Duchess Sophie skips key royal dinner as Edward's ex causes fresh woes

King Charles and Queen Camilla were joined by the members of the royal family to welcome the esteemed guests from Nigeria for a State Banquet at Windsor Castle on Wednesday.

Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu were honoured as the Prince and Princess of Wales took on key roles. Princess Anne along with husband Sir Timothy Laurence and the Duchess of Gloucester were also present.

Meanwhile, Prince Edward stood solo without his wife, the Duchess of Edinburgh, who has typically been a regular fixture at State Banquets. The only time Sophie has missed these events had been due to another important engagement usually at the behest of King Charles.

However, this time there was a mysterious air to Sophie’s absence, especially as the Edinburghs are facing a potential scandal of their own.

Reports have revealed that Sophie is having to put on a brave face as Edward’s ex-girlfriend Ruthie Henshall is writing a memoir inspired from the letters the royal wrote to her during their five-year relationship.

Edward, who had been the most uncontroversial sibling of the bunch, is in a “terrible mood” as he doesn’t know what intimate details would be shared, even if they are all positive.

It is possible that Sophie was assigned to a secret different task or if that was taken up as a ruse so the Duchess did not had to put up with pleasantries amid the new tensions.