Do you guys remember when Duchess Kate wore bright pink to the September 11 Memorial the day after she wore black to wrap Christmas presents with kids in December 2014? And do you remember how the Kate-stans defended that decision by pointing out that The Queen and Camilla also wore shades of pink to the September 11 Memorial (which I’m having trouble finding photos of)? Well, Sophie, Countess of Wessex don’t roll like that, yo. Sophie wears navy when visiting a site in memory of one of the worst tragedies on US soil in history.
Sophie laid flowers on the memorial (her note reads: “In memory of those who lost their loves so tragically. Sophie”) before touring the museum yesterday, November 11th. She stopped at the quote from Virgil’s The Aeneid (which reads: “No day shall erase you from the memory of time.”), she signed the registry, and viewed the artifacts left over from the tragedy.
Sophie also visited the Queen Elizabeth II September 11th Garden at Hanover Square (in memory of the 67 British men and women who died that day) where she laid a wreath in observance of Veterans Day.
It was announced on November 3rd that Sophie has become the new Global Ambassador of 100 Women in Hedge Funds’ Next Generation initiatives. You know 100WHF as the event where Kate wore that horrible Erdem monstrosity. She also attended the event in 2013.
Sophie will serve as Global Ambassador for the next three years. As Global Ambassador, Sophie will “serve as an advocate for increased diversity in the financial services industry, and for raising the industry’s visibility and appeal as young women consider career paths. Additionally, she will participate in conversations in which she can share 100WHF’s global knowledge of best practices around cultivating interest and engagement from the next generation of women entering the industry.”
The Next Generation initiative “aims to provide an educational and social forum at which aspiring women can build lasting, synergistic relationships through an open dialogue about the current interests and challenges of both working women and hedge fund professionals.”
Sophie attended three events for 100WHF while in NYC. On November 10th, Sophie attended the 100WHF 500th education event at which the New York Gala honorees shared their perspectives in a panel discussion on Shareholder and Corporate Governance practices.
Sophie wore an orange fitted, T-shirt sleeve dress from Victoria Beckham that cost £1,450.00. It boggles my mind how a dress that simple could cost that much. Is the Victoria Beckham name really that important to spend that much on such a simple dress?
Before heading to the September 11 Memorial, Sophie attended the 100WHF Next Gen breakfast discussion with young women currently in the industry.
The evening of the 11th, Sophie attended the New York Gala fundraiser where they raised money for 100WHF Foundation’s Next Generation initiatives. Sophie gave a speech at the event. I have not been able to find a video or a transcript of her speech as of time of posting. If I find one later I will update the post.
UPDATE: The British Monarch Twitter account posted a few quotes from Sophie’s speech.
“By sharing good practice and supporting the next generation we will effect change across the board. One day gender balance will become a non-issue and we will celebrate successful young people regardless of sex. Congratulations to this year’s Awardees for using their success to encourage others to aspire to wanting more.”
UPDATE AGAIN: 100WHF who posted the transcript of Sophie’s speech. Sophie talks about gender inequality and how her time as a professional businesswoman gives her more of an appreciation for the corporate world and people in it to whom she is addressing. Sophie said in part:
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“Like many of you here tonight, I am a rare breed! You are rare because of the imbalance of gender across your industry, which is of course why 100WHF was created. I am rare because I am one of the few ladies in the British royal family who has had a professional business career and their own company. So perhaps I am able, through my own experience, to have a deeper appreciation of the corporate world and what it is like to have to climb the career ladder. […]
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“I hope that through my role with 100WHF I will be able to help shine a light on issues for women working in the financial sector while proactively promoting examples of good practice in the hope of inspire others to do more to encourage and support their female employees. […]
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“But of course it is all very well encouraging the next generation to aspire to greater things without showing them that it is possible to get ahead, to be successful and not to have to do it at the expense of everything else life has to offer. So what better way to inspire them than to show them shining examples of others who have already done it.
