Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, unexpectedly wrote a sweet personal message on an unforeseen topic — and this quickly caught public attention

Duchess Sophie pens new rare personal message on surprising subject

The Duchess of Edinburgh has penned an essay.

Duchess Sophie has penned an essay on the subject (Image: Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images)

The Duchess of Edinburgh has written a new personal message about countryside agricultural shows and the importance of them this week. Duchess Sophie, who is patron for over 70 charities and organisations, regularly visits agricultural shows across the country as part of her role as Patron of the Association of Show and Agricultural Organisations (ASAO).

The duchess is always all smiles at the events, and has even gone as far as to call the events in the UK “the greatest shows on earth”. The duchess has expressed this in a rare essay, which sees her talk about rural communities and the importance of learning more about what they do. The essay was published in The Yorkshire Post.

Sophie wrote: “Beyond the fabulous experiences they provide, they also offer an opportunity for our rural businesses to showcase what they do and how they do it, and to allow visitors to gain a deeper understanding of our important rural industry.

“Much of our nation’s attention is focussed on our more populated settings, and the understanding of what our rural industries contribute is often scant, yet we could not survive without this important sector of our national framework.

“Agricultural shows are a place where town can meet country, bridging the gap between what is perceived and what is real.

“They are a looking-glass into the lives of our rural community who work so hard to provide for us, while trying to make a living for themselves.”

Sophie enjoys going to shows across the country (Image: Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

She then went on to say that as well as meeting livestock and learning about life in the rural communities, the agricultural shows come with the opportunity to shop, see farm equipment, and enjoy a range of food and drinks.

Prince Edward’s wife said: “The food halls (my favourite place) will be packed with incredible tasty treats, offering visitors the chance to understand the journey of field to fork and to enjoy locally produced great quality food.

“The shopping aisles will give them the chance to purchase everything from country wear to cushions, from jewellery to a jacuzzi (I have never got my head around that!).”

Sophie is not the only royal to feel passionate about rural life and the work that rural communities do, with Prince William also having a keen interest in this.