Duchess Sophie Recalls What Made Her Escape the Balmoral Dinner Table—And Why Prince Philip Laughed at Her Reaction

Duchess Sophie has served as patron of England Hockey, the country’s national field hockey team, for the past two decades, and it seems nothing would stop her from watching the women win gold at the Olympics—even a formal dinner at Balmoral Castle.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live to mark a decade since the team’s exciting win, the Duchess of Edinburgh recalled the hilarious moment when Queen Elizabeth excused her from a meal in Scotland. The gold medal game during the 2016 Rio Olympics happened to be on during dinner, and Sophie had no choice but to stop watching and eat with Queen Elizabeth and the rest of the family.

“Actually, somebody who was helping at the table who’s an avid hockey fan kept on coming in and whispering the score to me,” she shared with a laugh. “I was twitching, and eventually Her Majesty sat there and said, ‘Oh, for goodness’ sake, just go!’”

The duchess said she “ran through to the library” to catch the rest of the game, sharing that Prince Philip—”who loved good sport” ended up joining her. “I think he was watching my reaction more than he was watching the television because I was literally living and breathing every moment,” Sophie shared.

Admitting that she was “leaping up and screaming and everything,” despite the drawing room being right next to the library, Duchess Sophie said she realized the late Queen had “come through and she was standing in the doorway watching.”

However, when the gold medal game went into penalties, Queen Elizabeth had to leave. “She couldn’t cope with pressure,” the duchess said. “She had to take herself away again. She couldn’t cope with it.”

England eventually won against the Netherlands, and Sophie said her reaction amused her late father-in-law. The duchess got so excited that she shared Prince Philip “was laughing at me,” explaining she was “in floods of tears, leaping up and down, screeching” over England’s win.