Duchess Sophie was seen beaming from ear to ear after being invited to make an iconic appearance normally reserved for the likes of Princess Kate Middleton.
Sophie has found public interest in her and her status in the royal family elevated ever since her brother-in-law King Charles lll has turned to her and her husband Prince Edward to step up as he undergoes cancer treatment.
The king has put his confidence in the pair as he takes a step back from public life. His usual go-to couple Prince William and wife Kate are also no longer doing joint royal duties for the foreseeable future as the princess also focuses on her recovery from cancer.
In the meantime, Edward and Sophie have taken over with much aplomb at key ceremonies, which has gone down so well it’s made Sophie the new royal “IT girl” of the moment.
And yesterday, April 25, the duchess excited royal and Beatles fans alike who gathered on London’s streets to watch her recreate one of the most iconic images in the world.
In a vibrant, eye-catching, floaty red dress, the mother-of-two showed off her fun side in a rare moment to the public as she strutted across the famosu Abbey Road marked crosswalk in dramatic style, recreating the moment the legendary Beatles John, Paul, George and Ringo were photographed famously walking across it in 1969.
Soon crowds began to gather, cheering on the royal in her eye-catching neon touch outfit. The dress, which was ankle length with ruffled sleeves with a daring slit to the knee and a slit to the knee, was from Beulah London.
Amping up her emerging status as a fashionista, Sophie’s hair was tied back in an elegant ponytail and she paired her dress with beige heels and a matching clutch bag.
Sophie is the Global Ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness and was attending the Orbis Visionaries Reception at Abbey Road Studios. Blindness and other eye-related complications is something close to her heart. Her daughter, Lady Louise Windsor, was born with a rare eye condition called esotropia, which caused one eye to turn inwards, requiring corrective surgery.
Lady Louise’s surgeries, which took place some time ago, were totally successful and she is now studying at St Andrews University.
Sophie’s Abbey Road stint followed her husband Edward representing Charles in London in the early hours of April 25, for a tribute to fallen members of the Australian and New Zealand armed forces on Anzac Day.
The Duke of Edinburgh attended the Dawn Service at Hyde Park Corner at the New Zealand Memorial. Us Weekly exclusively reported that Prince Edward put on a brave face as he stepped out for a major royal duty this morning after being left disappointed by a “snub” from his brother King Charles III earlier this week.
He and Sophie were hoping to be recognized for their recent stepping up for the king, 75, while he and Princess Kate undergo cancer treatment.
However, when the monarch, 75, announced on Tuesday, April 23, his official new royal appointments, nowhere on that special list was his youngest brother. Charles appointed Kate, 42, as the Royal Companion of the Order of the Companions of Honor. She is the first Royal Companion named to this order.
William was also appointed as Great Master of the Most Honorable Order of the Bath. The role had been vacant since 2022 after Charles acceded to the throne.
Edward and Sophie have both demonstrated their ability to be the primary public faces and their new image in the spotlight has been welcomed by royal fans. On April 8, the couple stepped in for the king at a historic military event at Buckingham Palace.