The couple, who are both married to members of the royal family, were joined in sad reflection as their car followed the royal procession. 3 Sophie, Countess of Wessex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex are led behind the coffin of Queen Elizabeth IICredit: AFP They rode behind their husbands, Prince Harry and Prince Edward, who paraded the Queen’s coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall. But while today was a quiet time, the pair have a lot in common – and could probably relate to many of the same scenarios. Here’s a look at what we know…
EMBARRASSING MOMENTS
Sophie, Countess of Wessex, shed light on Meghan and Harry’s explosive interview with Oprah last year after it shocked the world. During an interview with the Telegraph’s royal editor Camilla Tominey, he went so far as to joke that he didn’t know – despite the chat leading every newspaper in Britain the next day. When she and her husband were asked about the explosive interview, Edward joked: “Oprah who?” And Sophie followed up with, “Yeah, what interview?”
COMMON EXPERIENCES
In a rare interview with the Sunday Times, Sophie previously told how the Royal Family does everything it can to help new members. He said: “We all try to help any new family member.” But he admitted he had more time to adjust than Meghan, having been “five years” since the transition and “even living in Buckingham Palace” at the time. “Not that you necessarily know how it’s going to turn out,” he said. Speaking about Meghan and Harry’s exit from royal life, she added: “I just hope they’re happy.”
SIMILAR DISEASE
Sophie and Meghan also share a passion for helping others, as they both work to advance women’s rights. In March, Sophie did a four-day solo tour in New York, much of which focused on women and girls. It’s something Meghan is also particularly passionate about, having worked with a number of women’s charities over the years. Speaking on True Royalty TV’s The Royal Beat, royal editor Russell Myers previously said: ‘The similarities between Sophie and Meghan are apparent. “Sophie works with girls’ education, she’s done a lot about violence against women in Africa… Will the Instagram generation be as obsessed with Sophie and Edward Wessex as they are with the Sussexes? Obviously not. “However, when you’re dealing with them…Sophie is really all about her.” Sophie married Her Majesty’s youngest son Prince Edward in 1999 and they have two children together: Lady Louise Windsor, 18, and James Viscount Severn, 14. She and the now Queen Consort were the only non-expatriate relatives to be found at Balmoral after the monarch’s death – with Sophie previously described as the late monarch’s ‘second daughter’. Her family home, Bagshot Park, is near Windsor and she and the Queen visited each other regularly. Meghan has also spoken about her close bond with Her Majesty in the past, telling Oprah that she would “regularly call the Queen” just to check in. She also recalled the first time she met her grandmother as “lovely and easy going”. 3 Camilla, Queen Consort, pictured with Catherine, Princess of Wales, Sophie, Countess of Wessex and Meghan, Duchess of SussexCredit: Rex 3 The Royal Family view the floral tributes left for the Queen after her deathCredit: Alamy
