Sophie opens up on Queen Elizabeth II’s Olympic final struggle

The Duchess Sophie has recalled a light-hearted behind-the-scenes memory from watching Team GB’s women’s hockey team scoop a historic gold medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, alongside the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.

Speaking on a BBC Radio 5 Live special hosted by Eleanor Oldroyd– alongside Olympic gold medalists Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh – Duchess Sophie revealed that she watched the high-stakes showdown from the library at her residence at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

Excused From Balmoral Dinner

The time zone difference between Rio de Janeiro and Scotland meant that the gold medal match against the Netherlands was happening at the same time as formal dinner at Balmoral.

As patron of England and GB Hockey, Sophie had been keenly following the teams progress throughout the tournament. During the course of dinner, a fellow hockey lover within staff helped keep her informed of the scores by slipping in to the dining room and whisper the latest score.

Queen Elizabeth II eventually relented to the persistent fidgeting and said that Sophie should leave the table:
“Eventually Her Majesty sat there and said, ‘Oh, for goodness sake, just go!’ So I ran through to the library,” Sophie said.

‘She Couldn’t Cope With the Pressure’
The noise and subsequent jumping and shrieking from her as watched the penalty shoot-out drew the attention of her father in-law Prince Philip, who joined her and laughed at how much more fun than the hockey match itself she appeared to be.

Eventually the noise led to Queen Elizabeth II to venture over to the doorway of the library to witness the drama unfold. “She was watching the penalties; she couldn’t cope with the pressure; she had to take herself away again,” Sophie recounted.

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A Historic Victory
The dramatic goal that secured a historic victory was from Hollie Pearne-Webb in the penalty shootout, after a 3-3 draw in regulation time. “I just flooded with tears, screaming, ‘Yes!’” she admitted. “It was such a special moment for British sport.”