They added: “And the same happens at Balmoral. The Queen likes to be completely calm before church and she finds Sophie’s presence soothing.
“Who gets the backseat is also one of those quirky royal ways that signals who is in favour – for example, Princess Anne may be staying at the same time, but how often do you see her in the Rolls?”
Sophie and Prince Edward were also the first royals to visit the Queen and Prince Philip and Balmoral this summer with their two children – Lady Louise Windsor, 16, and James, Viscount Severn, 12.
In 2010, the Queen acknowledged Sophie’s service to the crown with an extraordinary royal tribute.
