Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh
Member of the British royal family
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February 2025 | Became patron of the Mothers' Union, following in the footsteps of previous queens. |
2024 | Awarded the Royal Family Order of King Charles III, signifying her continued close relationship with the royal family. |
2024 | Appointed Deputy Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Army Medical Service |
October 2024 | Became the first royal family member to visit Chad, meeting with refugees who fled the Sudanese civil war and experienced sexual violence during the conflict. |
April 29 2024 | Became the first British royal to visit Ukraine since the Russian invasion, meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, survivors of war-related sexual violence, and children returned from abduction. |
2023 | Appointed Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Irish Regiment |
2023 | Received the King Charles III Coronation Medal, commemorating the new monarch's accession to the throne. |
2023 | Became Royal Colonel of the Queen's Own Yeomanry |
May 2023 | Visited Iraq at the request of the Foreign Office to promote the Women, Peace and Security agenda and raise awareness about conflict-related sexual violence. Became the first royal to visit Baghdad. |
March 10 2023 | Sophie became known as 'Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh' when her husband was advanced to the Duke of Edinburgh title (for life) |
2022 | Awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal, commemorating the Queen's 70-year reign, and elevated to Dame Grand Cross of the Most Venerable Order of Saint John (GCStJ). |
2022 | Appointed Colonel-in-Chief of the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers |
December 2022 | Honored at the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, receiving the Hillary Rodham Clinton Award for work concerning sexual violence in war zones. |
October 2022 | Visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo, becoming the first royal family member to do so, engaging with projects preventing sexual and gender-based violence in conflict. |
March 2022 | Went on a four-day solo trip to New York City, visiting the Queen Elizabeth II September 11th Garden and delivering a keynote address on women's rights in Afghanistan at a UN Women event. |
2021 | Received the Service Medal of the Order of St John with a bar, indicating continued distinguished service. |
February 2021 | As grand president of St John Ambulance, started working as a care volunteer at an NHS vaccination centre. |
September 2020 | Participated in the Great British Beach Clean at Southsea Beach in support of the Marine Conservation Society, alongside her husband and children. |
April 2020 | Helped Rhubarb catering company prepare and deliver food to NHS staff during the coronavirus pandemic, and volunteered at local food banks. |
March 2020 | Became the first member of the royal family to visit South Sudan, meeting victims of gender-based violence and female political leaders. |
March 2019 | On International Women's Day, joined Angelina Jolie to work with the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative and Women, Peace and Security. |
March 2019 | Travelled to New York City to attend the 63rd session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). |
March 10 2019 | Her husband was created Earl of Forfar, which accorded Sophie the courtesy title of Countess of Forfar |
2018 | Sophie co-hosts the Commonwealth Fashion Exchange reception at Buckingham Palace during London Fashion Week, alongside the then-Duchess of Cambridge |
January 2018 | Made a solo trip to Belfast, visiting charities supporting learning disabilities, including Mencap's children's centre and opening the first dementia-friendly unit of Northern Ireland Hospice. |
2017 | Awarded the Service Medal of the Order of St John, recognizing humanitarian service. |
2017 | Received the Sultan of Brunei Golden Jubilee Medal, commemorating the Sultan's 50 years of reign. |
October 2017 | Provided royal patronage to the Ice Maiden, a team of five British Army women undertaking an ambitious coast-to-coast ski expedition across Antarctica. |
March 2017 | Embarked on a 4-day visit to Malawi as Vice-Patron of The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, focusing on programmes to end avoidable blindness and champion young leaders. |
2016 | Received the Canadian Forces' Decoration (CD), recognizing long-term military service and commitment. |
September 2016 | Participated in a cycling challenge from Holyrood Palace to Buckingham Palace for the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Diamond Challenge, raising over £180,000. |
2015 | Sophie is named on Vanity Fair's Best Dressed List, recognizing her fashion significance |
November 2015 | Visited Canada and the United States, including stops at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, UHN hospitals in Toronto, and an emotional visit to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City. |
September 9 2015 | Awarded the Sash of the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle, a prestigious Mexican honor recognizing her diplomatic contributions or international relations. |
May 2015 | Represented the Queen in the 70th anniversary celebrations marking the Liberation Day of the Channel Islands. |
March 26 2015 | Attended the reburial of Richard III of England in Leicester Cathedral. |
November 2014 | Represented the Queen at the state funeral of the late president of Zambia, Michael Sata. |
March 3 2014 | The Queen approved the title 'The Countess of Wessex's String Orchestra' for the new Army String Orchestra. |
January 2014 | Became founder and chairman of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Women's Network Forum to advance gender balance and equality. |
2013 | Became the first patron of the London College of Fashion and royal patron of British Wheelchair Basketball. |
June 2013 | Appointed global ambassador for the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Foundation. |
June 2012 | Represented the Queen during a three-day tour to Gibraltar as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations. |
February 2012 | Visited Caribbean countries for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, including Saint Lucia, Barbados, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Anguilla, and Antigua and Barbuda. |
2011 | Private investigator Jonathan Rees was alleged to have penetrated Sophie and Edward's bank accounts and sold their personal details to the Sunday Mirror as part of the News International phone hacking scandal. |
December 2011 | Sophie, Countess of Wessex, received two sets of jewellery during an official visit to Bahrain, gifted by the country's king and prime minister, which sparked controversy due to human rights concerns in the country. |
December 2011 | Joined her husband visiting troops in Afghanistan. |
2010 | Elevated to Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO), a significant royal honor recognizing personal service to the monarch. |
June 19 2010 | Received the Wedding of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel Medal in Sweden, likely in recognition of her royal connections or attendance at the royal wedding. |
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