Sophie, Countess of Wessex, may not receive the same media attention like that of the Cambridges and Sussexes, but she is considered as one of the most important members of the royal family. Despite the little recognition, she and her husband, Prince Edward, are getting, they are faithfully doing their work in the monarchy as full-time working senior royals. But now that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped back from their royal duties, Sophie is now gradually getting the spotlight, becoming the unsung hero of The Firm.
When the coronavirus outbreak started to spread in the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth II assured the nation that the royal family would be ready to play their part. From here, the Wessexes entered the scene.
Sophie worked together with her firstborn, Lady Louise, to create a video where she revealed the helpful resources that could come handy for parents and carers in this time of crisis. She, along with the rest of her family, also joined the Clap for our Carers campaign to honor everyone on the front lines who risk their lives to fight the virus. Recently, she also gave a message of hope for "women peacebuilders, activists, and survivors of conflict-related sexual violence."
She patrons over 70 organizations and performs about 240 royal engagements every year. She mostly focuses on causes for women and girls all over the world, has a keen interest in agriculture, and raises awareness on preventable blindness.
One of the organizations that Sophie champions is the 100 Women in Finance. Its CEO, Amanda Pullinger, commends the countess for representing herself as an ordinary person, believing it's what the royal family needs to do.
"The Countess is one of the unsung members of the royal family and in fact she's been working on quite gritty subject-matters for a lot longer than many people realize," Hello! Royal Editor Emily Nash told Town & Country about Sophie. She also added that people "very well-liked" her and even Queen Elizabeth is fond of her.
Sophie tied the knot with Prince Edward in 1999. Since then, she used her role as a member of the royal family to support feminist movements, like Meghan Markle. One of the most extraordinary things she did was when she stood up in Buckingham Palace and pledged to do everything she could to "help the survivors of sexual violence in conflict," Daily Express noted.
Sophie affirmed that she firmly believed in men and women's equality. Thus, she felt drawn to the cause, promising to do what she could to help raise further awareness. After a year, she stayed true to her word, taking her message to different parts of the world, like New York, India, Lebanon, Kenya, Kosovo, Oslo, Sierra Leone, Munich, and South Sudan.
