The Duchess of Edinburgh has been a key member of the royal family since her wedding to Prince Edward in 1999 – and later today she and her husband will be at a very special Buckingham Palace event

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh have grown to be a couple that King Charles can always rely on when it comes to royal duty.

Both Prince Edward and his wife Sophie often quietly go about their engagements and charity visits up and down the country with limited fuss and are continuing their hard work amid both the monarch and Princess of Wales’ cancer treatment, which has ruled them both out of public-facing engagements for the time being.

And today, the couple will step in for the King for one of their most high-profile events to date at Buckingham Palace.

The couple have been married for almost 25 years (Image: Getty Images)

The couple will inspect troops in the palace forecourt later today at the Changing of the Guard, when for the first time in history French soldiers will take part in the ceremony alongside their British counterparts. The ceremony has been organised to mark the 120th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale – the historic diplomatic agreement between Britain and France which laid the groundwork for their collaboration in both world wars.

Much has been made in recent years about Edward and Sophie “stepping up” in public life amid the slimmed-down monarchy, especially in the wake of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle quitting their royal roles and Prince Andrew being sidelined from royal duties. Several years ago in an interview with The Telegraph, the couple was asked about this “stepping up”.

And Sophie, who has been a working royal for close over 20 years, cheekily replied: “What did people think we were doing beforehand?” Sophie and Edward married on 19 June 1999 in St George’s Chapel and went on to welcome two children together, Lady Louise, now 20, and her younger brother, James Earl of Wessex, 16.

They became the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh last year (Image: Getty Images)

Often dubbed the royal’s “secret weapon”, an aide previously said of Sophie: “Since she became a working member of the family she has worked tirelessly for each and every cause she is passionately involved in.”

In total, she is patron of more than 70 charities and organisations, with interests including agriculture, fashion, supporting people with disabilities, and the prevention of avoidable blindness in developing countries. A source told the Mirror: “Sophie’s growing popularity with the public is also evident and she will take on a larger public profile in a new-look monarchy of King Charles.”

The Queen is said to have ‘trusted’ and ‘relied’ on Sophie to a great extent, with some experts claiming she saw Sophie as ‘more like a daughter’ than a daughter-in-law.

It’s thought they shared similar interests, with the pair often spending Saturday or Sunday evenings together at Windsor, watching old war films and historical documentaries, MailOnline previously reported. Sophie also referred to the Queen as ‘mama’ in a speech in 2019.

Last year, Edward and Sophie did see their titles change when they became the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. Edward was created Duke of Edinburgh on his 59th birthday back in March 2023 in honour of his late father Prince Philip – meaning Sophie became Duchess of Edinburgh.

Edward is the fifth Duke of Edinburgh. The title was first created for Prince Frederick, eldest son of King George II back in 1726. In 1764, it was given to Prince William, brother of King George III, as part of the joint title The Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh. Up next was Prince Alfred, second son of Queen Victoria, who took it in 1866. And of course most recently it was handed to Prince Philip when he married the late Queen Elizabeth II.