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Kate, the Princess of Wales' bond with a little-known member of the royal family has become the focus of a new viral video, gaining over one million views on social media site, TikTok.
The footage shared shows the princess with Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, a senior working royal who was reported to have been Queen Elizabeth II's favorite daughter-in-law.
Formerly Sophie Rhys Jones, the duchess married Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's youngest son, Prince Edward, in 1999. The couple assumed the titles of Earl and Countess of Wessex which they were known by until March 2023, when the prince's brother, the new King Charles III, elevated their titles to Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.
Edward and Sophie have two children, the Lady Louise Windsor (born in 2003) and James, the Earl of Wessex (born in 2007).
In the years since Kate married into the royal family in 2011, she has been photographed on a number of occasions alongside Sophie, with footage of the couple laughing and chatting being circulated after largescale events.
Uploaded to TikTok by user @princess__jo, on August 28, the new viral video contains footage of the royals over a series of events, including the royal wedding of Princess Eugenie, Garter Day at Windsor Castle, a Buckingham Palace reception and the coronation.
In one clip from the wedding of Eugenie (the younger daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson), Sophie was seen stepping in to save Kate from a wardrobe malfunction as a gust of wind caught the hem of her dress.
Captioned "Kate and Sophie ❤️" the TikTok video has been viewed over 1.4 million times on the platform so far, receiving in excess of 19,000 likes and one hundred comments, many of which have praised the pair's relationship.
"I love their interaction together, very elegant, credit to them," wrote one user.
"Sophie has Kate's back!!" posted another, with a further comment reading: "Sophie is so protective 🥰."
Sophie and Edward's public profiles have risen since the death of Queen Elizabeth II, with the couple taking on a greater share of the royal workload owing to the retirement of Prince Andrew in 2019 and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2020.
Sophie is patron of over 70 charities and in June undertook her first solo engagement with nephew, Prince William, as they attended a private screening of the film Rhino Man hosted by the United For Wildlife organization.
In May 2023, just days after the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, the duchess made headlines after a police outrider traveling as part of the royal's motorcade struck an 81-year-old in London. The woman later died in hospital as a result of her injuries.
A spokesperson from Buckingham Palace said that the duchess sent her deepest condolences and sympathies to the woman's family, adding that she was "deeply saddened" by the fatal accident.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more