Duchess Sophie, known as the royal family’s true jewel, has always remained steadfast, standing with the family even in their hardest times and never giving them a reason to doubt her.
Yet at a royal funeral attended by celebrities, elites, and watched by millions, the Duchess of Edinburgh was notably absent.
Prince Edward’s wife surprisingly missed Prince William and Prince Harry’s mother’s funeral in 1997 for a reason as Princess Diana’s departure left the world in shock.
Sophie, whose dynamic personality always captures her admirer’s heart, remained off from the public eye during Princess Diana’s royal ceremonial funeral in 1997.
A new book, In Sophie: Saving the Royal Family by Sean Smith, reveals the reason why she skipped the funeral.
The author penned, “She had an obvious and reasonable excuse: a friend at the palace explained, ‘Sophie decided it would be too upsetting for the crowd if she went.”
Smith wrote in the biography, “she’s well aware that she looks like Princess Diana from a distance and made her decision in a caring and thoughtful way. The royal family fully supported.”
Both the late Princess of Wales and Sophie wore their blonde hair in cropped haircuts, which Sophie, now 61, later grew out into a longer style that she continues to sport today.
The two royal wives also share similar features with blue eyes and light hair, and the Duchess of Edinburgh reportedly once commented on the likeness.
“I don’t deny that we do look alike. But I couldn’t ever compete with Diana’s image. I’m not Diana,” Sophie told the Daily Mail in the 1990s, according to the Daily Express.
At the time of Diana’s death, the future Duchess of Edinburgh was a public relations professional known by her maiden name, Sophie Rhys-Jones, and was dating Queen Elizabeth’s youngest son, Prince Edward.
Princess Diana died on Aug. 31, 1997, at age 36, following a car accident in Paris, and she was honored in a Westminster Abbey service attended by over 2,000 people. It was estimated that about a million people lined the route of her funeral cortege through London, while another two billion people watched on television.
Two years later, Prince Edward and Sophie announced their engagement in January 1999 and tied the knot at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on June 19, 1999, officially bringing her into the royal fold.
2026-07-20 19:11:00
