SOPHIE CLOSENESS

The Queen has become extremely close to her daughter-in-law, the Countess of Wessex, while in mourning for Prince Philip and coping with lockdown.

But now it seems this commendable bond may actually have been the case long before the COVID-19 crisis. Footage from a documentary filmed in 1999 has re-emerged, revealing Prince Edward’s wife had her own room in Buckingham Palace before they were married.

None of Her Majesty’s other children were afforded such a luxury for their sweethearts, so maybe they’ve been close friends all along.