The Duchess of Edinburgh looked ready for action in army fatigues today as she joined recruits at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst for an annual competition. 

Sophie, 60, attended the Duchess of Edinburgh Competition at Sandhurst, where all officers for the British Army are trained, to support competitors taking part in activities designed to test physical, cognitive and teamwork abilities.

The mother-of-two, who appeared typically upbeat, wasn’t afraid to get into the spirit of the day, swapping her usual demure dresses and high heels for a camouflage jacket, cropped khaki trousers and practical lace-up boots. 

During the course of the event, the duchess was seen emerging from a mess tent and smiling and laughing with service personnel, who appeared delighted to be hosting their royal guest. 

Sophie has long been involved with the armed forces, becoming Royal Colonel of 5th Battalion The Rifles in 2007 and Sponsor of HMS Daring in 2006. In 2008, she was appointed Honorary Air Commodore of Royal Air Force Wittering.

A hardworking member of the Firm, Sophie recently made royal history when she visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for a second time at the beginning of October.  

She spent four days in the African country during a secret high-security trip to ‘shine a light’ on the ‘weaponisation of rape’ and recognise the work being done to support those who survive horrific war-related sexual violence.

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh (pictured), attended the Duchess of Edinburgh Competition at Sandhurst today

The mother-of-two donned military fatigues for the event, which is held annually

During her four-day visit she said the issue of sexual violence must be allowed to ‘get under your skin’ as she met women affected by conflict-related rape in the region. 

She met women peacebuilders working at the grassroots level to highlight their work supporting local peace initiatives and witnessed the devastating impact of the ongoing conflict, particularly on women and girls.  

In 2022, Sophie, who is married to King Charles’s brother Prince Edward, became the first member of the royal family to travel to the DRC. Her visit last month, her second, was at the request of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. 

In April 2024 she was also the first member of the royal family to visit Ukraine since the conflict with Russia began in 2022. That October, she was the first to visit the Republic of Chad to witness the impact of the conflict in Sudan on women and girls. 

Sophie, who is committed to drawing attention to the situation of women and girls globally, has two children, Lady Louise Windsor, 21, and 17-year-old James, the Earl of Wessex, with her husband the Duke.

The Duchess visited Beni, in the conflict-hit east of the DRC, and was visibly moved as a 16-year-old girl recounted being attacked by a police officer, while another woman described being sexually assaulted while fleeing rebel-held areas. 

She entered a tent close to a hospital and sat barefoot with the survivors, some of whom wept as they spoke.

During a visit to the Panzi Clinic in Kinshasa, which provides care to survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, she watched as a five-year-old girl underwent surgery by Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr Denis Mukwege.

She appeared in high spirits as she chatted to service personnel 

Sophie, 60, appeared to throw herself into the day. She is pictured here emerging from the army mess tent 

The duchess swapped her usual demure dresses for a camouflage jacket 

She appeared animated as she talked to soldiers and officers at Sandhurst 

She was joined by Alyson King, the UK ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The duchess told reporters afterwards: ‘You have to really question yourself and go ‘how can we have reached a point where rape is just accepted as a part of daily life?’

‘So it’s horrible to hear their stories, but each one deserves to be told and each one deserves recognition, so I don’t make light of any of them and I just wish we didn’t have to hear them but it’s important that we do.’

She went on: ‘I think you have to allow this issue to get under your skin.

‘And there is only one way to achieve that, you really have to go and see it for yourself.

‘You have to understand the environment in which people are living and sit with these people, where they come from, don’t make them come to you, you have to go to them.

‘And you have to understand where they live, the circumstances that they’re in, what has brought them to the moment that I am with them and what their futures may or may not hold, and unfortunately what they might not hold is often the case.’