Kate Middleton and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, have always had a close bond, but it seems the pair have more in common than many people think. Both senior royals married into the monarchy and have a special friendship because they both had ‘normal’ childhoods, compared to their husbands – Prince William and Prince Edward.

The Princess of Wales appears to be one of the Duchess’s key allies, and a close neighbour in Windsor. “Sophie and Catherine are very close – I think much closer than people realise,” said royal commentator Katie Nicholl. “There’s not a huge age gap between them, and Sophie was really welcoming to Catherine when she married into the family. She was an outsider and a so-called commoner, like Sophie, so they had that connection from an early stage.”

Kate and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, are said to be ‘much closer than people realise’ (Photo: (Getty Images)

While some, like Meghan Markle, have struggled to fit into the royal mold, Sophie seems to have settled in (Image: (Getty Images)

Sophie grew up in Kent with working parents and attended top private schools. However, according to a 2001 BBC report, the Rhys-Jones family, although wealthy, did not mingle in high society. Kate, on the other hand, was born into an upper-middle-class family in Berkshire to parents who were air stewards and flight dispatchers.

Photographs of the pair have always hinted at a special friendship, as seen at Royal Ascot in 2017, where they were pictured giggling as Sophie fell into their carriage and almost fell on top of Kate. They have been photographed on joint shopping trips in London and watching Wimbledon together, while in 2018 they teamed up to host the Commonwealth Fashion Exchange at Buckingham Palace. During the pandemic, the two women have also teamed up to make video calls to hard-working nurses in locations around the globe, including Australia, India, Malawi, the Bahamas and Cyprus.

Sophie is known to be a well-respected and loved member of the family (Photo: (Getty Images)

While others who have married into the family, such as the late Princess Diana and Meghan Markle, have spoken of their struggles adjusting to the demanding expectations of The Firm, Sophie – like Kate – appears to be universally respected and loved, and her appeal to young and older royals has led to her being dubbed a “bridge between the generations.” As royal commentator Katie has said, “Sophie is a very popular member of the family because she’s easy-going, there’s never any drama, and she just gets on with her job, quietly and diligently.”

Sophie is also said to have a close relationship with her sister-in-law, Queen Camilla, as they both played a key role in supporting Charles through his cancer diagnosis in 2024. Meanwhile, she and her husband, Prince Edward, appear to have acted as pillars of support for their nephew, Prince William, amid his rift with his brother, Prince Harry.