The Duchess of Edinburgh and Prince Edward have been spotted abroad as the couple continue to ignore a royal “snub”.
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh arrived in Malta on Monday for a brief four-day royal tour to mark the 60th year of its independence.
On arrival, Prince Edward, 60, and Sophie, 59, met with the President and the Prime Minister of Malta.
The royal couple later attended a Commonwealth reception at Whitehall Mansions, the Residence of the British High Commissioner in Ta’Xbiex, where they met local dignitaries and Commonwealth Points of Light Award Winners and Young Leaders.
Today, the duke and duchess officially opened the Submariners’ Walkway in Valetta on the second day of their royal tour.
This royal tour comes shortly after Lady Pamela Hicks, a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth II, appeared to “snub” Prince Edward and Sophie’s work ethic.
India Hicks, Lady Pamela’s daughter, claimed her mother is a strong proponent of a modernised monarchy.
Hicks told Marie Claire: “[My mother] thinks that it is modernising in a way that it should, and she absolutely believes in the thinning down of the Royal Family and making it this core hard-working foursome.”
Duchess of Edinburgh and Prince Edward meeting the Prime Minister of Malta Dr Robert Abela
PA
The 57-year-old was referring to King Charles III, Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales as the “hard-working foursome”.
In so doing, Hicks omitted the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, two of the hardest-working members of the Royal Family.
Prince Edward performed a whopping 297 engagements in 2023 – finishing in third place behind Princess Anne and the King.
Meanwhile, the number of royal engagements carried out by Sophie has more than doubled this month compared to the same time in 2023, as reported by The Times.
The Duchess of Edinburgh watching a traditional performance during a Commonwealth reception at Whitehall Mansions
PA
The Duchess of Edinburgh and Prince Edward are visiting Malta to mark the 60th anniversary of its independence
PA
The duchess completed 37 engagements in September, compared to 18 last year.
This comes amid Princess Kate’s absence from public life.
The mother-of-three underwent chemotherapy for much of this year.
