Fans go wild for ‘new favourite royal’ Sophie Wessex and call for her to be made a Duchess

Royal fans have praised Sophie Wessex after she spent time with sick children on a visit to London Zoo this week.

The stylish royal, 57, braved the cold weather to open the new Monkey Valley exhibit and pose with its inhabitants ring-tail lemurs.

She was joined by children who receive support from the Kaleidoscope Palliative Care and Community Children’s Nursing Teams as she exploted the enclosure – and her natural affinity with the children led royal fans to brand her their ‘new favourite royal’.

After the Royal Family’s official Instagram account posted a photo of the Countess looking at the lemurs with a little girl, fans left comments hailing her as a ‘wonderful member of the royal family’ and added they wanted to see her made Duchess of Edinburgh. 

The Countess of Wessex, 57, sent royal fans wild during her visit to London Zoo where she was joined by children who receive support from the Kaleidoscope Palliative Care and Community Children’s Nursing Teams 

One person said: ‘Love her! Deserves to be Duchess of Edinburgh.’

Another said: ‘This woman deserves the coronet of duchess! She and her husband have been a strong support to the crown and should receive the title promised to them by the late Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth!’

Prince Philip, who held the title Duke of Edinburgh until his death in April 2021, is understood to have wished for his youngest son Prince Edward to inherit the title when he passed away.

As Prince Edward’s wife, this would make Sophie Wessex the Duchess of Edinburgh.

When the royal couple married in 1999, Buckingham Palace announced they would one day inherit the titles, but not until both the Queen and Prince Philip had passed away.

On Wednesday night the Countess of Wessex dazzled at a state banquet held in honour of the South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa

Royal fans commented on a photo of the Countess of Wessex calling for her to receive the title of duchess

A statement from the Palace at the time read: ‘The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince of Wales have also agreed that Prince Edward should be given the dukedom of Edinburgh in due course when the present title now held by Prince Philip eventually reverts to the Crown.’

It was thought Prince Philip wanted to give the title to his youngest son because of his commitment to working with the Duke of Edinburgh Award, of which he is a trustee.

As royal fans expressed their wish for Sophie to become a duchess, they praised her for her hard work as a member of the royal family.

One person said: ‘Sophie is my new favourite royal. Classy, beautiful, giving, funny and intelligent!’ 

Earlier this week, mother-of-two Sophie dazzled in an emerald gown as she attended a state banquet to welcome South African president Cyril Ramaphosa.

During her trip to London Zoo, the Countess also visited the recently restored Snowdon Aviary, which was first designed in the 1960s by the late Earl of Snowdon.

She followed in the footsteps of her late mother-in-law the Queen who visited in 1967. The monarch was ZSL’s Patron from 1953 until her death in September this year.