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“The annual Leadership Awards gives us the perfect opportunity to pay tribute to some very inspirational women who are playing a vital role in keeping public companies accountable to shareholders through their leadership in governance at the firms they work for. In fact they are exactly the kind of women who form my Women’s Network Forum in the UK, so I know just how committed they are to supporting and inspiring our young women of the future.”
Photos: Getty / 100 Women in Hedge Funds @100_WHF
I like Sophie. She doesn’t make a fuss and gets on with the job. She knows how to dress appropriately for the event she’s attending. Didn’t really like the orange VB dress and it’s certainly not worth that amount. But I really liked the red dress from the last three photos. It’s also interesting to note that when the Sophie attends an event or whatever the main report is always about highlighting the event or charity etc and then her fashion choices are an afterthought. Unlike a certain someone it just goes to show that its possible for royal women to have style and substance. Go Sophie!!!
The red dress looks stunning on Sophie.
Sophie is proof that one can not make their appearance at an event ll about the clothes, hair, and inane things one says. When Sophie’s words are reported, they are about the issue or charity whose event she is attending because she makes sure to mention it or give a speech. When Kate’s words are reported they are either inane things she says to people or the people she meets covering for her by insisting she’s asking all the right questions but never actually telling us what those questions were she asked.
The red dress is very nice but … what about those accessories???
Yes, Countess Sophie – regal royalty and duty representing HM and the BRF.
A mature, dignified and regal professional with the ladies of Hedge Fund – what a difference compared to the immature, made up teen (looking bored and way out of her depth), the selfish look of cannot.
9/11 Revisited by a dignified, noble and dedicated BR who sincerely serves HM – Countess Sophie Wessex is so much more respectful and regal – at such a beloved and painful site for Americans and the world. Well done Countess – remove the smiling, immature, hot pink celebrity of Willnot and cannot (and Hedge Fund women). Respect!
I love Sophie. I wish the press would cover her engagements more and weren’t still so anti-her. They’ve never forgiven her and Prince Edward and won’t give the public opportunity to, despite there being ample reasons to. The press really do make it hard for people to be forgiven by the public the way the press shapes public opinion and holds on to old narratives, even after that person has well and truly grown passed it or has a lot more to them then that mistake or minute character flaw. Pretty much, which the exception of the Queen, all the royals but William and Kate get crucified at any opportunity by the press and have past indiscretions rehashed. They hardly covered Prince Harry meeting with Canadian servicemen this week, and tried to imply that Harry was going to the State Dinner dressed in sport appeal when he was dressed that way because he privately spent the day walking with injured soldiers.
Sorry to go off topic but I’m so annoyed that the DM has published photos of Charles and Camilla relaxing at Parliament House but wouldn’t dare to with William and Kate. They have this ridiculous disclaimer about the DM online being the 4th biggest news site in Australia yet the same rules did not apply for William and Kate when they were with George at exactly the same place these photos of Charles and Camilla were taken. Domestic Violence is a huge issue and one being highlighted in Australia right now yet Camilla’s engagement, along for the rest of the tour hardly got a mention. The one article the DM promote in their News section, and not Femail like the rest of the rest of the tour, is Charles and Camilla poolside. The new PM is republican yet the meeting with Prince Charles wasn’t newsworthy enough for their News section, but being poolside is and it’s under the guise of the privacy debate.
We should all know by now that William is the one’s synonymous with this whole off duty family time privacy debate craze with letters, threaten to bar photographers from official engagements if they take pictures of him and Kate at weddings, no fly over zones, legal action over picture taken in public places and the threat of it flying left right and centre, not Prince Charles. Charles’s only link at all to any type of privacy debate was his letters to MPs and others. The press were so disappointed there was nothing to show for all their smoking gun nonsense, Prince Charles actually gained more respect and dare I say even affection and come off as polite and rather caring for service men and women and the disenfranchised.
