Sophie Wessex, the wife of Prince Edward, is just what the royal family needs during this challenging time, according to a royal expert. While there's Prince William and Kate Middleton, who attract a lot of media mileage, there's the "unfussy" Sophie who still gets the jobs done without the obsessive press following her around.
Royal expert Ingrid Seward said in an interview with CBC that Sophie's quiet ways of doing things may seem unglamorous for the royal life. However, Seward also said that Sophie's approach to her royal role is exactly what The Firm needs when they already have Prince William and Kate for the more high-profile work.
Seward compared Sophie's working style with Princess Anne, who also gets the job done with or without any media presence. It's because of this trait that Queen Elizabeth apparently adores her daughter-in-law.
In the last few weeks, the Countess of Wessex has been doing volunteer work while social distancing. She was seen preparing meals at a foodbank to benefit the vulnerable people in this coronavirus crisis.
Sophie also volunteers once a week at a foodbank set up by British millionaire Ian Wace. The countess and Wace's team prepare nearly 60,000 meals a week for the NHS frontliners.
Most recently, Sophie was on hand to help open a new coronavirus hospital in Sunderland. The Countess of Wessex represented the Queen in a video message aired during the opening.
This facility is the sixth makeshift hospital to be opened amid the pandemic. Prince Charles was present digitally when two hospitals were opened in early April, while Prince William, Princess Anne and Prince Edward opened one hospital each in the past few weeks.
According to People, Sophie has a special connection with the Sunderland hospital because she gave birth to NHS-funded facility next to it. In her statement, the countess said that the hospital will stand as the "beacon of care, a beacon of reassurance, of strength, of compassion and of innovation." Sophie also extended her thanks to the 300 people who made this facility operational.
Meanwhile, Sophie gave royal fans another a quick peek of her home in Bagshot Park when she opened the coronavirus facility. Seen in the background of the countess are plenty of family photos but it wasn't too close to make out who they were.
In previous videos, Sophie also showed off parts of her house. One video revealed that the Wessexes have a game or media room with a lot of movie and game collection. The countess also has a room with a sufficient collection of china in the cabinet.
