Sophie, Countess of Wessex

[TimeLady]

...in today's Times

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/aeef6196-a375-11ea-9e13-56000baa8f00?shareToken=0e5a5ed379b51c3a21b2d372025b2fa6

That is a very nice article, thank you for sharing. She comes across brilliantly.

Is it very frivolous to say that I also thought she looked amazing at the commonwealth service? That white and blue dress with the hat... .

After a shaky start she is really a solid safe pair of hands. Sophie often doesn’t get the press other people from the royal family do.

Her trip to Sudan was very edgy for a member of the royal family and to highlight war crimes against women where it is common feels like sticking her head above the parapet and good on her.

It’s taken her a while, it she has grown into her role perfectly.

I wonder if she is right and what she does will be reported about more now.

I hope we get to see and hear a lot more about her work.

I hope we do hear more about her. She has really come into her own, hasn’t she?

So funny when she described how she had to bite her tongue and not tell the charities how to run things and instead thank the founders...

Princess Anne said very much the same.

It’s surprising to think of princess Anne biting her tongue - she is normally quite outspoken.

The Wessexes are due to take over the Edinburgh dukedom, I understand. It'll be odd having a Duchess of Edinburgh...and even odder singing God Save the KIng.

I can imagine that it is a big difference between being as outspoken as you can on various topics and telling people how to do their jobs.

It must be one of the most difficult constraints for the members of the royal family, never to be able to be completely open about anything.

Oh no, I don’t want to think about not singing God Save The Queen . I really like the Queen.

Did anyone see the play “handbags”? Complete fiction of course (about Margaret Thatcher and the Queen), but so funny.

I guess the key might be listening and asking relevant questions.

Probably a lot more difficult that you would think.

I agree, they have to be on their guard all the time. I suppose it’s like every engagement is an interview. It must be shattering.

It will be weird thinking of Edward as the Duke of Edinburgh. Glad Sophie will be a duchess.

God save the King sounds so....old-fashioned. Like it should be in a b&w film

And we will have a coronation I wonder what it’ll be like. And the biggie is will Camilla be Queen. It’s been discussed in the press for the last couple of years, as if RF putting feelers out to see what the public think.

I was at an event where Sophie spoke . She was excellent . So well informed and knowledgeable about the organisation plus extremely friendly and polite :

Hello all 👋🏻
I've always liked Sophie. Not sure about Edward though. I hear he may be a bit of an arse, polite behaviour at the Commonwealth service notwithstanding

Not sure about Edward though. I hear he may be a bit of an arse. I think Edward has matured. I know someone involved with a local charity which he visited. All reports of him were very positive.

The problem with the royal offspring is that people (including they themselves) expect them to be cool and charismatic by dint of their royal status.

I think the Duke of Edinburgh and the Princess Royal are naturally charismatic. I also think the Queen has a bit of sparkle about her. Charles, Andrew and Edward may be very nice people, but as “personalities” they seem unremarkable.

LIke Sophie a lot. I met her, Edward and their children when I was volunteering at a large event a few years ago. They arrived without fanfare (we only knew they were there because of security chatter on the radio), sat in the crowd with ordinary punters to watch what was going on, then slipped behind the scenes to chat with the volunteers. She was warm and friendly and seemed genuinely interested in what was going on. The kids were really polite and friendly too. After they'd spent about half an hour they went out the back door and lots of people didn't even know they'd been there.

DD met them both whilst working at a couple of D of E events. She had to greet Sophie as she arrived, and said she was lovely.

At another event at BP, Edward came and asked her how she thought it was going. She was so chuffed that he had asked her opinion.

They have matured into a really effective couple, and it's nice to see some recognition from the public for them.

I'm impressed with Sophie's trip to South Sudan. I hope it gets the publicity it deserves.

I have just read the article and it was a really impressive trip for such an important cause and likewise to quote her, “I do hope it doesn’t slip off the agenda.”

I never used to rate Price Edward much, but I have to say he's gone up in my estimation in recent years. Sophie has always seemed lovely. I've always respected Anne and I like how Charles comes across these days too.
A friend of mine trained at Dartmouth with Prince Andrew. I think the best thing he says about him is that he was a complete pratt, promoted well-above his capabilities.

I like her too.

I hope she has good friends she can talk to.
Buying her tongue on the subject if Andrew must be difficult.

A friend of ours trained a couple of years after Andrew and knew many of the same people. I may have told this story before, but he says that on Andrew's first day, he said to a senior officer "you can call me Andrew". The officer said "and you can call me 'sir' ".