Furthermore the British press, especially the DM, continually publish photographs of Harry off duty, some even taken of people’s social media accounts, to try perpetuate this whole party prince image, even when it’s just a dinner with friends during a week where he’s had more engagements then the whole of Cambridge’s summer this year. Princess Annes was in America and Prince Edward in Canada the same week Harry was in America. Instead we get dribble on a bag Kate’s been seen with that other celebrities have long liked but somehow it’s the ‘Kate Effect’.
We really need statements from you Kate, like Sophie and all other royal ladies continually give on their official engagements, else the press will continual to try force this whole ‘fashion icon’ farce.
She looked fab in that red dress!
Agreed!! She looked wonderful.
All look dignified, mature and fabulous! Its as if the ladies look and feel much more equal and inviting.
Amazing how The Monarch/BP felt the need to right the awfulness of W*cannot. By revisiting dispatching Countess Sophie. If Prince Henry isn’t made the heir to POW HM/BP should skip all the way to York (as was King ‘Bertie’ ) or Wessex. GB deserves better (after HM-POW reign)
Three cheers for Sophie – setting the standard for modern, working mothers in the BRF.
Reading about Sophie after being inundated with the mess that is Kate is like surfacing from a brackish pond for a breath of fresh air.
She did the 9-11 memorial visit properly. Appropriate colors, no inane grinning. Respectful of the site and those who lost their lives.
Then she goes on to do more work in three days than Kate seems to do in 3 weeks. She definitely gives the BRF a good rep and I can see why she’s a favorite of HM.
Hi Lisa, I totally agree with you, Sophie is a breath of fresh, royal air.
Slight correction, the events in this post are over only two days. So Sophie did in two days more than Kate does in three weeks.
KMR,
I took a deep gulp of air, after that correction!
I sense the Hedge Fund ladies and NY did too. is this a royal trend now – the Countess will need to mop up after limpet middleton for history (No value or hope for Willnot*cannot).
That fact should make Kate hang her head in shame. Instead she’ll just say something inane about Sophie being a senior royal and it being expected of her.
Honestly, if I were Kate I’d be ashamed to show my face in public.
Wow, Sophie looked simply radiant in that red dress!!! The two women beside her in the 3rd to last picture are the same two women who welcomed Kate to the 100WHF event in London. I would love to have been a fly on the wall when they started comparing Sophie and Kate.
Is it just me or had Sophie been wearing longer dresses and skirts lately? They all seem to hit well below the knee, a very midi-style. While I do like that style on her sometimes, I think an excessive wearing of midi-length dresses and skirts will be a bit matronly and aging.
It’s easy to see why Sophie is the Queen’s favorite. As well as a love of military history, they share a sense of duty and service to their country. I get the impression that Sophie, like HM, believes in putting others before one’s self and excels at putting that devotion to others into action.
“They all seem to hit well below the knee, a very midi-style.” – yes I’ve also noticed! 🙂 since last year she does seem to prefer them IMO bc they are becoming a fashionable thing again. But until now they never seemed matronly on her, I think, bc she mostly uses this dresses in strong colours and really texturally interesting fabrics.
Sophie’s so called midi dresses are simply what women wore in the 1940’s to 1980’s as a STANDARD business length. A midi dress was one that was floor length BTW. If you look at photos of the late Princes Margaret you will see that for her ‘work’ appearances she often wore dresses of a similar length that Sophie is now wearing. It’s Royal with a capital R and dignified.
The midi skirt is very fashion at the moment. Fashionistas started wearing it last year, and now it’s trickled down to the masses.
Sophie is being fashionable.
Ps: whilst I think Kate had a talking to vis a vis her skirt lengths, I also think she’s doing the longer hems because that’s what all the fashionistas are wearing.
I would love to know what those women thought of Kate and Sophie. It must have been a stark contrast between the two.
Sophie does seem to be favoring longer skirts recently. I don’t know why that is.
Maybe b/c it’s getting closer to winter, so she wants her legs covered? I think it’s as good a guess as any.
