Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh married into the Royal Family in 1999 and has developed very close relationships over the past two decades.
Body language expert Judi James weighed in on who she thinks Duchess Sophie has formed the closest bond with.
She suggested that the popular royal gets on with pretty much everyone, although she might have a few particularly strong friendships.
Judi opined: “Sophie always seems to be a perfect royal hub, providing a calm and friendly presence in a family often overwhelmed by drama or crisis.
“Unless alienated by disloyalty (she appears to have cold-shouldered Harry and Meghan during some of their last trips to the UK) it’s clear from a look at the body language signals that she is friendly with most members of her family.”
“It was a very supportive Sophie in the car with the Queen when Philip was in hospital in 2020. Poses at Ascot in 2018 show intense mirroring or postural echo between the two women, showing like-mindedness, and there were frequent uses of tie-signs to exchange a thought or emotion or even a belly-laugh.”
The passing of the Queen last year must have been devastating to Sophie, but she is able to lean on other friends within the Royal Family for support.
Judi claimed: “The only royal who seems possibly to come close to that now-lost friendship for Sophie is Zara Tindall.
“Watching her chatting to the late Queen and Sophie at Ascot we can see how relaxed and utterly amused the two women were with the Queen’s granddaughter.
“Like Zara’s mother Anne, Sophie takes her royal duties very seriously but, like Zara, she is also delighted by an opportunity to let her hair down and join in the fun.
“In 2015 Zara and Mike took their children to Lapland UK and it was Sophie climbing into a pair of skates to join them out on the ice, albeit nervously.”
Judi James previously spoke to Express.co.uk about an unusual moment shared between Sophie and another royal friend, Kate, Princess of Wales.
