A new documentary has explored how the Duchess of Edinburgh helped the Princess of Wales when she became part of the Royal Family by supporting her through her royal duties
When Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, married into the Royal Family in 1999 after tying the knot with Prince Edward, she was thrown in the deep end as she worked to maintain her newfound royal identity and her career in public relations.
But as the Duchess transitioned into a more full-time role within the monarchy, she quickly became a guiding light for the younger generation of royals to follow her lead as she undertook her work with the Firm with grace. And a new documentary has explored Sophie’s life from the early days of her relationship with the late Queen’s youngest son, to one of the Royal Family ’s most valuable assets.
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In the new documentary, titled Royal Peacemaker: Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, a group of royal experts discuss how Sophie became a shoulder for the Princess of Wales to lean on as she learned the ropes of her new royal role.
As Sophie’s prominence has risen over the years, she has become more of a guide to others joining the Royal Family, such as Princess Kate. Royal commentator Emily Andrews explained: “When she saw younger members marrying into the Royal Family, like Catherine Middleton and Meghan Markle, she was very happy to offer to be a mentor of sorts. Sophie had seen it all. She’s been there and done that.”
The documentary said that Princess Kate in particular was very welcoming of the mentorship from Sophie, who welcomed her with open arms into the Firm.
“Sophie is really a natural mentor for Kate in many ways,” royal correspondent Victoria Murphy said. “We’ve seen their relationship grow over time, and witnessed little glimpses of it in the public domain.”
The royal expert went on to recall one such moment from Princess Eugenie’s wedding, when Kate’s skirt began to fly up in the wind, with Sophie instinctively helping the princess to keep her dress down, standing in front of her to make sure she was covered.
Victoria continued: “We’ve seen her be quite protective of Kate. We saw this at the Remembrance Sunday Service in 2024 when they were walking back inside and Sophie put a comforting hand on Kate’s back.”
“It was quite a sisterly gesture, and I think shows the depth of the relationship that these two women have,” she added.
While Sophie was a welcome mentor for the Princess of Wales in her early years in the Firm, Meghan Markle allegedly turned down the offer of royal advice from the Duchess of Edinburgh.
As Emily Edwards explained in the documentary: “Sophie did the same thing for Meghan. They met up a couple of times and Sophie said ‘Anything I can do, anything I can help with, let me know’. And apparently Sophie was a bit surprised that she was never invited back to Frogmore Cottage where Harry and Meghan were living at the time.”
Sophie’s role as mentor for younger royals was a testament to the trust placed in the Duchess by the late Queen Elizabeth, with whom she had a warm and loving relationship.
As Ailsa Anderson, press secretary for the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, said in the documentary: “I think the late Queen saw Sophie as a safe pair of hands, as she could always be relied on. Sophie was a true confidant for the Queen, which is quite rare in the royal world.”
Royal Peacemaker: Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh will air on Channel 5 on Saturday May 16 at 9pm.
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