Sophie, Countess of Wessex has given an interview to Harper’s Bazaar UK not only in celebration of her upcoming 50th birthday on January 20 but to promote her patronage of the London College of Fashion and their “Better Lives” campaign. Sophie became patron in 2013, marking the first time a royal has been patron of the College.
Sophie was interviewed by Justine Picardie, Editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar UK, at Buckingham Palace, and photographed by Henry Bourne at the Wessex home, Bagshot Park.
Go here to read the full article. Some highlights:
On the College:
- “What they’re doing is teaching women [in prison] seamstressing skills, as we don’t have enough seamstresses in this country; and then finding work for them when they leave prison, so they can actually go out and get a job… I think a lot of people have the impression that if you go to fashion college, you’re just learning how to design and make clothes, and of course, that’s an important element, but alongside that is the process of how to create a business, how to market designs and how to sell ideas to buyers – the students have to understand all of it.”
On her son, James, being admitted to Great Ormond Street Hospital:
- “I don’t recommend that to anyone. He was six weeks old, and we went through 24 hours of tests, which wasn’t much fun for him. Trying to fill 10 phials of blood from a tiny baby isn’t easy. We were lucky because it was caught so early, he didn’t suffer any lasting effect… But some children aren’t so lucky, and by the time they end up in Great Ormond Street they are in a seriously bad way, and have to be fed via an intravenous method because their stomachs are so damaged.”
What she’s learned from the Queen:
- “It doesn’t matter how tired you are – carry on. In the early days, I used to rush around as quickly as I could, but when you observe the Queen, she does things in such a measured way, and I hope I’ve learnt to try not to bounce into the room, but do things in a slightly more elegant way.”
She had to learn to talk to people:
- “The art of talking meaningfully is one that has to be learnt. It’s hard to make people feel that the conversation you’ve had with them was worthwhile, but the Queen is very good at that – she makes everybody feel very special.”
The Queen’s sense of duty:
- “The Queen would never let anybody down, and that means that you feel the same way. Because there’s that part of her which I’m sure is like the proverbial stick of rock: if you cut her, the word ‘service’ would just run through her.”
I actually didn’t know about James’ health scare; that’s quite terrifying. Good thing they caught it early and he was fine. I like that she mentioned the College teaching students about the business side of things; and I like that Picardie used those quotes first, drawing attention to them, before going into the stuff about the Queen. Apparently Sophie is friends with Picardie and that’s why she granted her the interview, but I must say I’m glad Sophie gave the interview. She got to promote her patronage, but also gave us a glimpse into her life, which is rare and delightful. Sophie speaks well and intelligently about her patronages, and one can tell she knows what they do and their importance. There are more quotes in the article; it’s definitely worth reading the whole thing.
The article appears in the February 2015 issue of Harper’s Bazaar UK, on newsstands January 2.
Here are some photos from when Sophie visited the London College of Fashion back in November.
Photos: Henry Bourne for Harper’s Bazaar UK/The British Monarchy on Facebook
I like Sophie and I like that she gets on well with the Queen. She works hard to do a good job and it shows. It seems to me that if you really try to do your best and get out there and work and try to better yourself at your job HM really appreciates it. I also love that she is close enough to Edward and Sophie that she pops by regularly. I don’t see that happening with another couple any time in the near future.
If I married into that family, HM, Princess Anne, Camilla and Sophie would all be my go tos for advice. They have such a wealth of knowledge and experience when it comes to royal duties.
I really like Sophie as well.That was a really nice interview. That family has been through a lot! I didn’t realize that James had a health scare either. I did know that Sophie had very difficult pregnancies and almost died. And I believe Louise has a condition that affects her eyes in some way.
She seems like she actually cares about her patronages. I remember the visit where Sophie went back to the hospital where they saved her life and her breaking down while she was thanking them.
She carries herself well and she comes across as a very genuine person.
I love these reports on some of the other royal women. They give me a greater respect for the royal family. I love that picture of her with her dog; she looks like Grace Kelly. One side effect of these reports is that it makes you realize how bad a member of the royal family the Duchess of Cambridge really is.
Kate should read this and live this. I am a huge fan of Sophie. She had some missteps in the beginning, but quickly righted the ship. I am so glad that she is getting her kudos and her time to shine. I loved it when a young girl asked what was in her purse and she opened it and went through the items. How cool is that? I would love to see the same type of article about Princess Anne. I find her to be just as intriguing.
It may be petty of me, but I love that Sophie got an interview in a fashion magazine and The Style Icon Known As Kate didn’t. Can you imagine what her interview would sound like?
I really like the photograph of her in the long blue dress posing with her dog – that is rather delightful….
Thanks for the great post KMR. Nice to read something good about Sophie and she says lovely things about The Queen. If Sophie can watch and learn then why cant Kate? Or maybe its because of Kate’s upbringing that she is unable to learn. I will look forward to getting that Harpers as Justine Picardie is a great writer.
Classy lady, perfect example. A terrific post about someone She Who We Usually Criticize could afford to learn from. I admire Sophie’s balance of professionalism with Royal life. Good for her.
Sophie has become a flawless royal face, she’s got a natural elegance and is comfortable with herself. She has a defined personality but knows how to represent HM without compromising herself. She also seems to really care about the people she meets and loves her family.
I think Sophie has tremendous grace and dignity. Things have not always been easy for her and Edward — especially with the problems the children have faced, but they appear to have handled their problems with tremendous calm.
I respect her ability to balance her Royal responsibilities with her family life and I think she deserves praise for all her caring ways. She is someone to admire, indeed.
Hello K.M.R.
I was wondering if you could post on the american born Queen Noor of Jordan ( Lisa Halaby.)
I have read a few biographies, i thik Queen Noor is very interesting!
Love the Countess of Wessex. She and the Earl don’t get nearly enough public attention. I call them the “unsung royals” b/c they carry out a full schedule of public duties, regularly traveling abroad but have also managed to raise a seemingly close-knit family with Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn. And of course the Countess is very close to the Queen, so anything she says publicly has to have been endorsed by her in-laws. That alone is worth listening to her.