Of all of the royal title-changes in recent years, one of the most difficult for me is Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh. She will always be Sophie Wessex to me, or the Countess of Wessex. I still think of Sophie and Edward as the Wessexes too, not the Edinburghs. Anyway, everything’s coming up Wessex these days. Sophie and Edward just celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary and they’re the picture of grumpy domesticity. They’re relatively low-drama inside the Firm, so King Charles appreciates that. They manage their own little embiggening campaigns for themselves without throwing too many people under the bus. In many ways, they are the one of the best examples of the merits of mediocrity. Largely inoffensive, they just sort of float through life these days. As for that embiggening campaign, it was extended to the Daily Beast. Here’s an excerpt from a piece about how Sophie and Edward became “palace power players.”

Friends of the couple say the marriage is one of equals, its success fuelled by mutual support. One said: “Edward is quite reserved, slightly awkward, but Sophie is very gregarious, one of those people who can just put you at your ease. It’s a united front—they are a great double act.”

Sophie became a close confidante of Queen Elizabeth II, a bond which was highlighted by the fact that she was one of the few non-blood relations summoned to Balmoral Castle when Her Majesty was on her death bed. A friend of the late queen’s told The Daily Beast: “Elizabeth was an astute judge of character, and her endorsement of Sophie still carries a lot of weight. Sophie exemplifies the qualities she valued: duty, loyalty, service, discretion.”

Edward himself has said of his wife: “You need a really good supportive network in this and family is incredibly important. I am just very, very lucky that Sophie is a brilliant, brilliant person in her own right.”

Her background in public relations has helped make her a trusted advisor within the family, particularly during periods of crisis. Her influence has continued to grow under King Charles III’s reign, with Edward and Sophie being granted the title of Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. It’s an incredibly significant honor as the previous holder of the title was Prince Philip.

Edward, one source said, is “relaxed” about his wife’s high profile, and being known to millions of people around the world as “Sophie’s husband.”

But friends of the family defend him heartily against suggestions of irrelevance. One, for example, previously told The Daily Beast: “He has dedicated much of his life to public service and charitable work. He has always been very clear about his role which is to support the monarchy. Previously that meant doing what his mother asked, now it means doing what his brother asks. He has always been loyal and Charles likes him enormously and is very grateful to him.”

[From The Daily Beast]

I’m laughing my ass off at “being known to millions of people around the world as ‘Sophie’s husband.’” Oh, honey. Millions of people do not know you as anything and your wife is not a Diana-like figure with an enormous international profile. The average person on the streets of LONDON would struggle to pick Sophie out of a lineup, much less her husband. As for Sophie and Edward’s hustle for position within the family… the Wessex-Edinburghs need the monarch’s blessing, support and money to continue to live in the way they do, with security and the enormous Bagshot Park mansion. That’s why Sophie has made such a point of cozying up to Camilla and William.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.