The One Royal Who Is Reportedly Holding The Family Together

The royal family is leaning on each other in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II's funeral. As an estimated 4 billion viewers watched, the record-breaking day was filled with many heart-wrenching moments, including King Charles III tearing up as "God Save the King" played on (via ET). The biggest source of strength within the royal family was Sophie, Countess of Wessex, who was seen comforting members of the family.

Pranav Bhanot, member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, who was in attendance at Queen Elizabeth II's funeral, told People, "The Countess of Wessex was incredible. I saw her putting her arm around three or four people. It felt like she was really the glue keeping everyone quite strong today." Sophie and her husband Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, both put on a brave front as their eyes watered while they watched the events of the day unfold (via Hello). According to Bhanot, though the Countess of Wessex was also in mourning, her support extended beyond the royal family — including consoling the bishops as they became emotional. 

The tears flowed freely as many mourned the loss of the beloved monarch, and royal went out of her way to check in on everyone in her reach. In awe of her strength, Bhanot shared his sentiment that the Countess of Wessex is a true treasure. "From where I was I got the sense that... sometimes you have that one strong person in a family who's kind of keeping everyone together," he explained. "To me, it seemed like Sophie was that person today."