Few situations could be more daunting than becoming an in-law to the British Royal Family, but there's one person who always has Princess Kate's back. Prince William's aunt Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, shares a lot in common with the Princess of Wales, and their "unbreakable bond" has been explored in a new YouTube show.
In the latest episode of Daily Mail columnist Richard Eden's Reading the Royals series on YouTube, the journalist called the friendship between Kate and Sophie "one of the most important partnerships in the Royal Family."
While examining photos of the two women through the years, Eden explained how Sophie—who is married to Prince Edward—"had been the nervous new girl before" and helped ease Kate's nerves.
In one photo from Trooping the Colour in 2011, the writer analyzed how Sophie stood close to Kate on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, serving as "the bridge to her and the rest" of the family.
Of course, Kate hailed from "a middle class background" instead of a royal-adjacent one, and as Eden noted, she was teased by William's friends for her mother having worked as a flight attendant.
"This experience was something that Sophie knew only too well," Eden said in the episode, sharing that the duchess "was the daughter of a tire salesman."
"Her lineage was far less noble than other incomers such as Lady Diana Spencer or Sarah Ferguson," he noted, adding, "If young Catherine was looking for someone who 'got it,' so to speak, she had found that person in Sophie."
Despite her commoner background, the Duchess of Edinburgh went on to become extremely close with her mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth, and Eden shared that it was the late Queen herself who asked Sophie to help Kate feel welcome.
The Daily Mail columnist called the move "a deliberate plan by The Queen to ease Catherine into the firm," adding that Queen Elizabeth "saw great things in Sophie, both in character but also experience."
"Her Majesty thought Sophie would be the perfect person to pass some of her knowledge on to the future queen," he continued.
Clearly, Queen Elizabeth's plan worked, with Kate and Sophie enjoying a strong friendship today. After the Princess of Wales returned to a few public duties in fall 2024 following her battle with cancer, it was Sophie who placed a comforting hand on her back on Remembrance Sunday.
Kate's kids are also close with the duchess, with Princess Charlotte sharing an especially sweet relationship with her great aunt Sophie. The two have even been spotted on shopping dates in London with Sophie's 21-year-old daughter, Lady Louise.
