Sophie, Countess of Wessex and Edna Farley.Photo: The Royal Family/Twitter
The meeting betweenSophie, Countess of Wessexand her phone pal Edna Farley was “meant to be.”
During a day of outings for Sophie andPrince Edward,Queen Elizabeth’s daughter-in-law had a long-awaited in-person meeting with Farley, who has been speaking with Sophie regularly over the phone since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic as part of the NHS Volunteer Responders program.
“How many times have we said, ‘It’s gonna happen, it’s gonna happen, it’s gonna happen’?” Sophie, 57, said.
Their meeting also happened to take place on a special day — Farley’s 90th birthday (March 10 also happens to be Prince Edward’s birthday.).
“I thought, ‘This is meant to be,” Sophie said.
“It is,” Farley agreed. “Who else gets anything like this for their 90th birthday?”
Other members of the royal family, includingKate Middletonand Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, have also reached out to U.K. residents who were self-isolating due to the pandemic.
Len Gardner, a full-time caregiver to his wife with Alzheimer’s disease, shared that hespoke with Kate over multiple phone callsin 2020.
“After the first two sentences I didn’t feel like I was talking to someone so important,” he said.
Gardner said he was “flabbergasted” when he learned Kate would be on the other end of the phone line, but their first conversation in May 2020 lasted about 30 minutes. Kate told him that she was watchingPrince GeorgeandPrincess Charlotteplay outside through the window, and the two bonded over their appreciation for Italian food.
Just days after their phone call, Gardner received a brand new pasta machine and flour — a gift from Kate.
“I can tell you, this lady you see on television that goes into the crowds and talks to people — what you see is what you get,” he said. “She is a very, very nice person.”
In honor of his birthday, the Police Band performed a song.
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Prince Edward and Sophie’s busy day also included officially opening the Sir Ken Dodd Happiness Hall which, in memory of the late comedian, has been transformed into a new space for the community.
source: people.com
