THE QUIET DUCHESS MAKING A NOISE FOR WOMEN

At last Sophie was making the news, at a time when the Royal Family was reeling from the cancer diagnosis of both King Charles and the Princess of Wales.

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Yet her powerful voice in the world does not mean she ignores the traditions of the Royal Family, taking her place on the balcony at Buckingham Palace, enjoying fun days out with her family at her favourite Royal Windsor Horse Show or relaxing on holiday at Balmoral or Sandringham. As she herself observes: “I have to compartmentalise.” Throughout Sophie’s rise to royal prominence, her husband, Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, has been by her side quietly advising and supporting. She praised him: “He is the best of fathers, the most loving of husbands and still my best friend.”

Today Sophie, in particular, in the Royal Family’s recent troubled times, has stood out like a beacon where for years she flew pretty much under the radar.

“I don’t know what people thought we were doing before,” she has said with good humour and a hint of exasperation. We are paying attention now.

Sophie has become a champion royal, and a royal champion.

THE LATE Queen once famously said of Sophie Rhys-Jones that you would not notice her in a room. That was actually a compliment. Early on as a young royal, Sophie learned the art of not being the centre of attention - ensuring the event and what she had to say was always more important than the shoes she was wearing.

That is one of the precious gifts that Sophie brings to the Royal Family - she is relatable, particularly to women.

Sophie was not an aristocrat like Diana or a debutante as Camilla once was - she was a middle-class girl from a village in Kent who always had the happy knack of getting on with people, which meant she was perfect for a career in publicity.

After a secretarial course, she moved to London where she enjoyed a busy social life, working for Capital Radio, moving on to being a ski rep and then settling in Australia with her then boyfriend - a relationship that did not last.

She had a proper life before she met Edward but it changed forever when she did.