Sophie Wessex was reportedly left a little startled during a royal tandem bike ride after a surprising arrival left her wondering whether to change course.
- Sophie, Countess of Wessex is a committed Patron of Vision Foundation which does vital work to support those with sight loss.
- It was during a recent bike ride to promote the charity’s My Skills report that the senior royal is said to have faced several “massive stags".
- This royal news comes as Mike Tindall has wished Paralympians ‘massive good luck’ ahead of the Tokyo games.
Sophie Wessex is said to have been “scared” after a very surprising encounter during a bike ride. The Queen’s daughter-in-law is a committed member of The Firm and has been observed taking a more prominent role at royal engagements and events in recent months. It was Sophie who took the picture of the Queen and Prince Philip that was shared before his funeral and earlier this year she reflected on how his loss had left a “giant-sized hole” in the family.
Sophie is understood to be close to the Queen and, just like her, is a Patron of many organisations and charities. One such charity is Vision Foundation which is London’s leading sight loss charity. They support the capital’s projects for blind and partially sighted people.
And it was during a tandem cycle ride in conjunction with them that Sophie was reportedly left startled.
The cycle ride was to highlight the importance of independence for those with sight loss and to promote its See My Skills report. Sophie cycled with Monica Smith from the Foundation and she appeared on The Mirror’s Pod Save The Queen podcast to reveal that she and Sophie found themselves having to pass some “massive” creatures.
Monica, who is blind, had certain things described to her by the Countess, declaring, “We had an extremely smooth start - we just put our feet on the pedals and off we went. We rode round the park and Sophie was describing various things that were happening.”
Soon, however, things took a turn for the surprising! Monica told the podcast that Sophie suddenly declared, “Oh my goodness” during the ride.
"She said: 'There are some massive stags with big horns and I'm a bit scared about going past them, I don't know what to do’,” Monica continued, recalling what Sophie had said.
"Obviously I couldn't see how enormous these things were, but we cycled past them and she breathed a sigh of relief," said Monica, adding, "It was really like cycling with a friend, I hadn't realised it would be so relaxed."
Sophie Wessex took over as Patron of Vision Foundation in 2003 after the passing of the Queen Mother. She is known to love keeping active and also took part in the 2020 London Marathon on behalf of another of her patronages, Mencap.
Though the arrival of the stags is thought to have left her uncertain at first, Sophie and Monica seem to have had a wonderful time cycling together.
