Sophie missed Princess Dis funeral because their…
Too close for consolation.
Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, allegedly skipped Princess Diana’s funeral because the pair regarded an excessive amount of alike.
Author Sean Smith made the stunning declare in his new biography about the 60-year-old duchess, “Sophie: Saving the Royal Family,” which was revealed July 17.
Sophie Rhys-Jones arriving at her places of work in Mayfair, London, on her thirty fourth birthday. Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
Princess Diana leaving the British Lung Foundation in Hatton Garden after being introduced with a bouquet of the first rose named after her. Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
“She had an obvious and reasonable excuse: a friend at the palace explained, ‘Sophie decided it would be too upsetting for the crowd if she went,’” Smith wrote.
“‘She’s well aware that she looks like Princess Diana from a distance and made her decision in a caring and thoughtful way,’” he added. “‘The royal family fully supported.’”
Besides sharing Diana’s signature cropped blonde hair, Sophie also has blue eyes that resemble those of the late princess.
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, visits the Groundswell Regenerative Agriculture Festival at Lannock Farm, Weston, on July 3, 2025, in Hitchin, England. Getty Images
Princess Diana attending an occasion at Bridgewater House in London. Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
The pair regarded so a lot alike that Sophie once commented on the putting similarities between her and Diana.
“I don’t deny that we do look alike,” she stated in the Nineteen Nineties, per Daily Express. “But I couldn’t ever compete with Diana’s image.”
“I’m not Diana,” Sophie added at the time.
Sophie Rhys-Jones attending a live performance gala for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s fiftieth wedding ceremony anniversary. Getty Images
Princess Di arriving at the Tate Gallery on her thirty sixth birthday on July 1, 1997. Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
Princess Diana tragically died on Aug. 31, 1997, after a car accident in Paris. She was 37.
The beloved royal was later honored in a Westminster Abbey service attended by more than 2,000 people on Sept. 6, 1997.
While a million people have been estimated to have lined the route of Diana’s funeral procession through London, one other 2 billion people have been estimated to have watched on TV.
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, during Trooping The Colour 2025 on June 14, 2025, in London, England. UK Press via Getty Images
At the time, Sophie – then recognized only by her maiden title, Sophie Rhys-Jones – was relationship Queen Elizabeth’s youngest son, Prince Edward.
The pair introduced their engagement two years after Diana’s death, and married at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on June 19, 1999.
After embracing her new position as a full-time working royal, Sophie and Edward welcomed two youngsters: Lady Louise Windsor, now 21, and James, the Earl of Wessex, now 17.
Prince Edward and Sophie married at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on June 19, 1999. Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
But Sophie’s time as a royal has not been without controversy.
In March 2023, Prince Edward and Sophie’s royal titles modified from the Earl and Countess of Wessex to the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh following King Charles’ ascension to the throne.
Sophie’s new title put her at a greater rank than Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and Sophie was stated to be “relieved” about the royal change.
Sophie Rhys-Jones at the Guildhall in London for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards World Fellowship Ball. Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
“She no longer has to curtsy to someone in the family who has not only left royal duties but has spent the past three years criticizing the institution that Sophie works so hard to support,” a royal source claimed at the time.
Then, in May 2023, an 81-year-old great-grandmother was killed after she was struck by a police motorbike escorting Sophie through West London.
One month later, Sophie confronted backlash from royal followers after she allegedly scolded Prince William and Princess Kate’s daughter, Princess Charlotte, during the Trooping the Colour ceremony.
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