At previous Remembrance Sunday services the Duchess of Edinburgh has often stood with Princess Kate and Queen Camilla, but this year, royal fans were left puzzled as they couldn’t spot Duchess Sophie during the TV coverage of Remembrance Sunday.
Senior members of the Royal Family attended the service at the Cenotaph on Sunday, November 12, watching from the Whitehall balconies.
However, due to the size of the balconies, only a few members can stand on each one, leaving many social media users questioning whether Duchess Sophie was even at the event.
A user of X, formerly known as Twitter, @Patrici74709708 said: “Where is Sophie? Not a glimpse of her at all, anywhere.”
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Other X users also commented on her whereabouts. User @rubyshoes18 said: “Sophie is usually on the same balcony as Camilla and Catherine I thought.”
One other user @heidibradshaw88 claimed: “The Duchess of Edinburgh was on the other balcony. The TV Coverage didn’t show her.”
The social media fans who did spot Sophie were quick to comment: One user said: “HRH Sophie Duchess of Edinburgh always looks sharp.”
Duchess Sophie was indeed at the service standing next to Vice Admiral Sir Tim Lawrence. As is royal tradition, the order is determined by rank, which is why Camilla stood ahead of the others, followed by Kate whose husband, Prince William, is heir to the throne.
For the event today, Sophie, who was extremely close to the late Queen, wore the beautiful black coat dress she wore to her funeral last September. The piece, by Suzannah London, features a lily of the valley design, with the flower said to be the late monarch’s favourite.
Sophie also wore three three poppies pinned to the coat dress along with a black hat and elegant pearl earrings.
As the first chimes of Big Ben rang out at 11am on Sunday and a two-minute silence began, King Charles stood before the Cenotaph in his role as head of state.
A volley from a gun fired by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery from Horse Guards Parade rang out to signal the start of the moment of silent reflection and another loud blast marked its end.
The women watched from the balcony as King Charles laid a wreath at the Cenotaph in memory of Britain’s fallen soldiers. An equerry laid a wreath on behalf of the Queen.
The late Queen, who died last year, considered Remembrance Sunday, which commemorates the war dead, one of the most significant and important engagements in the royal calendar.
