The Commonwealth Day service is usually a day when all members of the Royal Family are out in force.
But during Monday's event there was one notable absentee - Sophie, the Countess of Wessex.
However, it turns out that Sophie was missing as she was on a solo four-day tour to New York.
During her visit so far, she has attended a Commonwealth Day reception and even given a speech at a United Nations event aimed at upholding women’s rights in Afghanistan.
Sophie has seen her profile as a royal rise in recent years and has even been described as the Firm's "secret weapon".
And it appears she has a honest approach to royal life that has endeared her to both her mother-in-law the Queen and the public...
Showing her emotions
It had long been the way that members of the Royal Family would hide their emotions while out of duty - but Sophie has often gone against this.
Just last week, she was pictured wiping away the tears after finally meeting a 90-year-old she struck up a sweet friendship with over lockdown.
The Countess had signed up to be a Royal Voluntary Service Check-in and Chat volunteer during the Covid pandemic.
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In her time as a volunteer, Sophie was connected with Edna Farley, from Merseyside, and the pair have bonded during fortnightly phone chats since April 2020.
While visiting Liverpool last week, Sophie took the time to surprise Edna - the day of Edna's 90th birthday.
Adorable images show the two women having an emotional first meeting and enjoying a beautiful embrace while shedding tears.
Talking candidly about menopause
Meanwhile last year, Sophie gained praised when she candidly spoke about her experiences with menopause.
She said women should celebrate the menopause – but revealed it left her feeling like someone had taken her brain out at a royal engagement.
Sophie, 57, added she thinks the life change should be talked about more openly to help get over the stigma.
In the chat, she also admitted her mind went blank at an awkward moment while representing the Royal Family.
She said: “You know, in the middle of a presentation when you suddenly can’t remember what you were talking about... try being on an engagement when that happens – your words just go.
“And you’re standing there and going, ‘hang on, I thought I was a reasonably intelligent person, what has just happened to me?’.
“It’s like somebody’s just gone and taken your brain out for however long before they pop it back in again and you try and pick up the pieces and carry on.”
Opening up about her children
Sophie juggles her royal work with bringing up her two children Lady Louise Windsor, who turned 18 last year, and James, Viscount Severn, aged 14.
And in an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live last year, she revealed she has the usual worries a parent has for their child, when talking about her daughter.
She said: "She said: "Inevitably there will be moments that, you know, may not go so well for her. I just hope we can be there to support her through those moments.
“I would hope that she can go on with her studies, which I think she probably will want to do, and I hope that she and her friends will protect her from anything that somebody might want to do.
"But I have to let her live her life. It's not mine to live. I can only equip her the best that I can, and then she has to make her own choices.
“But I hope for the next few years, at least, she will still be able to be as private as she wants to be."
Moving words about Prince Philip
Following the sad death of Prince Philip last year, Sophie was one of the first members of the Royal Family to speak out.
She tenderly described his final moments during a church service saying: "It was right for him. It was so gentle.
"It was just like somebody took him by the hand and off he went.
"Very, very peaceful and that’s all you want for somebody isn’t it?"
Meanwhile, several months later Sophie broke down in tears during an emotional interview saying Philip's death had has left a "giant-sized hole" in the lives of the Royal Family.
She said: "It's only when you do the normal things you would have done with them and you suddenly realise that they are not there, that you start to have an 'Oh my goodness' moment.
Sophie also choked up as she spoke about happy memories with the Queen and Philip in Scotland while recalling a recent half-term visit with Prince Edward and their children.
Volunteering with close causes
As well as carrying out the usual royal duties, Sophie does appear to pitch in and do her bit for causes close to her heart.
In 2016, she completed a 450-mile bike ride cycling from the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh to Buckingham Palace to mark 60 years of the Duke of Edinburgh award.
And during the pandemic was often pictured helping to make up care packages.
Even on her birthday earlier this year, she spent the day volunteering at a Covid vaccination centre with St John's Ambulance.
Meanwhile, during her trip to New York this week, she gave a powerful speech at the United Nations about women's rights in Afghanistan under the Taliban.
Sophie urged the international community to “support the brave women peacebuilders and activists, and all those who have stood up to the Taliban to demand their rights, while risking their lives in doing so”.
