In the not-so-distant past, it was quite common for a crop of very positive stories about Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, to pop up rather suddenly. Sophie used to work in PR, and I suspect she still tries to manage her own PR. She comes across as ham-fisted and obvious. What’s less obvious is why Sophie is feeling insecure these days, to the point where there are now several stories in the British and American media about Sophie’s friendship with Kate, the Princess of Wales. They can’t all be based on Sophie and Kate’s appearance at Remembrance Sunday. It feels like Sophie is working some hidden agenda. Well, as we discussed, Becky English at the Mail had a story about how Sophie is Kate’s wisest advisor, and both women “repeatedly” reached out to Meghan in 2018 and 2019 (while they were both trashing Meghan to anyone who would listen). Now People Mag has a story about Sophie putting her hand on Kate’s shoulder on Remembrance Sunday and what it all means:

Royal biographer Ingrid Seward told Hello! that the two women “have a sisterly bond, and Sophie is like the older sister Kate never had.”

Calling the two women “incredibly kind girls,” Seward added, “They are both protective of their children. Sophie has had a young family, so she knows what it’s like trying to protect them while being in the royal world.”

Seward added, “She has been there in the background [for Kate] as part of a private support network. The royals have always shown a human side, but there is more warmth now. That gesture of Sophie putting her arm around Kate is something you wouldn’t have seen a few years ago.”

Fellow royal biographer Robert Jobson told Hello! “That moment said a lot. The royal family are all looking after Kate, and there is a protective bubble around her.”

Seward said Kate and Sophie “have a huge amount in common, having probably formed a bond very much at the beginning. Sophie was there for Kate in an unofficial capacity because she had the same experience of being a commoner marrying into the royal family. They both had really long romances with their husbands-to-be, and Sophie lived at [Buckingham] Palace. By the time they got married, they had more knowledge than the royal brides before them about what they were getting into.”

[From People]

I’m going to wait patiently for the “Edward, Sophie, William and Kate are totally the new Fab Four” stories. They actually tried that circa 2020/21, but obviously, it did not stick. Maybe this new version is “Kate and Sophie are joined at the hip, they’re best friends, they’re basically sisters-in-law!!” Because, you know, Kate was such an a–hole to her actual sister-in-law. Anyway, Sophie continues her grim PR agenda to convince everyone that she’s so close to all of the royal women (except Meghan). Also: Kate is 42, Sophie is 57, Ingrid C-word should not call them “girls.”

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Avalon Red.