Duchess Sophie’s blunt response when asked about Meghan Markle

When Meghan Markle entered the Royal Family fresh from her role in Suits, the late Queen enlisted Prince Edward‘s wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex, to teach her the ropes.

But according to royal author Gyles Brandreth, the Duchess of Sussex ‘wasn’t interested’ in receiving advice from her new mentor.

This led Sophie to make a cutting remark when asked about ‘stepping in’ for Meghan and Harry after they stepped down as senior royals.

According to royal expert Katie Nicholl, Sophie said: ‘What did people think we were doing beforehand?’

Brandreth told Palace Confidential that Meghan ‘felt she had Harry’ and didn’t need further help from an advisor.

He said: ‘The Queen wanted Meghan to make a success of the marriage and of her new role, and indeed did everything that she could to encourage that.

‘I think she suggested to her that Sophie Wessex had been through it because she had married into the Royal Family.

‘I don’t think Meghan was interested in that. She felt she had Harry, she didn’t need to be offered a mentor.’

When Meghan Markle entered the Royal Family fresh from her role in Suits, the late Queen enlisted Prince Edward’s wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex, to teach her the ropes

The Queen thought Sophie would be a good mentor to Meghan as she had already ‘been through’ a royal marriage, according to royal author Gyles Brandreth

Best selling author, journalist and broadcaster Katie Nicholl has been writing about the British royal family for nearly two decades

Sophie, who was a favourite with the late monarch, is known for her down-to-earth nature and was viewed by the Queen as The Firm’s safest pair of hands.

She was welcomed into the Royal Family after tying the knot to Edward back in 1999, and the couple have since welcomed two children, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn. 

Sophie only became the Duchess of Edinburgh in March 2023, meaning that following her marriage to Harry, Meghan outranked Sophie. 

Nicholl wrote: ‘Sophie is blazing a more ordinary and normal trail for the Royal Family. 

‘If the price is less attention (although the organisations she is involved with value her hugely) it is a price worth paying.’

This wasn’t the only time Sophie addressed Harry and Meghan’s exit from the family. 

Following the Sussexes’ explosive tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, Sophie and Edward made a cheeky remark.

When asked about the much-discussed interview by The Telegraph. the Prince simply said, ‘Oprah, who?’ while Sophie added with a laugh, ‘What interview?’

Katie Nicholl wrote: ‘Sophie is blazing a more ordinary and normal trail for the Royal Family’ 

Sophie only became the Duchess of Edinburgh in March 2023, meaning that following her marriage to Harry, Meghan outranked Sophie

Meghan is pictured on her wedding day to Harry on May 19, 2018, as Prince Philip and the late Queen look on

Speaking about Harry and Meghan’s exit from the firm, Sophie added: ‘I just hope they will be happy.’

More pointedly, she then stated that the royals do all they can to try to assist new members to adjust, adding: ‘We all try to help any new members of the family’.

Royal expert Russell Myers previously claimed that Sophie ‘undoubtedly benefitted’ from Harry and Meghan stepping back from royal life because it has ‘raised her profile’.

Speaking on True Royalty TV’s The Royal Beat, he explained: ‘Are the Instagram generation going to be as obsessed with Sophie and Edward Wessex as they are with the Sussexes? Obviously not.

‘However, when you’re dealing with them… Sophie’s really across her subject matter. It’s not just for show and she has really grown into that. With the Sussexes not here, the Wessexes will undoubtedly benefit.’

Meanwhile he also pointed to how similar Meghan and Sophie’s interests are, saying: ‘The similarities between Sophie and Meghan are there to be seen.

‘Sophie’s working with girls’ education, she’s done a lot of stuff about violence against females in Africa.’

Most recently royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told MailOnline that Sophie’s hard-hitting advocacy work could have allowed Meghan to flourish in the Royal Family.

