Duchess Sophie shared a close relationship with her mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth, and the monarch came to favor Prince Edward's wife so much that she was even called the late Queen's "true favorite." But in a new biography about the Duchess of Edinburgh, author Sean Smith shares that Sophie once made a mistake during the early days of her marriage that left Queen Elizabeth "not amused."
In Sophie: Saving the Royal Family (via the Daily Mail), Smith writes that the late Queen's remarked, "you wouldn't notice her in the crowd" when first meeting Prince Edward's new PR professional girlfriend. While the comment might not seem kind, it was actually a compliment of sorts. Smith noted that blending in was seen as a good thing by Queen Elizabeth, with the author calling Sarah Ferguson and Princess Diana the "tabloid gifts that kept on giving." After all, "it was greatly to Sophie's advantage to maintain a low profile," Smith notes.
