After Princess Diana’s death in 1997, I believe many people just stopped caring about the British monarchy. They either stopped caring about the Windsors permanently, or they just needed a break from the Windsor psychodrama for several years, then their interest was renewed when Diana’s sons became young men. My point is that there was definitely a “Windsor Lost Years” period where few people were paying attention and there was something of a vacuum. Well, Sophie Rhys Jones tried to step into that vacuum. Sophie, who is now the Duchess of Edinburgh, began dating Prince Edward in 1993, and they married in June 1999. The wedding was one of the first big royal events since Diana’s death. Sophie and Edward were an established couple (but not yet engaged) when Diana died, and people have always said that Sophie sort of believed that she could step into Diana’s shoes. As in, Sophie thought she could become a major star and royal celebrity, that she would be the glamorous blonde who replaced Diana as Queen of Hearts. Delusional? Yes. But just how delusional? Well, a new biography is trying to answer that question.
Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh has been a central member of the royal family for years, but she didn’t attend Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997 — and a new book claims to unveil the real reason why. In Sophie: Saving the Royal Family by Sean Smith, the author wrote that Sophie did not go to Princess Diana’s funeral on Sept. 6, 1997, because of the striking resemblance that she and Diana shared.
“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 in the biography published on July 17, the Daily Mail reported. ” ‘She’s well aware that she looks like Princess Diana from a distance and made her decision in a caring and thoughtful way. The royal family fully supported.’”
Both the late Princess of Wales and Sophie wore their blonde hair in cropped haircuts, which Sophie, now 60, later grew out into a longer style that she continues to sport today. Diana and Sophie shared similar features with blue eyes and light hair, and the Duchess of Edinburgh reportedly once commented on the likeness.
“I don’t deny that we do look alike. But I couldn’t ever compete with Diana’s image. I’m not Diana,” Sophie told the Daily Mail in the 1990s, according to the Daily Express.
At the time of Diana’s death, the future Duchess of Edinburgh was a public relations professional known by her maiden name, Sophie Rhys-Jones, and was dating Queen Elizabeth’s youngest son, Prince Edward.
I laughed reading this – “Sophie decided it would be too upsetting for the crowd if she went…She’s well aware that she looks like Princess Diana from a distance and made her decision in a caring and thoughtful way.” “From a distance” is doing such heavy lifting, LMAO. “The royal family fully supported.” I’m sure they did – they fully supported Sophie, a royal girlfriend, not attending Diana’s funeral because Sophie was clearly bonkers!! I went back and grabbed some photos of Sophie in the ‘90s – the only “resemblance” to Diana is Sophie cutting and dyeing her hair just like Diana. Sophie even wore similar styles and mimicked Diana’s poses! Sophie must have been so disappointed to learn that the public’s interest in Diana didn’t transfer over to the closest blonde. Is this why Camilla can’t stand Sophie? Because Sophie tried to be the new Diana?
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
