Inside Queen Elizabeth's Relationship With Sophie, Countess Of Wessex

Queen Elizabeth's relationship with Sophie, Countess of Wessex, hasn't received much media attention over the years. Sophie is Queen Elizabeth's daughter-in-law, married to her youngest son, Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex. Sophie has been part of the royal family since 1999 when she and Prince Edward were married at Windsor Castle. The royal couple shares two children, now teenagers: daughter Lady Louise Windsor and son James, Viscount Severn.

According to royal expert Ingrid Seward, the Countess of Wessex is known for her "unfussy" approach to her royal duties. Seward told CBC News, "Sophie does everything very quietly, partly because the media don't follow her obsessively as they do with William and Catherine and partly because the things she does aren't necessarily very glamorous." And royal biographer Robert Jobson told the UK Telegraph, "[The Countess] is probably the best example of an outsider coming into the family and learning on the job." 

"[Sophie] goes about her duty diligently, quietly and without a great deal of fuss, and for that, the Queen adores her," royal expert Katie Nicholl told CBC News. The countess doesn't get the press attention of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, or Prince William and Kate Middleton. So, what is her relationship to the other royals, particularly the queen? Keep reading to get the inside story about Queen Elizabeth's relationship with her daughter-in-law, the Countess of Wessex.

Royal experts and sources close to the royal family report that Sophie, Countess of Wessex, isn't just one of Queen Elizabeth's favorites, but that Sophie is her favorite child, period. According to The Express, a royal courtier said, "If you're asking who is Her Majesty's favorite child, it's none of them, it's her daughter-in-law." Another royal source told the outlet, "Sophie is much more than a daughter-in-law, more of a daughter."

The Countess of Wessex and Queen Elizabeth share a love of military history, and they both have a wicked sense of humor, per Hello. Sophie is a working royal responsible for 70 charities but takes on her duties in a low-key manner, which the queen respects. A royal aide talked to The Daily Mail in 2016 about the relationship between Queen Elizabeth and her daughter-in-law, too, saying, "[Countess Sophie] is trusted and relied on by the queen in a way I couldn't say applied to the Duchess of Cambridge or the Duchess of Cornwall. She is like another daughter to Her Majesty, they are that close."

Sophie's role in "the firm" seems to have grown since the death of Prince Philip. Queen Elizabeth's apparent "favorite child" has been a great comfort to the 95-year-old monarch (via The Express).