Queen Elizabeth worked tirelessly on behalf of her hundreds of patronages over the years, and in the past two years since her death, many of her roles have been re-allocated to other royals. Now, in a major sign of her role in the family, Duchess Sophie has been given one of the family's most historic royal charity appointments.
The Duchess of Edinburgh—who turned 60 in January—is the new royal patron of Mother's Union, a role previously held by Queen Elizabeth. Per the Royal Family, the organization's "members bring hope and practical support to millions of people every year through parenting, literacy and community development programmes."
The late Queen and her daughter-in-law Sophie shared a particularly close bond, with Prince Edward's wife being called her "true favorite" in the family. That being said, Sophie's new patronage has an especially heartfelt meaning, as Queen Elizabeth's own mom, the Queen Mother, once held the role. Queen Victoria also served as patron in the late 1800s and was one of the first supporters of the historic organization for women.
"With the exception of her daughter Anne, the Queen was closer to Sophie than any of the other royal women," Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty, told OK! in January. "It really was a genuine closeness, and Elizabeth was always Sophie's biggest confidante."
Seward continued that the late monarch thought Sophie was "very down to earth, because she refused to have expensive security and things like that, and she loved her lack of airs and graces. I think she saw Sophie as a bit of a surrogate daughter, too."
The Duchess of Edinburgh also shares a close bond with "royal sister" Princess Kate, and has been supportive of the princess as she's battled cancer over the past year.
On Thursday, Feb. 27, Duchess Sophie marked her new patronage by visiting one of Mother's Union's projects, English for Women, in Chelmsford, England. According to Buckingham Palace, the project is working "to reduce isolation of those in local communities who experience language barriers in their everyday lives, many of whom are fleeing challenging situations."
