Sophie, the Countess of Wessex shared a sweet exchange with a boy paying respects to Queen Elizabeth II.
Sophie, the Countess of Wessex shared a sweet exchange with a boy paying respects to Queen Elizabeth II
The 57-year-old royal hugged Josh, a young boy who offered her a teddy bear as they mourned the passing of the 96-year-old monarch - who passed away after more than 70 years on the throne - in St Anne’s Square in Manchester on Thursday (15.09.2022).
His mother Sue told Sky News: "The first time she came down, Josh passed the bouquet over and then she came back over before she went in the car and gave Josh another hug. And she laid the flowers over there.
"It was quite emotional to be honest. I'm trying to hold it in. I just thought it was the best thing. I wasn't expecting Sophie to come over."
Another woman spoke about how Sophie - who is married to the Queen’s youngest son Prince Edward, 58, with whom she has daughter Lady Louise, 18, and James, Viscount Severn, 14 - took the time to express her gratitude to their farewell to Her Majesty.
Another mourner detailed how Sophie had informed her it was the love extruded by the public that had propped up her family following the loss of the Queen.
Sophie - who loved discussing military history with the Queen, a shared love of theirs - teared up as she viewed the tributes left for her mother-in-law who she enjoyed a intimate relationship with and referred to as “mama” alongside the Count of Wessex, which involved reading a book of condolence at Central Library, a day after she also welled up at a service on Wednesday (14.09.2022) at Westminster Hall in honour of Her Majesty.
Sophie - and the rest of the Royal Family - will say their final goodbyes at the state funeral on Monday (19.09.2022), which has been decreed as a bank holiday.
In the build up to this, a miles long queue - with a wait time of hours - has formed filled with mourners wishing to pay their respects to the Queen’s coffin which is currently lying in state at Westminster Hall.