Sophie and Meghan are pictured with other members of the Royal Family where they watched a Royal Air Force flypast over central London 

The Countess of Wessex meets mothers and their newborns at Tombo Health Clinic which offers family planning and maternal care services to women in Sierra Leone

Sophie is shown around the Aberdeen Women’s Clinic in Freetown on the second day of her visit to Sierra Leone

The Duchess of Edinburgh recently spoke of her campaign to highlight the plight of victims of sexual violence in conflict, saying: ‘We must do better.’ 

Sophie, 60, who has spoken out on the issue for years and met hundreds of survivors around the world, visited the UK’s first exhibition dedicated to the subject.

Featuring shocking stories ranging from the First World War until the present day, the royal expressed her frustration as she toured the displays at the way the issue is still swept under the carpet – and the cultural norms that give rise to the degradation of women even today.

In recent years the King’s sister-in-law, who is married to his brother, Prince Edward, has travelled to current and former war zones including Chad, the Congo, Kosovo, South Chad, Lebanon and Sierra Leone.

She has devoted much of her latter working life as a royal to supporting the Women, Peace and Security Agenda and is passionate about championing gender equality.

Fitzwilliams said: ‘Meghan is struggling to be an influencer, Sophie has influence in ways that really matter, which Meghan could have been.

‘Meghan has always boasted about how she promotes feminism.

‘Yet contrast the occasional speech she makes in comfortable surroundings with the remarkable work of Sophie who actually visits areas of the world such as Sudan and Chad which have been devastated by war and attempts to comfort the women who are victims of rape and exploitation.’

Sophie has devoted much of her latter working life as a royal to supporting the Women, Peace and Security Agenda and is passionate about championing gender equality

The Duchess of Edinburgh is pictured during a visit to the ‘Unsilenced: Sexual Violence in Conflict’ Exhibition at the Imperial War Museum, London

He added that Meghan’s departure from frontline royal duties is a case of ‘wasted potential’, while Sophie has ‘proved she’s the Royal Family’s champion of women’s rights’.

‘While Meghan sends pots of jam to celebrities, it is the Duchess of Edinburgh who meets survivors of conflict-related sexual violence and displaced women in a landmark visit to Ukraine,’ he said. 

Sophie and Meghan travelled together in a car down The Mall ahead of the Queen’s State Funeral in September 2022.

After travelling together, Sophie was described as a ‘savvy peacemaker’ who may be tasked with ‘soothing tensions between the Sussexes and the rest of the Firm.’

According to royal expert Camilla Tominey, writing in the Telegraph, the job of making sure the ‘Sussexes are made to feel part of the sombre proceedings’ appeared to have fallen to Sophie.

The royal expert cited reports of previous times the former Countess is believed to have ‘stepped in to soothe tensions,’ including after the funeral of Philip, when she is said to have sought out Harry and spoken with him for some 30 minutes.

And a former aide of Sophie told the Telegraph that she ‘is made for the role of mediator.’ 

They said: ‘That’s why she’s the Queen’s favourite daughter-in-law – she’s down to earth and just gets on with it.

Sophie, who was a favourite with the late monarch, is known for her down-to-earth nature and was viewed by the Queen as The Firm’s safest pair of hands

Sophie and Meghan travelled together in a car down The Mall ahead of the Queen’s State Funeral in September 2022

‘Like Meghan, she’s not only had a professional life before royalty but she also knows what it feels like to be vilified in the press. She understands what Harry and Meghan are going through.’

In the most recent YouGov opinion poll, 51 per cent of Brits said they felt positively about Sophie, compared to just 20 per cent for Meghan. 

Just 12 per cent of people had a negative view of Sophie compared to 65 for Meghan. 

Sophie is currently ranked as the sixth most popular royal, compared to Meghan who falters in 19th place. 

In 2019 Meghan was the sixth most popular royal and Sophie was in 11th place. 

Meghan’s popularity has been on a steady incline since she and Harry stepped down as senior working royals. 

Meanwhile Sophie’s popularity has only increased over time as she uses her position to platform causes for change.