Sophie, Countess of Wessex is claimed to have offered Meghan Markle an 'olive branch' and 'gesture of support' as the two attended a service in honour of the Queen earlier this week.
Sophie, wife of Prince Edward and the Duchess of Sussex, married to Prince Harry, joined fellow Royals at Westminster Hall on Wednesday as Her Majesty's body was taken there to lie in state. Before the droves of people who'd queued up to pay their respects were allowed through the doors of the historic venue, a service was held in her honour.
Sophie and Meghan arrived for the televised event in the same car car as their husbands walked behind the Queen's coffins, alongside Prince William, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Commander Timothy Laurence and King Charles III. While Meghan and Harry were seen holding hands later in the service, at first Meghan was stood beside Sophie, with Kate, Princess of Wales and Camilla, Queen Consort, on the other side of the Countess.
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According to Royal writer, Rebecca English, who was in Westminster Hall at the time, there was a 'noticeable gap' between the three other women, working Royals and Meghan, to begin with, with her adding about Meghan: "There was something self-consciously awkward about her posture, demonstrating the depth of the rift between herself and the rest of the royal family even if you happened upon them without any prior knowledge of the acrimony of the past four years. Indeed Meghan, who was holding black leather gloves, seemed so lost for something to do that at one point she rested her left hand in her pocket."
However, Rebecca then noticed that Sophie leant over to chat to Meghan in a 'olive branch' move, in line with reports that the Countess of Wessex is something of a 'peacemaker,' and perhaps an ally to the Sussexes, having been the first Royal to visit Meghan and Harry after the birth of their first child Archie.
Reacting to the moment between Sophie and Meghan as they saw it on screen, one viewer took to Twitter to post: ". It’s nice that Sophie can guide Meghan. A wise head. Classy."
Meghan and Sophie are expected to travel together by car again to head to the Queen' funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday, as the eyes of the world fall on the huge state event, set to be attended by world leaders including US President Joe Biden.
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