Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh is royally pleased.
After Sophie was promoted from Countess of Wessex to Duchess of Edinburgh, a new rule has been implemented.Now, the 60-year-old reportedly no longer needs to curtsy to Meghan Markle.
“Sophie is relieved,” her friend revealed to reporters, according to Hello Magazine. “She no longer has to curtsey to someone in the family who has not only left royal duties but has spent the past three years criticising the institution that Sophie works so hard to support.”
Before Sophie’s new title, Markle, 43, was above her in the royal pecking order because of her marriage to Prince Harry, 40.
The royal family member called going from Countess of Wessex to Duchess of Edinburgh “quite a big moment.”
Both Queen Elizabeth and Queen Camilla previously held the title.
The Duchess of Edinburgh first met Edward in 1987 after she moved to London to work for Capital Radio.
The two remained friends for years before sparking up a romance. In 1999, Prince Edward and Sophie tied the knot.
Sophie has been a staunch confidant of King Charles, 76, and a loyal member of the royal family since marrying Edward.
Earlier this month, reports surfaced that Sophie allegedly skipped Princess Diana’s funeral because the pair looked too much alike.
“She had an obvious and reasonable excuse: a friend at the palace said, ‘Sophie decided it would be too upsetting for the crowd if she went,’” author Sean Smith wrote in his new biography about the Duchess, titled “Sophie: Saving the Royal Family.”
“’She’s well aware that she looks like Princess Diana from a distance and made her decision in a caring and thoughtful way,’” he added. “’The royal family fully supported.’”
Both Diana, who died at age 36 following a car accident in 1997, and Sophie had blonde hair and piercing blue eyes.
Sophie addressed their similarities in the ’90s.
“I don’t deny that we do look alike,” she said at the time, per Daily Express. “But I couldn’t ever compete with Diana’s image.”
She added, “I’m not Diana.”
While the West Kent College alum is rising in the royal ranks, Markle and Prince Harry stepped away from their royal duties in 2020.
The couple, who tied the knot in 2018, moved to Montecito, California, with their kids Archie, 6, and Lilibet, 4.
