One's the Duchess of Edinburgh, the other's the Princess of Wales
So far, so royal. But how well do Sophie and Catherine actually get on
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, married into the royal family on June 19, 1999
almost a full 12 years before Catherine and William's own nuptials in 2011
With so much experience already under her belt as a working royal, Sophie appeared to take the then-newly-minted Duchess of Cambridge under her wing
as she learned to adjust to her new life. Despite Princess Catherine now having served as a working
royal for over a decade, it seems she still leans on Sophie for support. In 2020, body language
expert Judy James told The Express, Many of the poses of the two women together show Sophie face
checking Kate with quite strong bouts of watchful-looking eye contact to suggest she's taking
a semi-maternal approach. However, she also has raised brows and what's called a pinging smile
that implies she wants to ensure Kate is enjoying herself. Sophie's influence on Catherine has
clearly paid off, as the princess more than holds her own in public. Likely due to the nature of
their early relationship, Sophie and Catherine appear genuinely close whenever they are seen
together. Both Sophie and Catherine married into royalty, but unlike many of the other royals
they both met their husbands in relatively humdrum circumstances. Sophie met Prince Edward
the youngest son of the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, while building her career in
public relations. In fact, their first formal meeting occurred in 1993 when Sophie was hired
to discuss a real tennis charity event on which Edward was also working. Meanwhile, Catherine met
Prince William in 2001 when they were both students at the University of St. Andrews
The pair were friends at first, but William's interest in Catherine was piqued when Catherine
and modeled in the student fashion show. She's got a really naughty sense of humor
which kind of helps me, because I've got a very dear sense of humor. So it was good fun
We had a really good laugh, and then things happened. Having met their husbands outside of traditional royal
circles no doubt helped Sophie and Catherine cement their bond, as most of the other women in the family
met their spouses through royal or aristocratic connections. Sophie and Catherine also share similar backgrounds
in the sense that they both grew up as non-royals. Prior to marrying Prince Edward, the Duchess of Edinburgh was known as Sophie Rhys-Jones
Her father was a salesman and her mother worked as a secretary Sophie grew up in the West Kent village of Brunchley and attended Kent College for Girls before going on to attend West Kent College Tunbridge
Following her schooling, she went to work as a secretary at a London public relations firm
and set out on the career path that led her to meet Edward. Although Princess Catherine was also
a commoner before marriage, she enjoyed a reasonably wealthy upbringing. Her parents
Michael and Carol Middleton, own a party supplies company, Party Pieces, having first met while they
both worked in aviation. Thanks to the success of their company, Michael and Carol were able to send
their children to prestigious private schools such as St. Andrew's Prep School and Marlborough
a private boarding school. Catherine worked for the family company as well as Jigsaw
a clothing retailer, before marrying William. Sophie and Catherine have likely bonded over
the early days of their relationships, in which they were both hounded by the British press
Both women were eventually spared by interference from their future husbands. In an open letter in 1993, Prince Edward implored the press to give his relationship privacy
citing the destructive effect of press' attention on the marriages of his relatives
Notably, the previous year had seen the official dissolution of his sister Princess Anne's
marriage to Captain Mark Phillips, as well as his two brothers' separation from their
respective spouses. You probably know how all that went down. Edward wrote
I am very conscious that other members of my immediate family have been subjected to similar
attention, and it has not been at all beneficial to their relationships. Therefore, please will you
call an end to your harassment of both Sophie and me and allow us to try to carry on our lives as
normal. In 2007, William made a similar move on Catherine's behalf. The statement issued by the
then-Duke of Cambridge read in part, Prince William is very unhappy at the paparazzi harassment of his
girlfriend. He wants more than anything for it to stop. It helps to have shared interests when
forming a bond, and Sophie and Catherine both enjoy a number of similar hobbies. Daniel Stacey
royal correspondent for Hello! magazine, explains, The royal ladies have similar interests and
passions, including their love of sport and fashion. They also share common causes within
their royal work, with both Kate and Sophie championing the work of children and young
people's charities. When it comes to sports, Catherine is noted as a royal patron of institutions
