In a world where the Royal Family has to be everything all at once, one couple is head and shoulders above the rest, writes Rebecca Russell.
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh married 27 years ago. When you really think about it, the Royal Family exists in a paradoxical universe. It must keep tradition neatly woven through every fibre of what it does while effortlessly straddling the modern world. We have them using their immense platforms to speak about emotionally charged causes such as domestic abuse and the scourge of homelessness one day, and then turn around and take part in a centuries-old parade the next. And for those of us who delight in it, it's pure magic.
While we have several royals who cover both worlds with ease, there is one couple who rise above all the others. Commentators often wax lyrical that the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are the Firm's secret weapons and the perfect couple to bridge the generational gap between the King and Queen and the Prince and Princess of Wales. And they do it for good reason.
But, if we're being honest about it, the term "secret weapons" is boring and only gave the added injection of vim and vigour to the lesser-known names when there was royalty abound. Today, you could almost say it is offensive – after all, if the incredible work these "secret weapons" are doing is only noticed by the precious few, what can be done to shout it from the rooftops? Why isn't the good celebrated and known by the majority in times when the Royal Family finds itself under the microscope?
With the Duke and Duchess marking their 27th wedding anniversary on Friday, theirs is the perfect reminder of what success looks like. Prince Edward may have once come across as the spoilt fourth child of the sovereign, regularly dodging allegations of being pompous as he stormed out of press interviews and attracted criticism for what the masses saw as entitled behaviour, but those days are behind him.
Much of his and Sophie's well-deserved success as a couple lies in the Duchess's magnetic personality and her wonderfully common-sense approach to her life and work. Sophie is a natural, humble woman — who is still clearly very much in love with her husband — and one who would never accept a position simply for the glory.
Take her recent NATO speech in Lisbon, she warned that she "sees no end" to sexual violence around the world. It was the latest in her anthology of fierce and forthright global declarations that have seen her become a vocal champion of gender equality and the eradication of sexual violence in conflict zones around the world.
To have a senior member of the Royal Family lend her voice so openly to speak about a subject that deals with the controversial topics of rape and female genital mutilation is that enormous leap into the future that the Firm needs in its arsenal. The era of keeping the Edinburghs as the Firm's best-kept secret must come to an end. As they celebrate 27 years of marriage, it's really time to stop calling them "secret weapons" as if their true value lies in the shadows, and instead start recognising them for what they truly are: the very blueprint of a modern monarchy.
