is "relieved" she no longer has to curtsy to , after the latter quit the Firm and moved to the US, a source has claimed.

The Duchess of Edinburgh , after her husband, Prince Edward, became the Duke of Edinburgh following King Charles's ascension to the throne in 2022.

Before that, Sophie - who's celebrating her 60th birthday on Monday - held the title of the Countess of Wessex, which meant that , whose title of a duchess was of higher rank than that of a countess.

But in early 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down as senior working members of the Royal Family, and according to a friend of Sophie's the duchess was more than pleased with how it turned out.

The source told the : "Sophie is relieved. She no longer has to curtsy to someone in the family who has not only left Royal duties but has spent the past three years criticising the institution that Sophie works so hard to support."

Meanwhile, another insider told the about the challenges Sophie had allegedly faced in gaining recognition within the Firm.

They said: "Sophie and Edward were overshadowed because bigger stars in the family came along, and I think at times she did mind that."

They added: "But she was always pragmatic about their place in the hierarchy, unlike some others in the family."

It comes as the outlet suggested the Prince of Wales may have major plans for Sophie when he becomes king.

An insider said: "They [the Waleses and the Edinburghs] get on very well."

They added that they believe that the Prince of Wales, as William V, will be "eager for his aunt and uncle to play a more prominent role in public life".

Sophie has long been dubbed the Royal Family's "secret weapon" as her and Prince Edward's popularity have been steadily increasing over the years.

Sophie, who shared a special relationship with the late Queen Elizabeth, carried out 257 official engagements last year. Her husband clocked up a total of 293.