Sophie of Wessex may be trying to “snatch the limelight” from Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, according to a new report.
The Countess of Wessex has been lauded for transforming her style over the past ten years or so, as highlighted by a Daily Mail article in November.
Now the Mail says, as Sophie turns 50, she may be trying to draw attention away from Kate, who has become one of the most popular members of the royal family.
Sophie, a mother-of-two and wife of Queen Elizabeth’s youngest son Prince Edward, has struggled to gain fame over the years.
But she has burst back onto the scene recently, in part because of her new style. She gave an interview in the upcoming February 2015 edition of Harper’s Bazaar, and posed for pictures for the magazine.
In the interview, she chose to weigh in on the delicate issue of the burke, the controversial Islamic garment that some women wear to cover their entire body, including most of their face.
“You don’t have to show a lot of flesh in order to be beautiful and stylish,” she said in the interview.
“It’s very evident that Muslim women can be fashionable while also retaining their modesty... And what people forget is that underneath the burka and everything else there is somebody who is probably wearing something really quite fashionable.”
The Mail says that many people at Buckingham Palace consider Sophie--not Kate--to be “the model modern royal.”
“Sophie is the Queen’s favorite daughter-in-law, the one with whom she rides — very gently at 88 — who most often sits with her in the official car and who is always being asked to bring the children to tea at Windsor Castle at weekend,” it added.
But Sophie remains envious of Kate, insiders told the Mail, especially because she often wears pieces from the same designers as Kate before the Duchess, but Kate gets all the attention for them. She is also concerned about not getting any recognition for her charity work, which she often undertakes in a low-key fashion.
“It’s been really difficult for her,” said a friend. “I know she'd like some recognition for her work, but she feels people don’t really know her despite being in the Royal Family for 15 years.”
Commenters weighed in on the article.
“I would say Sophie is a modern Royal in that she had a successful career before marrying and having children. Aside from the ‘fake shiek’ snafu, she comes across well spoken and professional. I'd love to look that good at 50,” said one.
“I think Sophie and Kate are both attractive, intelligent, stylish women, but the DM’s insistence on pitting them (and other women) against each other -- using absolutely ridiculous examples -- is just embarrassing,” said another.
