Is Sophie Countess of Wessex really the Queen’s favourite daughter-in-law?

Sophie Countess of Wessex is the PR professional turned royal.

She married into the Royal Family in 1999 after a short engagement to the youngest Prince.

The blonde now has two children with her husband, Lady Louise and James Viscount Severn.

It has been said she is the Queen’s favourite.

The Daily Mail quoted a royal aide 2016 who told the paper: “She is trusted and relied on by the Queen in a way I couldn’t say applied to the Duchess of Cambridge or the Duchess of Cornwall.

“She is like another daughter to Her Majesty, they are that close.”

But what can the pair’s body language tell us about their relationship?

Body language expert Judi James told Express.co.uk: “She is also said to be the daughter-in-law that the Queen gets on the best with.

“Shots of the two women together show them looking like friends, with Sophie adopting some relaxed, confident and down-to-earth body language when she is with her mother-in-law.”

Sophie’s long relationship to Prince Edward may also have helped her form a strong bond with the Queen.

Judi said: “After seeing her other children’s marriages end in disaster, the closeness could be seen as a sign that the Queen might well have sensed Sophie was good for her youngest Edward.

“And Sophie’s air of confident strength seems to have had a very settling effect on Edward too.

“He looks happy to have swapped a life in the theatre for the roles of husband, father and royal ambassador.”

Judi added that Edward’s wife seems like a fun and relaxing force for her husband.

She said: “Sophie’s confidence, spontaneity and enthusiasm do look contagious here. Her wide smile and clapping seems to have caused Edward to focus on her while mirroring her smile.

“His posture is more restrained, with his hands placed behind his back, but the way he bends forward to focus on his wife suggests she is the centre of his universe.”

Why isn’t Sophie Countess of Wessex not a Duchess? 

It is because Edward was given the rank of Earl of Wessex on his wedding day.

As a result, his royal bride would take the feminine version of the title, which is Countess.

Prince Edward is also His Royal Highness The Earl of Forfar in Scotland, making Sophie the Countess of Forfar. He was granted this title recently on his 55th birthday.