How Kate and Sophie will be front and centre of Charles' monarchy

A royal power duo! How Kate and Sophie will be front and centre of Charles’ slimmed-down monarchy after garden party debut

• Kate Middleton, 41, and Duchess of Edinburgh, 58, came together for party 
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They’re often regarded as two of the most popular members of the monarchy – and it seems Sophie and Kate are set to become the power duo of Charles’ new look firm.

Following the coronation of the new monarch and Queen Camilla on Saturday, the Princess of Wales, 41, teamed up with Duchess of Edinburgh, 58, along with their husbands, to host the Buckingham Palace garden party yesterday.

Mother-of-three Kate wore an Elie Saab dress and hat combo, which is a repeat of an outfit she once wore to Royal Ascot, accessorised with dazzling diamond and blue topaz ‘Lola’ earrings from Kiki McDonough and a clutch. 

At her side, Duchess Sophie was perfectly coordinated in a similar blue dress – which she had also previously worn for the Royal Ascot.

The appearance put the two women, who have had a close bond for a number of years, at the forefront of Charles’ slimmed-down monarchy. 

They’re often regarded as two of the most popular members of the monarchy – and it seems Sophie, 58, and Kate, 41, are set to become the power duo of Charles’ new look firm

The Princess of Wales, 41, teamed up with Duchess of Edinburgh, 58, along with their husbands, to host the Buckingham Palace garden party yesterday 

As Kate began greeting the 500 champions and thanked them for their hard work, she looked regal in the dress and hat combo, which was a slightly more jazzed-up look from her appearance at the Slough Big Help Out on Bank Holiday Monday.

Meanwhile Sophie stunned in a deeper shade of blue with a frilled midi-dress with a full skirt and looked just as regal alongside Prince Edward and the rest of the family. 

Yesterday, the pair  hosted a garden party in Buckingham Palace with their husbands in the first glimpse of King Charles’s ‘slimmed down’ monarchy.

As Kate and William walked down the steps outside the Palace and into the garden this afternoon, the Princess of Wales beamed at her husband, who appeared to be drawing her attention to something. 

It’s far from the first time that Sophie and Kate have teamed up, with the duo showcasing the closeness of their friendship on several occasions over the last few years.

In 2020, Sophie celebrated her 55th birthday with Kate as she and Prince William hosted the UK-Africa investment summit at Buckingham Palace.

It also emerged the duo, along with Camilla, had been making phone calls to people who are elderly, self-isolating or vulnerable to check in on them during the coronavirus pandemic.

According to People, the trio took part in the NHS Volunteer Responders programme, which is coordinated by the Royal Voluntary Service (RVS), and sees participants ‘check-in and chat’ with people.

It’s far from the first time the duo have paired up – supporting one another publicly following the death of the Queen last September

Sophie and Kate have long had a close bond – though in recent years, their friendship has been on display for all to see (pictured, at Eugenie’s wedding in n2018) 

In recent months, the pair have been at the forefront of the slimmed down monarchy, with Sophie standing next to Kate at her second annual carol service last December (left) and the families arriving together for the Easter service (right) 

The duo also made a joint public appearance last year when they attended the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham 

Meanwhile they also joined together to speak to nurses in seven different commonwealth countries, including Australia, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Bahamas, Cyprus and the UK.

While speaking with nurses in Cyprus and hearing one of their ex-partners was a school teacher, Sophie joked she would be ‘recruited’ for Kate’s homeschooling efforts, while the Duchess added: ‘I would quite like her to come and help me with homeschooling.’

They spoke to nurses via video call, with the chats being facilitated by Nursing Now, a global campaign to improve health by raising the status and profile of nursing of which The Duchess is Patron.

Sophie even submitted a portrait to Kate’s Hold Still photography competition. 

Since then, they have appeared closer then ever – making joint appearances at the Commonwealth Games last year, as well as supporting one another during the period after the Queen’s death in September.

Meanwhile in a gesture of support, Sophie was among the first guests to arrive for Kate’s Christmas carol service last December. 

She was also given pride of place sitting next to the Princess during the service.  

Throughout the Coronation weekend, the pair also appeared to gravitate together, and stood next to one another on the Buckingham Palace balcony alongside their children.

And the women stood side-by-side for King Charles’ Coronation portraits, which were released earlier this week.

In a poignant move, Charles positioned Sophie and Kate side-by-side in his Coronation portrait, which was shared earlier this week 

Monday saw the sovereign’s opening set of Royal photos unveiling the King’s new ‘slimmed down’ monarchy, with his ‘hard-working and respected’ sister, Princess Anne and loving wife Queen Camilla firmly by his side. 

Meanwhile royal expert Richard Fitzwilliam told MailOnline that King Charles had likely chosen very carefully how his coronation portraits were staged.

Mr Fitzwilliams said: ‘This one is a strong forceful portrait of a monarch who knows his own mind and is very experienced.’ 

He added the Princess Royal’s proximity to the King in the group portrait ‘is no accident’, adding the fact she is ‘experienced and hard-working’ will have been noticed by Charles. 

Noting the family shot included only four people under the age of 70, Mr Fitzwilliams said this will be a ‘challenge’ for the King in the future, who will need to decide ‘how slimmed down he wants the monarchy to be’. 

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