Lady Frederick Windsor, who married into the British royal family following her nuptials to Lord Frederick Windsor in 2009, has praised her famous relatives – including the King and the Princess of Wales.
Shining a light on Kate's bravery as the Princess underwent a course of preventative chemotherapy, which she announced she completed last month, Lady Frederick tells HELLO! in this week's issue: "She's wonderful.
"I last saw her at Wimbledon; it was so cheering to see her, beautiful as ever. She's been amazingly brave and is doing so well."
Praise for King Charles
Sophie Winkleman, as she is known professionally, is equally fond of the King, who is back at work following his own cancer diagnosis.
"Duty and service run through him like a stick of rock; it just doesn't occur to him to rest, something which those who love him are desperate for him to do," she says. "He's battling cancer and doesn't give himself a moment off – he's a hugely inspirational man.
"The central royal family work very hard. It's not an easy existence, having a spotlight on you from the second you're born. I count pretty much every one of them as a trusted friend. I'm very lucky."
Marrying into the royal family
The Sanditon and Belgravia: The Next Chapter star, recently celebrated her 15th wedding anniversary with her banker husband Lord Frederick – son of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent – whom she met because he recognised her from her role as Big Suze in Channel 4 comedy Peep Show.
"We left two different parties and went for the same taxi," she recalls. "He said, 'You're Big Suze, I love you!' I laughed and asked the cab to take me somewhere. He pretended he was going to the same place, we shared the taxi and we've been together ever since."
Big Issue project
In our exclusive interview, Sophie, 44, says she is grateful to be given a platform to champion the issues she is passionate about, including her work with The Big Issue Group, which recently launched its Big Community initiative - a series of Community Roadshows, the Big Issue Membership scheme, and a new policy call, Poverty Zero.
"I talk to every homeless person I pass. I find it sad when people simply walk past homeless people.
"It doesn't matter if you don't have any cash to spare; just communicate so they don't feel invisible - even just a supportive smile," adds the actress, who is known as Sophie Winkleman professionally and joined vendors on the streets of London earlier this year to sell copies of the magazine.
To become a member of the Big Issue, visit bigissue.com/membership.
To read the full exclusive interview, pick up the latest issue of HELLO! on sale in the UK now. You can subscribe to HELLO! to get the magazine delivered free to your door every week or purchase the digital edition online via our Apple or Google apps.