Meanwhile, Sophie was a fully-grown, 34-year-old woman when she tied the knot with Prince Edward.
In the documentary “Prince Edward & Sophie Rhys-Jones: The Reluctant Royals?”
It was sort of, Diana, mark two."
Apparently, however, neither of the women was flattered by the media attention.
In Kay’s words, “Diana hated the comparisons.
So did Sophie Really hated them.”
Both Diana and Sophie were known for having short blond hair, small noses, and delicate smiles.
They both had piercing blue eyes, which they liked to match with their jewels and makeup.
In terms of physical structure, the two also showed similarities, being relatively slim with broad shoulders.
“Sophie’s shorter.
She … hasn’t got the wonderful peachy complexion that Diana had.
She’s got quite a lot of freckles.
She needs to dress more carefully,” Wade said.
The article then noted, “Sophie … has loathed the Di comparisons.”
Her attire clearly recalled a similar gown donned by Diana at a 1990 Gala in Washington DC.
But then, people expected her to be like Diana.
And she did begin to attract the same rabid attention," James revealed.
Some of this attention, unfortunately, detracted from the importance of Sophie’s royal duties.
Unfortunately for Sophie, this comparison was not a compliment.
You know, Diana has disappeared now."
In that sense, the public was looking toward Sophie for some good news.
A lot of people in Australia or in America seem to think she is.
Because she’s filled the gap that’s left by Diana, which …
There’s just no comparison between the two."
One of the main differences between Sophie and Diana was, naturally, their personalities.
She cut her hair like Diana’s.
On the contrary, the princess was said to view the whole situation with a sardonic sense of humor.
“Diana was sort of partly amused and partly irritated by it,” the royal expert shared.
Aparently, Diana expressed her amusement by telling a pointed joke when Sophie would walk into the room.
Sophie herself went so far as to ask the press to stop comparing her to the People’s Princess.
[But] we are very different people."
“The public have put me on the plinth vacated by Diana …
I am not Diana,” Sophie reportedly said.
According to one royal expert, this sense of competition is what weighed on Sophie.
And I think that was quite hard for Sophie because lots of people made quite unfavorable comparisons."
Some tabloid articles portrayed Diana as a relentless copycat who wouldn’t stop stealing other women’s looks.
The article went on to accuse Diana of imitating Sophie because she was “jealous.”
Princess Diana, for one, famously struggled to adapt to her public role.
She felt that the image we had of this kind of fairytale princess was a grotesque lie."
“Any romance with a member of the Royal Family is conducted on their terms.
If Sophie had any reservations or complaints, she prudently kept them to herself,” Seward wrote.
She was there at his side if he wanted her there."
This sense of duty ultimately helped the duchess integrate into this complicated family.