My first thought when I saw the pictures of Sophie’s visit to the 9/11 Memorial was “hey, no bright pink coat. ” The Duchess of Cambridge needs to spend some time with the Countess of Wessex and receive some instruction on dressing appropriately for events. There is a time and a place to wear jeans, there is a time and a place to wear bright colours, there is a time and a place to have bouncy big hair. Sadly, DofC consistently gets the times and places wrong. Almost 5 years into her “job” and I am surprised she hasn’t got a better handle on these things by now. Sophie gets it right almost every time – she looks classy, elegant and dignified and exactly how a member of the Royal Family should look when working.
supposedly there was a plan for Kate to shadow Sophie for a time after the wedding, but William said he would teach Kate the ropes. Given her difficulties forming relationships with other women, to whom she is not related, it might’ve been Kate herself who rejected the idea.
It socks me that Kate still gets her wardrobe so wrong. The stans keep insisting that Kate gives all this thought to which outfit she wears to which event, and we’ve definitely seen examples of theme dressing, yet she still is so off so much. Black and dark colors to visit kids all the time, bright pink to visit a memorial. It makes no sense.
It’s interesting because Carole dresses so well. She generally always looks good, I would have thought they (her and Pippa) would be helping Kate out. I really loved Kate’s style the first year and a half after the wedding. Not sold on all her evening wear but most of the rest of her outfits I loved. When Natasha came on board there were a few were misses but nothing like the last few weeks.
I am a little sceptical about Carole’s dress sense after seeing her in a couple of photos wearing way too short dresses. She may have good legs for her age but her knees are rather wrinkly and perhaps should be covered?
http://www.partypieces.co.uk/about-us
Classy, appropriate, and comfortable in her own skin. I am glad she was chosen as ambassador for Hedge Fund Women—very smart choice! That red dress is beautiful and she looks fabulous in it.
It makes even more sense since Sophie had her own company once upon at time.
Sophie was a good choice. It will be nice to she what she does in the upcoming three years. I have to admit I thought Sophie was pretty dowdy in the 1990’s, but after seeing how happy she was at her wedding I started to change my mind.
I have since come to admire how she handles herself by working, being engaged, genuinely appearing to enjoy the children she meets, not embarrassing the BRF and all in all being someone HM can count on wherever she is needed.
I wonder why stories have gotten out about the Countess. I read something where her staff says things like, “the COW is home and wants her tea.” Then, the incident around lazy and Will’s wedding where she was seen yelling at her royal protection officer. Of course this was on a public street. Who knows what happened! I have raised my voice and yelled more than I would like to admit, but Sophie doing so in public was a surprise.
What continues to surprises me, is why does this kind of stuff get out about hard working and dedicated Sophie and we haven’t heard any insider dirt about lazy Kate. I realize the Cambridge staff can’t say anything, but can’t a friend of a friend leak anything?
There was an article about Sophie’s argument with the R.P.O. and how she had lost royal protection partly as a result. Well fast forward four and a half years and the same plainclothesmen is in the first picture, the bald man in the background in a blue shirt with the red-and-navy striped tie under a trench coat. I guess we can’t trust anything we read in the Daily Fail after all. 🙂
Measures were being taken to cut back the £100 million cost of Royal security and some of the royals lost their RPOs. Now they only have security during official engagements.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1391916/Edward-Sophie-lose-1m-police-protection-Royal-security-costs-cut.html
I know. I’m pretty sure I know more about royal protection than most. There were additional stories published in 2012 and 2013 that the minor royals had lost SO14 protection all together and were hired out to private unarmed security b/c of the need for high-level protection around the Cams and Harry and the “downgrading” of the Yorks and Wessexes. One reason the later reports are dubious is b/c the royalty protection bill has been reported as £100 million flat for the last 15 years, which I doubt. It goes up and down, depending on how many officers are on duty, who is protected, where they are protected, whether the officers work overtime, etc.
If it continues at £100 million with just the “core” royals, they will have to cut back protection even more or find some way to economise. A toddler is said to draw 50 royal and diplomatic protection officers for himself. That alone is £12.5 million a year. Does he really need that many?
