This Christmas time will be a poignant one for Prince Edward and his wife, the Countess of Wessex.
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The couple are preparing for the first festive season without Her Majesty the Queen – with whom Sophie had a very close bond.
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With that in mind, Edward and Sophie chose to share a very poignant photograph for their 2022 Christmas cards – and it has sparked a huge reaction amongst royal fans.
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The picture shows husband and wife standing alongside the Queen with the trio all smiling and clearly in high spirits. It was taken in June – just two months before the monarch's death on 8 September at the age of 96.
Sophie and Edward honoured the late Queen with their card
Sophie and the Queen are both holding bouquets of flowers in the photograph, which was captured at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh over the summer. It was their final engagement together.
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A caption on the inside of the Christmas card reads: "In memory of happy days."
© Photo: Getty ImagesSophie had a very close relationship with the monarch
Sophie and the Queen had a very special relationship, so much so that the Countess was considered the monarch's 'second daughter'. Their deep affection was clear to see and Sophie was understandably devastated by the loss of her mother-in-law.
Sophie, Edward and their two children, Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn, are expected to join the royal family at Sandringham for King Charles's first royal Christmas.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Queen is said to have considered Sophie her 'second daughter'
The Wessexes are expected to take part in the traditional walk to church on Christmas Day – alongside the likes of the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children, Princess Anne, and Mike and Zara Tindall.
It comes days after Sophie and Edward enjoyed a very special family celebration – their son James's 15th birthday. James is the couple's youngest child; his older sister Lady Louise celebrated her 19th birthday just last month, on 8 November.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Wessexes are expected to attend the royal Christmas at Sandringham
The couple work hard to try and give their children as normal an upbringing as possible.
Sophie previously spoke of Louise's surprise when she realised who her grandmother was.
© Photo: Getty ImagesJames, pictured with sister Louise, recently celebrated his 15th birthday
She shared: "Well, for Louise, actually, it was much more of a shock to the system. It was only when she was coming home from school and saying, 'Mummy, people keep on telling me that grandma is the Queen.'
"And I asked her, 'Yes, how does that make you feel?' And she said, 'I don't understand.' I don't think she had grasped that perhaps there was only one Queen."
For more royal nuggets like this, including how the Queen responded to being told she mumbled part of her Christmas speech, check out HELLO!'s brand new A Right Royal Podcast. You can listen on Apple podcasts or simply by playing the embed below.
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