On Tuesday, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, got to see a history-making win for Team Great Britain at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. The duchess was in attendance when British cyclists smashed the women’s team sprint world record and clinched a gold medal at the Bercy Arena.
Wearing a purple floral dress by Erdem, Sophie jumped out of her seat to cheer on cyclists Emma Finucane, Sophie Capewell, and Katy Marchant as they raced the velodrome in record time. She was even photographed wiping a few tears of joy from her face. Sophie was also on hand when the trio were awarded their gold medals and “God Save the King” played in the arena. Sophie, who has been the patron of the British Cycling Federation since 2018, later shared a message of congratulations to the winning trio on the royal family Instagram account.
The British royals have always had a love for the Olympics, even before Queen Elizabeth II memorably opened the 2012 London Summer Games in a humorous video alongside Daniel Craig. Though this year marks the first time “God Save the King” was sung since the 1948 London Olympics, the monarch wasn’t present to hear it in person, and attendance has been light at this year’s competition despite the short distance from London. Kate Middleton and Prince William are on summer vacation, and are unlikely to make any appearances at this year’s games. William is a patron of England soccer and was a consistent presence at the 2024 Euro Cup, but Team GB does not usually send a soccer team to the Olympics. Though Kate is the patron of England Rugby and a noted tennis fan, she didn’t travel to Paris to see the Women’s rugby sevens team place seventh in their tournament or watch tennis great Andy Murray play his final matches before retiring.
Instead, the royals have been represented by Sophie and his sister, Princess Anne, who attended as a member of the International Olympic Committee. In bucket hats, sunglasses, and khaki slacks, Anne attended events beginning with the July 26 Opening Ceremony. Anne, who was an Olympic medalist herself in 1976, has been a member of the International Olympic Committee since 1988.
Anne was on hand to award the medals in various equestrian sports for most of last week. On Sunday, she returned to the UK alongside her husband Sir Timothy Laurence, to make her annual appearance at the Edinburgh Tattoo air show on Monday.