The Duchess of Edinburgh has long been nicknamed the “secret weapon” of the Royal Family, as she slowly climbed the reputational ranks ever since marrying Prince Edward in 1999. The Duchess, who celebrated her 61st birthday earlier this week, is among the most popular royals and a firm favourite among fans.
Prince Edward’s wife will undoubtedly be spending her special day with her husband and their family and friends. Sophie’s pivotal role within the Royal Family was very prominent in recent years as she stepped up and provided vital support to King Charles, as well as the Princess of Wales, during a challenging period in their lives in 2024, when they both announced they were diagnosed with cancer.
Her two-word nickname, used by many, is often seen accompanying articles about the Duchess, who has previously revealed her feelings towards it.
Speaking to the Mirror, Sophie said: “I like to fly under the radar. It’s all very well being a secret weapon, but if no one knows, maybe it’s too secret.”
She added: “I suppose I should take it as a backhanded compliment.
“I don’t see myself in a frontline position per se, that said, admittedly, there are fewer working members of the family these days so I suppose more and more I’m becoming less secretive.
“I just wonder what they are going to describe me as next!”
Asked about what her own description of herself would be, the Duchess of Edinburgh said: “I don’t know, I am going to leave that for others, it would be very presumptuous for me to suggest something that could go badly wrong.”
The Royal Family publicly wished Sophie a very happy birthday on social media today.
The Firm’s official X account shared a picture of the Duchess smiling with the caption: “Happy Birthday to The Duchess of Edinburgh! [birthday cake emoji]”
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.express.co.uk ’
