Kate Middleton and Prince William lead tributes to the Duchess of Edinburgh as she turns 60
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Sophie, a favourite of the late Queen’s, has risen in public prominence over the past year. The Prince and Princess of Wales have led tributes to celebrate the Duchess of Edinburgh’s milestone 60th birthday. Sophie, who joined the royal family more than 25 years ago upon her marriage to Prince Edward, marked the occasion privately on Monday at home with her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh.
![[Sophie has been hailed as a dependable figure in the slimmed down working monarchy, which was left further stretched in the wake of the King and the Princess of Wales’s major health troubles.]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/18/22/660b787c1ad62260693531b4abfa706eY29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzM3MTI3NjM1-2.78564778.jpg)
The couple opted for a quiet day off from engagements before Sophie resumes her duties on Tuesday with visits to the Dogs for Autism charity and Treloar School, a specialist centre for disabled young people in Alton, Hampshire. The special day was acknowledged publicly by the Prince and Princess of Wales, who shared a newly released portrait of Sophie on their Kensington Royal social media accounts. The post read: “Wishing The Duchess of Edinburgh a very happy 60th birthday today!”.
The portrait, showing a relaxed and smiling Sophie seated by a window at Bagshot Park, was taken by London-based photographer Christina Ebenezer. William and Kate’s account also retweeted the photograph, further celebrating the occasion. Sophie’s birthday was also acknowledged by the British monarchy’s official social media accounts with a video montage of photographs of the duchess on royal engagements, set to upbeat music and featuring gold balloons.
![[Smiling newlyweds Sophie and Edward, the new Earl and Countess of Wessex, wave to the crowds after their wedding at St George’s Chapel in 1999 (Sean Dempsey/PA)]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/18/22/b69e9cc6597cf0732b4f83ace7456f50Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzM3MTIzMDgx-2.1199773.jpg)
