Sophie, Countess of Wessex, appeared tearful as she watched her two children take part in a historic vigil around the Queen's coffin.
Prince Edward and Sophie watched the Queen's eight grandchildren take part in a heart-rending vigil beside their grandmother's coffin on Saturday afternoon (September 17).
Their two children, 18-year-old Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn, 14, were the youngest to stand guard and Sophie looked grief-stricken as she watched them take on the difficult role.
Read more: Prince William and Harry display 'high tension' at Queen vigil, says body language expert
Remaining calm and unified, the youngsters joined their cousins Prince William, Prince Harry, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and Zara Tindall and Peter Philips to pay their respects.
Royal fans took to social media to praise Sophie, who has been dubbed the "royals' secret weapon" as she's tipped to become the new Duchess of Edinburgh.
Taking to social media, one person said: "Huge respect for Sophie, Countess of Wessex for showing her emotions in public. Imagine being a parent and watching your 14 and 18 year old take part in that vigil so publicly."
Another wrote: "This poor lady is absolutely broken by all this – I send so much love to the Countess of Wessex — she adored the Queen."
Prince William and Harry showed signs they were tense and stressed as they joined to stand guard at the Queen’s coffin, a body expert has claimed.
Meanwhile, Eugenie closed her eyes as the cousins remained stock still with their heads bowed, staring downwards.
Earlier in the day, Prince Edward and Sophie surprised hundreds of mourners who had gathered outside the gates of Buckingham Palace with an unannounced walkabout.
The couple were greeted by cheers as they made their way through the crowd with Sophie stopping to shake the hands of dozens of well-wishers and collected bunches of flowers and stuffed toys.
However, the Queen's favourite son divided opinion when he appeared reluctant to shake the hands of well-wishers, leaving some royal fans branding the Prince as 'rude.
The grandchildren's vigil came just an hour after Beatrice and Eugenie paid an emotional tribute addressed to the Queen, saying: “Goodbye dear Grannie, it has been the honour of our lives to have been your granddaughters.
The sisters, in a written message, thanked their grandmother for “making us laugh, for including us, for picking heather and raspberries, for marching soldiers, for our teas, for comfort, for joy”.
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