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Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, has long made disability awareness and support a cornerstone of her royal work. The Duchess spent part of Friday visiting residents and staff at Capability Scotland, one of the country’s leading disability charities, providing care, education, and support for disabled children and adults with complex physical and learning needs. She has served as the charity’s royal patron since December 2024, when she took on a role previously held for six decades by her late father-in-law, Prince Philip.
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Sophie meets with one of the residents of Capability Scotland.
Sophie was dressed casually for the visit, wearing her favorite Penelope Chilvers blouse she has worn at a few other royal engagements this summer as she met with residents and those working behind the scenes.
Prince Edward and Sophie are currently in the Scottish capital for a series of engagements, among them attending the Edinburgh International Festival, where they are scheduled to take in a performance of the Broadway musical Come From Away. The couple are also expected to make their way north to Balmoral Castle soon, joining the royal family for their annual summer holiday in the Scottish Highlands.
It has been a notably busy week for the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. On Monday, Sophie went indoor skiing to mark her appointment as royal patron of the Armed Forces Para-Snowsport Team. On Thursday, Prince Edward and Sophie were in the stands at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, cheering on competitors as the event was hosted in the United Kingdom for the first time since its inception in 1934.
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The Duchess knows how to adjust a tiara.
Thursday also brought personal news for the family. Buckingham Palace confirmed that their son James, Earl of Wessex, is enrolling at the Royal Agricultural University this September. His older sister, Lady Louise, 22, completed her own degree earlier this summer, graduating from the University of St Andrews in Scotland.
Rachel King (she/her) is a news writer at Town & Country. Before joining T&C, she spent nearly a decade as an editor at Fortune. Her work covering travel and lifestyle has appeared in Forbes, Observer, Robb Report, Cruise Critic, and Cool Hunting, among others. Originally from San Francisco, she lives in New York with her wife, their daughter, and a precocious labradoodle. Follow her on Instagram at @rk.passport.