 2023) has revealed that she was determined ‘not to tread on toes’ when she first joined the Royal Family

Sophie said that the concept of how people engage with each other differently and the issues surrounding how to raise awareness of this led her to championing this cause.

She said that just because individuals are ‘different’ doesn’t mean they don’t have something to ‘bring to the party’. 

After speaking about how the world can adapt to help those with disabilities, the royal was asked about the moment she saw her children, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Earl of Wessex, alongside their cousins, Princes William and Harry standing vigil in Westminster Hall around the late Queen’s coffin. 

Sophie said she was ‘so proud’ of ‘all of the cousins’ for following protocol and the instructions well, adding: ‘It was incredibly moving, and lovely to see her surrounded by them.’

She also said she wondered whether it would be ‘appropriate’ for James to do it, given that he was the youngest, and around 14 years old when Queen Elizabeth passed away. 

However, Sophie said he was ‘really keen’ to get involved in his grandmother’s send-off, along with Lady Louise. 

But the Duchess could only recount what happened to a certain point before she appeared emotional and said she couldn’t speak about it further. 

Sophie is regularly hailed as the late Queen’s ‘favourite daughter-in-law’ due to her ‘down to earth’ personality.