You realise that COW is an accronym for Countess of Wessex.
Sometimes it’s tedious to say the title in full, and royal staff always want to use the title, so they shorten to accronym.
I once worked a charity event where her staff kept referring to her as the COW. And of course not being used to it, thought they were being rude, but they were just using the accronym, and from what I could tell, it wasn’t malicious at all.
Yes, I realize it is an acronym, but the way the article was written (or at least my take on it) was the COW was said in a way where the staff seemed to dislike her. Of course, this could have been one or more staff members who had bad attitudes and Sophie was undeserving of their disrespect.
Sophie nailed it on all levels!
Sophie looks great. I loved the navy dress for the visit to the memorial and the dress she wore to the gala looks like it was made for her. That shade of red really makes her “pop”, I hope to see this one repeated!
Sophie is such an impeccable representative for the Queen and monarchy, and I wish HM would reward her by lavishing more jewels on her for state occasions! Sophie certainly deserves it.
She deserves a wonderful tiara far more than Kate. I hope HM has a privately owned tiara she can leave to Sophie. Does anyone know? ArtHistorian?
Greetings Art Historian
Could be wrong and happy to be corrected but I think HM gifted Sophie a Tiara which was made for her – I think it can be turned into a necklace as well, has a stone of some sort in it and vaguely remember Sophie wearing this to a Royal Wedding or the pre wedding banquet in either Denmark, Sweden, Monaco – just sticks in my mind . Probably have a photograph of it in one of my hardback books I have.
This was not the same Tiara that was on loan when Sophie married though.
Hope this helps.
I think it sticks in my memory because of the fact that someone in the British Press was complaining because Edward and Sophie attended these European Royal weddings and not the Lazy Selective Pair.
Have a good evening/day wherever you are
Kind Regards to all.
Sugars made the whole thing of ‘HM and Camilla do bright colours when visiting memorial sites’ simple bc they twisted what people were trying to say. Kate’s whole outfits on NY was dark colours then suddenly when she needed to pay respects she wears bright pink, one can only assume she made the conscience effort of doing so.
However, to those who actually care about royals rather than hair and fake teeth, we’ve notice is quite rare the use of dark colours on HM outfits, so her wearing bright shades and floral patterns is a normal thing, not something out of ordinary.
I do agree with KMR this dress is expensive. BTW the orange dress Sophie wore is a repeat (bc every time Kate does this we must throw a party I’m extending the courtesy to Sophie) she wore it first on the BGC Charity Day [http://hrhcountessofwessex.blogspot.pt/2015/09/hrh-attends-bgc-charity-day-in-support.html]
Thanks for the info, Snowsie. Sophie seems to repeat a lot of her clothing much more than Kate does.
We know Charles pays for Kate’s “work” clothes, who pays for Sophie’s?
I suppose she gets a salary for her duties?
Edward had some money, as did Sophie, but in 2002 when they had to step down from their businesses and become full-time working royals they received a once off lump sum, compensation. At the time Edward already received a taxfree £141,000 from the Queen, which he probably still does, if not more.
The Queen uses her private income, the Duchy of Lancaster, and not public funds to pay for their office staff. I do think that Sophie pays for her own clothes though. I remember there being controversy about some jewellery she had received as a gift not too long ago.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-102856/Queen-pays-Edward–Sophie-1-4million-quit-jobs.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/1851685.stm
The controversy you refer to is a gift of two sets of jewels from the Royal Family of Bahrain and the country’s Prime Minister. The items were given as official gifts for the Wessexes’ visit and not to them personally. I believe they became part of the Royal Collection, which is usually what happens with gifts given in an official capacity. The Wessexes’ private fortune is believed (according to the Royal Forums), to be around £10 million.