such as SportsAid the All Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club the Lawn Tennis Association and the 1851 Trust The Duchess of Edinburgh serves as a patron for England Hockey the British Cycling Foundation the British Bobsleigh
and Skeleton Association, and the UK Armed Forces Winter Sports Association. Both women
have also been known to enjoy sailing. One particular way in which Sophie and Catherine
have bonded over the years is through their shared love of fashion. Both women are known
for their exquisite taste when it comes to apparel and accessories, and their fashion choices during
public outings are often complimented by the media. In fact, their parallel tastes have even
led to instances in which Sophie has acted as a kind of secret shopper for Catherine
Designer Dana Ida revealed to the Daily Mail in 2019 that Sophie purchased a jumpsuit from her
brand and specifically asked to get one for Catherine as well. She told the outlet
My friend, a stylist, is best friends with Sophie Wessex, and Sophie buys from us
She got our Black City jumpsuit for herself and then asked for one for Kate
She said, Kate wants one. Can I get one as well? Catherine has also been credited for influencing Sophie's style
with styling director Rosie Hartman telling The Express in 2022 that there were echoes of Kate's style in newer items in Sophie's wardrobe
Hartman added that Sophie's close relationship with Catherine has likely influenced many of her fashion choices
Another trait shared by Sophie and Catherine is their desire to be more hands-on as parents
This extends to giving their children as normal lives as they can possibly be given
considering their royal status. Sophie's children are Lady Louise, Mountbatten, Windsor, and James, Earl of Wessex. Sophie herself has stated that she and Prince Edward always plan
to raise them as normally as possible. Louise and James weren't given HRH titles at birth
which will allow them to decide on their own paths later in life. In 2020, Sophie told The Times
We try to bring them up with the understanding that they are very likely to have to work for a living
Hence, we made the decision not to use HRH titles. They have them and can decide to use them from 18, but it's highly unlikely
Despite the fact that she is raising a future king, Catherine reportedly also feels strongly about giving her children as normal of a life as possible
In 2019, a friend told People magazine that Catherine desperately wants normality for her own kids
and wishes them to have a youth similar to her own. The friend added
She wants to emulate her upbringing, living in the countryside with a close family When it comes to their patronages Catherine and Sophie hold a shared passion for important causes related to health and wellness While each woman tends to focus on different areas within the wide spectrum of health issues they are similar in how much time
they spend raising awareness about them. In addition to focusing on children's causes
Catherine is also an advocate for mental health and awareness. She is well known for having helped
form Heads Together with Prince William and Prince Harry, which helps shine a spotlight on various
mental health initiatives through the Royal Foundation. Sophie is also a major advocate
for health. She places her focus on causes that help to eliminate avoidable blindness
support women's health, tackle sexual violence, and explore menopause in the workplace
In a 2021 virtual chat for Wellbeing of Women, she explicitly called for there to be a more
public discussion about women's health, arguing that too much of the dialogue is kept shrouded
secrecy. Sophie said, we all talk about having babies, but nobody talks about the periods
nobody talks about the menopause. Why not? Sophie went on to highlight the fact that
these issues are incredibly normal and suggested that something needs to change
It's something that's incredibly normal, but it's something that is very hidden. And I think it's time to say enough. Regardless of the similarities or differences between the
two women, it seems to be the case that both Sophie and Catherine genuinely have a great
relationship and that they both enjoy spending time together. They are frequently photographed
smiling and laughing together at public engagements and royal events. Meanwhile, the two women are
known to be supportive when out in public together. They're even capable of sharing a laugh when things
go wrong. In 2017, for example, Catherine managed to save Sophie during a potentially embarrassing
incident at the Royal Ascot. As Sophie entered a carriage that she, Prince Edward, Catherine
and Prince William were riding in, she stumbled and started to fall forward toward the princess
Catherine quickly caught her and helped steady her so she could take her seat, and the pair were seen laughing about it right after. A similar incident occurred in 2018
as the royals gathered outside Princess Eugenie's wedding to Jack Brooksbank. The wind started to cause the hem of Catherine's pink dress to fly up
But with the help of Sophie, she managed to keep herself from embarrassment
Once again, Sophie and Catherine were seen smiling right afterwards, proving that no matter how embarrassing a situation
they're quite capable of helping each other out. Turns out, even royals can have each other's backs