The Queen has been surrounded by close friends and confidants her whole life, and their love and support has been crucial to her historic reign.
While a number of those closest to her are sadly no longer with us, Her Majesty does have several loved ones who are often at her side, including her dresser Angela Kelly and niece Lady Sarah Chatto.
But another person who has risen through the ranks and become one closest people in The Queen's life is her daughter-in-law Sophie, The Countess of Wessex.
The Countess of Wessex is one of the hardest working members of the Royal Family and often goes without the worthy recognition or appreciation.
Sophie and her husband, Prince Edward, make up two of the seven-strong line up of senior royals who can represent The Queen, alongside The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and The Princess Royal.
Following the tragic death of Princess Margaret on February 9, 2002, the nation was left in shock - but no one more so than The Queen and The Queen Mother - who died at the age of 101 just seven weeks later.
The Queen and her younger sister were incredibly close and her death left behind a huge hole for the monarch. But it would seem that the bond has in part been filled by Sophie.
A royal aide explained to the Daily Mail in 2018: “[The Queen] talks to Sophie in the way she used to talk to Princess Margaret.
"Sophie has filled a terrible gap in the Queen’s life that was left when her sister and the Queen Mother died in 2002.” Another aide said: “She is like another daughter to Her Majesty, they are that close.”
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Royal Expert Richard Kay wrote: “The Queen and the Countess also share a fascination with military history. Sophie loves listening to the Queen talk about great historical events, and the pair are sometimes gone for hours, pouring over ancient documents in the Royal Archives, which are kept at Windsor Castle.
“When Sophie visited the World War One and World War Two battlefields and cemeteries in France, she told the Queen all about what she had seen and what she felt.”
It is also known that Sophie was a huge pillar of strength for the Queen after the sad death of Prince Philip on April 9. Royal expert Duncan Larcombe detailed how she would drive to Windsor "every few days and most weekends to spend socially-distanced time with Her Majesty".
If she couldn't be there in person, she "[calls] her mother-in-law at least once a day". Many have even dubbed Sophie as the Queen's "rock".
Earlier this year, Sophie was given an impressive new honour from The Queen which shows how much she values her dedication to her royal duties.
The Countess of Wessex was made a Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St John. The full name of the honour is the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem and it was constituted in 1888.
Other current holders of the honour include Princess Anne, The Duke of Gloucester and Queen Noor of Jordan.
The Order of St John is best known for the health organisations it founded and continues to run, these include St John Ambulance and St John Eye Hospital Group.
When Sophie is not carrying out her official duties on behalf of the Queen, her main areas of interest include supporting young people with disabilities, eradicating avoidable blindness, agriculture, fashion and the prevention of sexual violence in conflicted areas.
The Countess has travelled to several countries to raise and spread awareness for these organisations in her role as patron or global ambassador.
Sophie undertook a visit to India and Qatar in honour of World Sight Day in 2013 to witness the global issues surrounding preventable blindness first-hand.
In 2019, she travelled to Kenya on International Women’s Day in aid of gender equality, girls’ education and the prevention of sexual violence.
Along with her husband, Sophie has taken up an important role in co-running the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme.
The Countess even undertook a 450-mile cycle ride from Edinburgh to Buckingham Palace as her Diamond Challenge for the scheme.
When Sophie is not carrying out her official duties she lives near to Windsor Castle at Bagshot Park in Surrey with her husband and two children, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn.