Not precisely. The Sovereign Support Grant provides the Queen and other working royals except for the Waleses with public funding to carry out their duties. The Queen voluntarily repays the amount of the public funds for everyone except for the Waleses from her Duchy of Lancaster funds. Sweet deal for the government. They pretty much get the Queen to give them over £1 million every year.
Edward gets an amount from the Queen each year to fulfill his duties, Sophie’s duties, and fund his family.
Once again, Sophie hit the ball out of the park! Her red dress was great. She looked appropriate yet absolutely beautiful! It really accentuated her body nicely. It had me wondering, “has she lost weight?”. Which as a woman, is typically a great thing to have someone wondering!
She really knows how to dress for the event and her own body.
I loved this! Sophie shows that she is an asset to the crown. Her body language is welcoming and she nails her fashion each time. It goes to show what tailoring and fit and proportion can do when it is executed flawlessly.
Charles would be a fool if he sidelines Sophie. She can be put in any situation and shine brightly. She seems welcoming and warm. She had my heart when she opened up her purse for a child some years ago. She is what a 21st century royal must be: accessible, able to relate to her audience, and respectful.
Love this post, KMR.
She also gave a fabulous speech about gender inequality in the workforce and inspiring young women in their careers. She really gets it. She is a huge asset to the BRF and Charles should acknowledge that. Like you said, he would be a fool if he sidelined Sophie once he becomes King.
As much as Charles might want to sideline Edward, Sophie, Anne and Andrew when he ascends the throne, really who will take up the workload, especially Anne’s? Harry can’t do it all by himself and W&K will need extensive (vacation) time to get used to their new position as P&P of Wales.
Great word choice for Sophie: Accessible, but when you think about it, she is able to have a private life as well, because she knows how to balance the two..
Unlike K & W who make themselves totally inaccessible and have no idea how to manage both the public and private life together. K & W are quickly making themselves irrelevant.
LJA, ‘irrelevant’ is the perfect word for W&K.
You would think W&K would see how Sophie presents herself and the positive media attention she gets for a job well done.
Kate getting negative press has nothing to do with bullying. As a matter of fact, I think at least half the criticism would go away if Kate increased her numbers on substantive events. For myself, if she worked harder, I would care less about some of her other negatives. The public watches the women because of the clothes. Sorry guys, but there is less interest (for the most part) in what the men are wearing.
Even in the 1980’s Princess Diana made some terrible sartorial outings, but she smiled, spent time with people, didn’t say inane things, kept her undies where millions of eyes couldn’t see and spent real effort being a strong patron to important causes.
All royals get negative comments. None of them are 100% loved. Lack of work is at the root of the criticism with Kate and Will.
The last couple of photos of Sophie, I thought her face looked quite haggard and aged. Although the skirts are longer, she did not look matronly at all in these pictures. The sleek silhouette especially the red dress help a lot.
Sophie has a great advantage over Kate since she used to own a PR firm. One would expect she would know what, how and when to say things, what to wear, how to do damage control…. Duchess of Cambridge is no match. I thought Sophie took the Duchess under her wings some time ago???
I don’t understand all the hoo-ha about Victoria Beckham in general.
Lol, interesting how we can look at the exact same photos and have two different takes on it. I thought Sophie’s complexion looked great, soft and dewy. I agree that she doesn’t look matronly in these dresses, I just worry that over-wear of the midi-length might start aging her.
Greetings Again Everyone,
Sophie is just so stunning and real, a kind soul, warm eyes, good heart and a wonderful support to her Sovereign.
These are truly lovely, thought provoking photographs that you have provided KMR – will take them any day of her Fakeness.
Have a great day/evening wherever you are in the world.
Kind regards to all.
Just dropped in to comment (I do read regularly) that Sophie is my favorite British royal. In addition to the Queen and to Prince Harry, of course! But as a person who married into the royal family, I don’t think there is anyone better!
Hi Babbalou!
Sophie is great. She just does her thing and gets the job done.
PS. Is your name in reference to I Love Lucy?
