Duchess Sophie has been busy of late, reportedly travelling “tens of thousands of miles” in the pursuit of royal duty and is “ready to do more” during Prince William’s future reign

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A one-word nickname given to Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, could well show her true standing in the Royal Family, it has been suggested. Married to King Charles‘ youngest sibling, Prince Edward, Duchess Sophie has been busy of late, reportedly travelling “tens of thousands of miles” in the pursuit of royal duty.

A working member of the Firm, Sophie has traversed the globe, speaking to war survivors and refugees and highlighting atrocities in such far-flung destinations as war-torn Sudan and Bosnia.

Some of the other nations Sophie has visited include Ukraine, Kosovo and Sierra Leone, with the Royal’s “secret weapon” marking the 30th Anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide and meeting peacekeeping forces in the DR Congo.

Sophie’s choice of causes has stood out as “bold”, according to the Telegraph’s Hannah Furness, who highlighted a one-word nickname that may further exemplify her standing within the Royal Family.

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Hannah wrote: “It is difficult work: vivid, traumatic, and often far, far removed from the soap opera of royal headlines back in Britain.

“Not for nothing is Sophie regularly called the Royal Family’s “secret weapon”; the quiet “saviour” of the monarchy which has been rather lacking in active members of late through little fault of its own.”

She added: “The causes she has chosen to champion are bold, and she is unflinching in talking about the crimes that others might hide in euphemism.”

Hannah added that the Duchess is “ready to do more” and set to take up a “more prominent” position when her nephew, Prince William, who is “fond” of her, ascends the throne after his father.

In July last year, reports emerged that Duchess Sophie was “relieved” that she no longer had to curtsey to Meghan Markle after securing a loftier title, according to a friend.

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Sophie, previously known as the Countess of Wessex, landed the royal promotion when Edward secured his new title, allowing her to enjoy the prestigious name of Duchess of Edinburgh.

Before this occurred, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and wife to Prince Harry, would have been higher in the pecking order, so royal protocol meant that Sophie would have to curtsey to her at events.

According to Hello! magazine, a friend of hers told reporters: “Sophie is relieved. She no longer has to curtsey to someone in the family who has not only left royal duties but has spent the past three years criticising the institution that Sophie works so hard to support.”

Sophie, while addressing the idea that she’s the Royal Family’s secret weapon, admitted to The Mirror that she likes to “fly under the radar”, and although it’s “all very well”, if nobody knows about it, perhaps it’s “too secret”.

She said: “I don’t see myself in a frontline position per se, that said, admittedly, there are fewer working members of the family these days, so I suppose more and more I’m becoming less secretive.”

Sophie added: “I just wonder what they are going to describe me as next.”