The Truth About Queen Elizabeth's Relationship With Sophie, Countess Of Wessex

As Queen Elizabeth's youngest son, Prince Edward holds a special place in her heart. He is the only one of her four children that has had a long-lasting marriage, resulting in a very close relationship between Her Majesty and her daughter-in-law, Sophie Rhys Jones, who Edward married in 1999. So much so that according to a senior royal aide she is "trusted and relied on by the Queen" in a way that couldn't be "applied to the Duchess of Cambridge or the Duchess of Cornwall," as they told The Sun.

The Wessexes live fairly close to Windsor Castle at Bagshot Park, so when the queen is in residence there, Sophie and her family are regular guests. 

According to The Express, the Queen often asks for her daughter-in-law to accompany her to the church as the monarch finds her presence soothing, according to a former royal equerry. "If Sophie Wessex is staying at Sandringham then you can pretty much guarantee the Queen will ask her – usually last thing on a Saturday night – if she would like 'a lift' to the church," they revealed to The Sun, adding that "the same happens at Balmoral. The Queen likes to be completely calm before church and she finds Sophie's presence soothing."

Since the death of Prince Philip, Sophie has reportedly become the Queen Elizabeth's "rock" as she adjusts to life without her husband. "Prince Edward's wife has – according to sources – made it her personal mission to ensure Her Majesty is fully supported by the family," royal commentator Duncan Larcombe told The Sun, per Express. The pair have been close since Sophie first joined the family, but even more so as of late over lockdown.

Their relationship is so close in fact that Sophie has an adorable nickname for her mother-in-law. Towards the end of a speech at the queen's Diamond Jubilee Trust in 2019 (via Town & Country), she addressed the Queen as "Mama." The Countess of Wessex then went on to explain how proud she was to share what she had learned on her travels for the Trust with the Queen, which was set up "to prevent avoidable blindness and to create a service of young leaders."

Many attribute Sophie's commitment to explain the Queen's fondness of her, that she "goes about her duty diligently and quietly" as royal expert Katie Nicholl told the Daily Mail. Others mention their shared love of military history, and that they reportedly enjoy watching films together at weekends and can regularly be found "poring over documents in the Royal Archives, which are kept at Windsor Castle," a close friend told Express.