But on Wednesday, the 94-year-old seemingly unleashed her “secret weapon”, which has helped her fulfil her royal duties in the wake of Harry and Meghan stepping down.
According to Express, Her Majesty has turned to Sophie, Countess of Wessex, who has been dubbed the royal “secret weapon” as a result of her covert assistance to the crown.
Over the past few months, the 55-year-old has taken on an increasingly more demanding royal role, with her most recently stepping in to conduct a virtual tour of Libya.
Taking to Twitter, the British Embassy in Libya shared details of the Countess’ official meet and greets in a series of tweets from its official account.
“Delighted today to welcome HRH The Countess of Wessex @RoyalFamily on her virtual royal visit to Libya to champion Women, Peace & Security,” the first post stated.
“HRH will meet a range of women, including peace builders, civil society & refugees to discuss key issues affecting women & girls in Libya.
“And how to ensure better inclusion of women in peace processes,” the post added.
A follow-up message also revealed that the Countess virtually visited the Community Day Centre (CDC) for refugees & asylum-seekers in Tripoli.
“She discussed the situation facing refugees & migrants with @UNHCRLibya @Refugees and met some of the women who receive help at the CDC,” the post stated.
Sophie’s more prominent regal role comes after it was revealed she was royally snubbed, after her photo submission for Kate Middleton’s Hold Still project was rejected.
The 55-year-old took part in the competition to show her support for Kate, sharing a striking image of a food bank worker, but it was later revealed her submission didn’t hit the mark.
Speaking on the latest Royally Obsessed podcast, royal experts Rachel Bowie and Roberta Fiortio said that despite being brutally rejected, there is likely a valid reason for the decision.
“Sophie, Countess of Wessex was the only royal relative that we know of to have submitted a photo to Kate’s project, but her picture didn’t get chosen,” Rachel began.
But as Roberta continued to explain, while it would have been nice for Kate to acknowledge Sophie’s work, it may have appeared like nepotism.