Long time lurker, first time commenter! I really like Sophie – she seems smart, warm and genuine. Her speech was a little “aw, snap” when you think of Kate – “I am rare because I am one of the few ladies in the British royal family who has had a professional business career and their own company. So perhaps I am able, through my own experience, to have a deeper appreciation of the corporate world and what it is like to have to climb the career ladder. […]” True dat.
If you are even in NYC, take the opportunity to go to the Sept 11 Museum and memorial. It is amazingly well done and very impactful.
Hi LawGirl!!
I loved that subtle shade she threw at all the other ladies in the BRF.
Are the number of Sophie’s engagements going up in the last couple or years, or are they just getting more press? The reason I ask is because it seems like the frequency of her engagements are increasing and that Sophie is better “turned out.” I wonder if Sophie was asked by The Queen to up her profile to help cover for the absence (and ineffectiveness) of Doolittle?
Here are her numbers for the last several years:
2011 – 191
2012 – 324
2013 – 228
2014 – 307
I find it interesting to note, as well, that in 2001 (a year when Sophie was working for her own business and had an ectopic pregnancy in December), she did 125 engagements. In the 2002 jubilee year, she did 354 engagements. This woman gets it.
If Kate spent the first year getting used to her royal role and worked very hard in 2012 people wouldn’t be so critical. People understand pregnant women can struggle for a few to several months during their pregnancies.
A sustained period of good hard work goes a long way. Her deceased MIL was not popular with everyone no matter how hard she worked. When Diana made visits to patients in hospital, which were not covered by the media at the time, I remember a lady who said, “she better not come visit me.”
Sarah was referred to as Duchess of Pork. I don’t think W&K realize they are not the first royals to receive criticism.
“I don’t think W&K realize they are not the first royals to receive criticism.”
It really does seem like it, doesn’t it.
I think her numbers have been on the rise since 2011 because her children are getting older and are in school now. There is not the same need for her to be at home with them like there was when they were smaller and not in school.
Though Sophie did manage quite a lot of work when Louise was a baby or toddler:
2004: 185
2005: 226
2006: 245
Sophie did more engagements in a month than Kate did in half a year, the year after recovering from an ectopic pregnancy.
Sophie looks beautiful in the red dress. Her makeup is refined, hair and accessories are subtle but oozes understated elegance.
Her figure is lovely. She is slim but still curvy, healthy looking with no gauntness in her face at all. Hence no premature lines showing. She is a very attractive lady.
She does get on with the job, with little fuss and fanfare, the quiet achiever, getting on with the job, now that deserves respect. Probably does not get the recognition she deserves, but I can only assume Her Majesty is in the background watching. Well done Sophie.
She does have a lovely figure. She is curvy but it looks good, whereas Kate is so thin that it looks unhealthy. Sophie has good “assets” which help to fill clothes. Kate looked at her healthiest when she was pregnant.
Sophie’s numbers
She married in June of 1999 and the first time she appeared on the CC was in July. She worked full time in her co-founded PR company “RJH Public Relations”:
1999 – 26 engagements
In her second year she still worked full time in her company:
2000 – 120 engagements
Still working full time on her company, this was the year of the ‘sheik scandal’ or ‘Sophie tapes’ and unfortunately the year she had a ectopic pregnancy and had to undergo an urgent 2 hour surgery, in December:
2001 – 125 engagements
In 2002 the Countess announced she was going to quit her business effectively on 31st of March. This was HM Golden Jubilee:
2002 – 354 engagements
The Countess gave birth, prematurely, to her daughter on 23rd November:
2003 – 175 engagements
2004 – 185 engagements
2005 – 226 engagements
2006 – 245 engagements
Sophie have birth to James on December 17th:
2007 – 158 engagements
2008 – 66 engagements
2009 – 165 engagements
2010 – 198 engagements
2011 – 191 engagements
HM Diamond Jubilee:
2012 – 324 engagements
2013 – 228 engagements
2014 – 307 engagements
Thank you for these, Snowsie.
