A royal power duo! How Kate and Sophie will be front and centre of Charles’ slimmed-down monarchy

They’re often regarded as two of the most popular members of the monarchy – and it looks like Sophie and Kate will become the power duo of Charles’ new look firm.

Following the coronation of the new monarch and Queen Camilla on Saturday, the Princess of Wales, 41, teamed up with the Duchess of Edinburgh, 58, along with their spouses to host Buckingham Palace’s garden party yesterday.

Kate, a mother of three, wore an Elie Saab dress and hat, a repeat of an outfit she once wore at Royal Ascot, completed with dazzling diamond and blue topaz “Lola” earrings by Kiki McDonough and a clutch.

At her side, Duchess Sophie was perfectly coordinated in a similar blue dress – which she had also previously worn to the Royal Ascot.

As it was the first major royal event after the weekend of coronation celebrations, the performance placed the two women, who have been close for several years, at the forefront of Charles’s slimmed-down monarchy.

The Princess of Wales, 41, teamed up with the Duchess of Edinburgh, 58, along with their husbands, to host Buckingham Palace’s garden party yesterday

It’s far from Sophie and Kate’s first time working together, with the duo showing the closeness of their friendship several times over the years.

In 2020, Sophie celebrated her 55th birthday with Kate when she and Prince William hosted the UK-Africa investment summit at Buckingham Palace.

It also emerged that the duo, along with Camilla, had been calling people who were elderly, self-isolating or frail to check in with them during the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Peoplethe trio took part in the NHS Volunteer Responders programme, which was coordinated by the Royal Voluntary Service (RVS), and saw participants ‘check in and chat’ with people.

It’s far from the duo’s first time working together – publicly supporting each other following the Queen’s death last September

Sophie and Kate have been close for a long time – though their friendship has been on public display for the past few years (pictured, at Eugenie’s wedding in n2018)

In recent months, the couple has been at the forefront of the downsized monarchy, with Sophie standing next to Kate at her second annual Christmas carol service last December (left) and the families arriving together for the Easter service (right)

The duo also made a public appearance together last year when they attended the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham

Meanwhile, they also spoke to nurses in seven different Commonwealth countries, including Australia, Malawi, Sierra Leone, the Bahamas, Cyprus and the UK.

While speaking to nurses in Cyprus and learning that one of their ex-partners was a primary school teacher, Sophie joked that she would be “recruited” into Kate’s homeschooling efforts, with the Duchess adding: “I would really like her to come and help me with homeschooling. .’

Sophie even submitted a portrait for Kate’s Hold Still photography competition during the pandemic – a project that asked the public to submit the images that summarize their experience during the lockdown.

They’ve since become closer than ever – appearing together at the Commonwealth Games last year and supporting each other in the period following the Queen’s death in September.

Meanwhile, as a gesture of support, Sophie was one of the first guests to arrive for Kate’s Christmas carol service last December.

During the service, she was also given a place of honor next to the princess.

Over the coronation weekend, the couple also appeared to be attracted to each other, standing side by side on the balcony of Buckingham Palace next to their children.

And the women stood side by side for King Charles’s coronation portraits, which were released earlier this week.

In a poignant move, Charles placed Sophie and Kate side by side in his coronation portrait, shared earlier this week

Monday saw the sovereign unveil his new “slimmed” monarchy, with his “hard-working and respected” sister Princess Anne and loving wife Queen Camilla firmly by his side.

Meanwhile, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliam told MailOnline that King Charles probably chose very carefully how his coronation portraits were staged.

Mr Fitzwilliams said: ‘This is a strong powerful portrait of a monarch who knows his own mind and is very experienced.’

Mr Fitzwilliams noted that there were only four people under the age of 70 in the family photo and said this will be a ‘challenge’ for the king in the future, who will have to decide ‘how slimmed down he wants the monarchy to be’.