From birthday tributes and royal throwback pics to personal statements, Queen Elizabeth's Instagram account has come a long way since it first debuted. And now, in an extremely rare move, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, is using Her Majesty's official account to share a personal message of her own.
Over the weekend, the countess shared a post of the English women’s hockey team to celebrate their gold medal win at this year's Commonwealth Games. In the caption, she wrote, "Massive, massive congratulations to @EnglandHockey—well-deserved Commonwealth Gold medallists. Well done Holly for leading such a fabulous team. I am so happy and so, so proud of you all. You are all stars." The royal confirmed that she wrote the message by signing it with her first name, Sophie.
The remainder of the caption reads, "As Patron of @EnglandHockey, The Countess of Wessex sends her congratulations to the Women’s Team on their Gold Medal win at the Commonwealth Games today."
In the first slide, we see a snap of the winning team as they celebrate their victory, and in the second, there's a short clip of the team's reaction when they realize that they've won. Fans in the comments echoed Sophie's sentiments by congratulating the athletes. One follower wrote, "Congratulations and well-done England Hockey Team!" Another said, "A Sophie post!!! Congratulations to the winners!"
Sophie isn't the only royal who's an avid sports fan. If you recall, Her Majesty has a passion for horse racing. And just a few weeks ago, Prince William—AKA President of the Football Association in England—showed his support for England's national women's football team.
Something tells us that Sophie won't be the last royal to post festive messages on the queen's Instagram page.
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