<p id=”par-1_61″><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/queen-elizabeth-ii/”>Queen Elizabeth II</a> had a close relationship with her daughter, <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/princess-anne/”>Princess Anne</a>, but she had another “confidante” among the <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/prince-harry-meghan-markle-put-princess-eugenie-very-difficult-position-about-christmas.html/”>women in the British royal family</a>. It wasn’t <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/princess-beatrice/”>Princess Beatrice</a>, <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/princess-eugenie/”>Princess Eugenie</a>, <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/kate-middleton/”>Kate Middleton</a>, or Zara Tindall. It was–drumroll, please—none other than Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh. Ahead, details on Sophie and the queen’s relationship and what the late monarch “saw” in her. </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-sophie-duchess-of-edinburgh-was-the-queen-s-surrogate-daughter”>Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh was the queen’s ‘surrogate daughter’</h2>
<p id=”par-2_24″>Although Queen Elizabeth technically only had one daughter, the now-74-year-old Princess Royal, she counted her daughter-in-law, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh as a “surrogate daughter.” </p>
<p id=”par-3_56″>“With the exception of her daughter Anne, the Queen was closer to Sophie than any of the other royal women,” Ingrid Seward, a royal expert and biographer told <a href=”https://www.ok.co.uk/royal/queen-soothed-favourite-female-royal-34351199″ target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>OK! Magazine</a>. “It really was a genuine closeness, and Elizabeth was always Sophie’s biggest confidante. I think she saw Sophie as a bit of a surrogate daughter, too.”</p>
<p id=”par-4_35″>Sophie officially joined the royal family in 1999. She <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/prince-edward-sophie-told-everyone-not-wedding-guests-refused-listen.html/”>married Prince Edward</a>, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s youngest child and the now-Duke of Edinburgh, at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, after six years of dating. </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-queen-elizabeth-rewarded-sophie-s-quiet-enthusiasm-with-implicit-trust”>Queen Elizabeth rewarded Sophie’s ‘quiet enthusiasm’ with implicit ‘trust’</h2>
<figure class=”wp-block-image aligncenter size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Queen-Elizabeth-II-and-Sophie-Duchess-of-Edinburgh.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Queen Elizabeth II and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, who had a close relationship, stand next to each other wearing hats.” class=”wp-image-3759654″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Queen Elizabeth II and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-5_30″>Royal expert Katie Nicholl also discussed Sophie and the queen’s special bond, telling the publication they “had a wonderful relationship.” The mother of two “never saw it as a chore.” </p>
<p id=”par-6_49″>Instead, Sophie “was very willing to step up and provide support when needed, and she did it with quiet enthusiasm, and always with a cheerful smile.” That strengthened Sophie and the queen’s relationship because “in return, Elizabeth learned not just to rely on Sophie, but to trust her implicitly.” </p>
<p id=”par-7_22″>According to the outlet, it was Sophie who convinced the queen to watch <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/the-crown/”><em>The Crown</em></a>, the Netflix original series about her reign. </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-the-queen-liked-sophie-s-sensible-nature”>The queen liked Sophie’s ‘sensible’ nature</h2>
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<p id=”par-8_66″>So, what did the queen see in Sophie? “I think she saw in Sophie a very sensible young woman, and she was quick to welcome her into the inner circle,” Nicholl said. “Sophie knew her place in the hierarchy of The Firm, and never caused any problems. Even in the early days, when there was a bit of drama surrounding her, the Queen stood by her.” </p>
<p id=”par-9_54″>“The Queen found her very down to earth, because she refused to have expensive security and things like that, and she loved her lack of airs and graces,” Seward said. Additionally, they bonded over a “real love of military history.” So much so that Sophie called up the queen after a visit to France. </p>
<p id=”par-10_36″>The now-59-year-old “went to the First World War battlefields and museums of northern France, which obviously the Queen wasn’t able to do,” according to Seward. “So Sophie rang her from there to tell her about it.”</p>
<p id=”par-11_39″>Following the queen’s death on Sept. 8, 2022, at the age of 96, Sophie honored her late mother-in-law by including the queen’s favorite flower, Lily of the Valley, in the outfit she <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/kate-middleton-grew-up-before-our-very-eyes-queen-elizabeths-funeral-expert-says.html/”>wore to the queen’s funeral</a> (via <a href=”https://people.com/royals/sophie-countess-of-wessex-funeral-dress-desginer-detail-honoring-queen-elizabeth/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>People</a>).</p>
<p id=”par-12_24″>These days, Sophie is said to be a <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/kate-middleton-royal-by-her-side-brings-sense-calm-support-and-its-not-prince-william.html/”>source of support</a> for the Princess of Wales and a <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/sophie-duchess-edinburgh-dubbed-1-royal-familys-new-stars.html/”>rising star</a> in her own right. </p>