Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh at 60: Her relationship with Kate Middleton and photographer Christina Ebenezer

The royal family has sent birthday celebration wishes to Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh. The post for her birthday was shared on the British monarchy official social media accounts and reads: “Wishing The Duchess of Edinburgh a very happy 60th birthday today!” It also shares a link to the Duchess of Edinburgh’s profile on the royal website.

The Prince and Princess of Wales also wished the Duchess of Edinburgh a happy birthday and reshared the photograph of Sophie that was taken ahead of her birthday by Christina Ebenezer at Bagshot Park in January.

In the photograph, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh is pictured smiling and is wearing a cream pleated skirt and a black knitted top. The statement which was issued alongside the photograph, read: “As the Duchess looks ahead to turning 60, Her Royal Highness has a renewed sense of excitement and commitment to her work around gender equality and looks forward to further embracing and championing this issue in the years to come."

According to Christina Ebenezer’s website, she was born in Nigeria and spent her early years in Lagos before moving to London. As well as being a Forbes 30 Under 20 Arts & Culture Leader and a British Fashion Council New Wave Creative, her work was included as part of the exhibition ‘The New Black Vanguard: Photography Between ARt and Fashion,” which was curated by Antwaun Sargent and was shown at the Saatchi Gallery in London back in 2022.

Sky News reported that “Buckingham Palace said Sophie chose the Nigerian-born photographer as she was interested in her creative style of photography and wanted to support a rising female photographer.”

Over the years and more recently, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh has shared a very close bond with Catherine, Princess of Wales. The pair took part in a video call together to mark International Nurses’ Day back in lockdown in 2020 and over the years, have been photographed enjoying each other’s company at various engagements.

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When Catherine, Princess of Wales attended the wedding of Princess Eugenie to Jack Brooksbank in 2018, she nearly had a fashion wardrobe malfunction because of the wind. However, the Duchess of Edinburgh was on hand to ensure this didn’t happen and this sisterly moment between the pair seems to have developed over the years.

Royal biographer Claudia Joseph spoke to The Sun about the close bond between the Duchess of Edinburgh and the Princess of Wales and said: “I’m sure that Sophie has been a tower of strength through Kate’s cancer diagnosis and will be there for her at the end of the phone whenever she wants a chat.

“They are incredibly close and live only 11 miles from each other- Kate in Adelaide Cottage in Windsor Home Park and Sophie at Bagshot Park.”

As well as enjoying a close bond with the Princess of Wales, the Duchess of Edinburgh was believed to have become the late Queen Elizabeth II’s rock after the death of her husband Prince Philip. When Queen Elizabeth II passed away, it was impossible not to notice how emotional she was at her funeral and both she and Prince Edward were seen wiping away tears.

After Queen Elizabeth II’s death, the couple said in a statement that they had been “overwhelmed by the tide of emotion”. They also said: “Thank you for your support, you have no idea how much it means.”

The couple also said that “The Queen’s passing has left an unimaginable void in all our lives.

“Sophie and I have taken huge pleasure in seeing our James and Louise enjoying the places and activities that their grandparents loved so much.

“Given that my mama let us spend so much time with her, I think she also rather enjoyed watching those passions blossom.

“Those times together, those happy memories, have now become massively precious to each and every one of us.”