Queen marks her daughter-in-law the Countess of Wessex’s 57th birthday 

The Queen has wished her daughter-in-law, the Countess of Wessex, a ‘very happy birthday’ today.

The Royal Family Instagram and Twitter accounts shared a photo of a beaming Sophie, who turns 57, as she held an adorable Guide Dog puppy.

Showing the Countess in a white lab coat and floor-length purple dress, the image was captioned: ‘Wishing The Countess of Wessex a very Happy Birthday today!’, alongside a balloon emoji.  

The photograph was taken in November last year, when Sophie was visiting the Guide Dogs National Centre in Leamington Spa, as part of her long-standing commitment to supporting people suffering from vision impairment. 

Her Majesty’s daughter-in-law Sophie has often been noted as the monarch’s ‘favourite’ family member and closest confidante.  

The Countess and her husband Edward, Earl of Wessex, the Queen’s youngest son, often visit the monarch in Windsor, and live a just a short drive away at Bagshot Park with their two children.

Sophie and The Queen are said to speak at least once a day and enjoy regular Saturday ‘movie afternoons’ when they watch old films together. 

Meanwhile, Sophie is a patron of the The Guide Dogs National Centre, which is close to the royal’s heart because her daughter Lady Louise, 18, suffered from esotropia, and had corrective surgery as a toddler.

The condition means both eyes do not look in the same direction. If left untreated it can cause serious vision problems.

The photograph was taken in November last year, when Sophie (pictured in 2019 with the Queen) was visiting the Guide Dogs National Centre in Leamington Spa, as part of her long-standing commitment to supporting people suffering from vision impairment

Explaining Lady Louise’s condition, the Countess previously told the Sunday Express: ‘Premature babies can often have squints because the eyes are the last thing in the baby package to really be finalised.

‘Her squint was quite profound when she was tiny and it takes time to correct it. You’ve got to make sure one eye doesn’t become more dominant than the other but she’s fine now – her eyesight is perfect.’

Her daughter’s sight challenges have inspired Sophie to raise support for other people who have visual impairments.

She is patron of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness and a global ambassador for Vision 2020, an initiative aiming to eliminate avoidable blindness over the next five years.

Over the last decade she has visited projects helping the blind and those with sight problems in Tanzania, Bangladesh and India.