Lady Louise Windsor was born on November 8, 2003, not November 23rd. The 300+ engagements came in the Jubilee Year. And Charles wants to “downgrade” this “minor” royal? At his own peril.
I agree, Seth! This will be the unraveling of the BRF, IMHO. This streamlined effort will be the beginning of the end. Add to that the truculence of W+K, it will be gone before Georgie hits the throne.
I wanted to also ask you how your mother is. Still sending prayers and peace to your family.
Hey Rhiannon. My Mom actually came home today. She has a series of follow-ups next week and then another round of chemotherapy in December, then 10 days off over Christmas/New Year’s. Then the doctors will take scans to see how the cancer has responded to treatment. She’s sleepy but alright. Thanks for asking. Oh and when I was at the checkout at the store buying flowers for my Mom’s homecoming, the clerk said “Bless your heart,” after I explained why I was buying flowers. I’m pretty sure she’s not from the South though. 🙂
Prayers are sent up for some good news. I am glad that she is resting comfortably.
Yes – that was a sweet thing to say. If she were from the South, then I would have to brave the cold and open up a can of you-know-what on her for saying that 🙂
Hi Seth – I’m happy to hear that your Mum has come home and hope the chemo is working.
Good luck and I hope you all have a good Thanks giving and a great Christmas.
I’m sending you a virtual hug from New Zealand to give your Mum. 🙂
Thanks Cathy.
Seth,
Warmest prayers and wishes to your mother. I hope she continues to do well with her treatments and kicks cancer’s ass!
That’s awesome to hear, Seth! I’m sure she feels better being able to be in her own home. My grandmother was adamant about doing palliative care in her home when it became clear she was not going to beat the cancer because she wanted to be comfortable. Not saying that your mother won’t beat her cancer, just commenting about what my grandmother did.
PS. That store clerk better not have been from the South or else she deserves a slap in the face. lol
Thanks KMR. She’ll be readmitted to the hospital for the next round of chemotherapy but for the moment she’s comfortable.
My thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims of the tragedy in Paris and their families.
Oh My Gosh!
Thanks for letting us know Lauri!
My thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims of the tragedy in Paris and their families too!
I’m also hoping that all the members of our KMR online community are safe and well.
The attacks tonight in Paris are an assault on humanity. According to the latest report I read (it will probably change later, God can only hope not), at least 150 people are dead, 100 of them massacred in the Bataclan Concert Hall while waiting for an American band, Eagles of Death Metal and two suicide attacks outside the Stade de France where the French President was watching a French-German football match, at least 35 are believed dead there. There was a shooting at a Cambodian restaurant, 14 reported dead there and 18 believed dead at the Rue de Charone. There were additional unconfirmed reports at at least two other sites but there’s been no independent verification. France has closed its borders.
What else can be said but I hope and pray that the wounded pull through, the dead rest in peace and God save us all. 🙂
This is so sad. I had to stop watching television. Praying for the victims and the country.
Greetings Everyone,
Sad to say I have walked those streets many times – heart breaking to see humanity reduced to this.
Those poor souls – it makes me weep for the World.
kind regards to all wherever you are.
What struck me about Sophie’s engagement is the substance of it. Her clothing I secondary to me. She has substantive meetings and panels before going to the memorial.
Kate was only invited to the galas. Never anything of substance with the WWHF, and that says more about how ornamental they think Kate is vs someone like Sophie who can be trusted to spend an afternoon in discussions and speechifying to a room full of young women trying to climb the corporate ladder.
Kate would faint if they put her in such a room. She would be shown up for the lightweight she is. No wonder they only put her together with children’s organisations, and only the very young so there is no danger of trying to hold a proper conversation with them.
And you know what’s funny, given her lack of life experience, it would probably benefit her and improve her self presentation if she had to meet young women like these on a regular basis. It might rub off on her.
For now she dresses like a very young inexperienced student intern, and isn’t improving because she’s only meeting very young children for the most part. No one to give her a frame of reference that she might follow about professional self presentation involving young working women.