WHEN your mother is as highly recognisable as the Princess of Wales, a trip to the shops is not quite the simple expedition most little girls would appreciate.
So it’s lucky that Princess Charlotte, who at the age of nine is just beginning to take an interest in what clothes she wears, can count on her favourite royal relation, her great aunt Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, for visits to the boutiques of London.
Their occasional shopping trips to Chelsea and Knightsbridge confirm the special bond between Charlotte and Sophie that has been evident at some of the more formal royal gatherings, such as Trooping the Colour.
Royal watchers have noticed that Sophie, 59, is often seen chatting to Charlotte at royal events and acting as a comforting presence at what could be otherwise daunting occasions for the young princess.
“There is a really warm connection between Sophie and her great-niece, which is very touching,” says a senior royal source, who confirms that the two have been on shopping trips together.
On one trip to the King’s Road, which included a visit to Peter Jones, the royals favourite department store, the two were joined by Sophie’s daughter Lady Louise Windsor, 20, who has just completed her second year studying English at the University of St Andrews.
“Louise adores Charlotte too, but doesn’t see as much of her as she is mostly away in Scotland,” notes the source, adding that Kate (the Princess of Wales) loves the fact that Charlotte gets on so well with her older relation, especially as her recovery from cancer has restricted her own outings.
Charlotte will be able to spend more relaxing time with her favourite royal auntie when Sophie and her husband Edward (the Duke of Edinburgh) along with daughter Louise and her brother James – arrive for an extended stay at Balmoral, which this summer is playing host to most of the royal family.
King Charles and Queen Camilla are expected to be staying on the royal Highlands estate for up to six weeks, and will be joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales and Charlotte and her brothers George and Louis; plus Princess Anne and her daughter Zara and her husband Mike Tindall and their daughters Mia and Lena and son Lucas.
Also on the Balmoral invitation list are Peter Phillips and his daughters Savannah and Isla, plus the Duke of York’s daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie and their children.
The late Queen loved the fact that Edward and Sophie liked to spend most of their summer holidays at Balmoral. Since the death of his father Prince Philip, who loved to take charge of picnics and preside over barbecues, Edward has taken over the role of royal barbecue chef.
In a magazine interview last year, Sophie said: “He [Edward] is very good at barbecues, and the children love those. He takes our son fishing, does a lot of riding with our daughter, he is very engaged as a father.”
The warmth between Charlotte and Sophie was evident from the moving moment at the late Queen’s funeral when Charlotte turned to ask Sophie when was the correct time to curtsey.
And after the King’s coronation last year Sophie was observed encouraging Charlotte to wave from the balcony at Buckingham Palace.
At the Trooping the Colour ceremony Charlotte was seen leaning over to speak to Sophie who looked as if she had asked something. Some observers commented that it looked as if Sophie then told her to sit down.
But a lip-reading expert who examined a clip of the scene said that Charlotte had asked her great aunt: “Sophie how long will it be?” The Duchess is said to have replied: “I think it’s now.”
Charlotte shares a love of Taylor Swift with Sophie, who has been seen wearing one of the singer’s friendship bracelets.
In June Charlotte went with her parents and brothers George and Louis to Taylor’s first round of London concerts at Wembley.
She was invited backstage where she was called a ‘superstar’ by the singer’s boyfriend Travis Kelce.
The American sportsman, who has been dating Taylor since September last year, exclaimed about meeting the royals: “Prince William was fantastic, but the highlight was Princess Charlotte.
“She had a fire to her.
“She was asking questions; she was the most electric part of our meeting. She was so f***ing adorable.”
When Sophie met Edward in 1987 she was a PR for Capital Radio, but it was six years before they started dating.
They then began a romance in earnest, but went to great lengths to avoid photographers, especially when Sophie began staying overnight at Edward’s three-room apartment in Buckingham Palace. When calling Sophie at her office, the Prince would use the name Richard — not that he fooled her colleagues for long.
Six years after they started going out, Edward proposed, with a £105,000 ring from Crown jewellers Garrard.
Starting a family was not straightforward. In 2001 Sophie suffered an ectopic pregnancy.
In 2003, the birth of daughter Louise was similarly dramatic. The baby was a month premature and Sophie lost nine pints of blood, had a caesarean and was in hospital for 15 days. In 2007 she had another caesarean giving birth to son James.
Last summer, during the break before the second lockdown, Edward, Sophie and their children, now 17 and 13, were among the first to stay with the Queen and Philip at Balmoral, and the last to leave.
