Duchess Sophie's Secret Trip to NYC Proves She's the Royal Family's "Secret Weapon"

Duchess Sophie has become one of the Royal Family's quiet leaders over the years, embracing a variety of causes close to heart as she supports the monarchy. The Duchess of Edinburgh has also become a steadfast confidante of Princess Kate, standing by her side as she's gone through cancer treatment. When Commonwealth Day came around on March 10—an event that Sophie and husband Prince Edward typically never miss—it surprised royal fans not to see the Edinburghs in attendance. However, it turns out Sophie's secret trip to New York City this week was on behalf of a very important cause.

The Duchess of Edinburgh traveled to NYC to support one of her newest patronages, Plan International UK, a children's charity that fights for girls' rights around the world. Sophie has long been a champion of organizations that support women and girls, and she met with a group of global youth advocates for a special panel discussion held during the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.

These young women shared the harsh realities they face every day in their communities, including experiences of living through conflict, child marriage and climate-induced crises.

Historically, the Royal Family has supported a number of "softer" causes, but like Queen Camilla, the Duchess of Edinburgh has chosen to raise awareness when it comes to violence against women. One attendee at the panel, 20-year-old Jhussahara from Peru, shared how climate change has impacted the female population in her community.

“My family has one hour of water a day. Can you imagine how difficult it is to carry out our daily chores?" she shared. "Many people do not realize the real impact of climate change on families like my own, including how it hits women and girls the hardest. I have seen climate-induced displacement and economic instability force many girls out of school, increasing their vulnerability to early marriage and gender-based violence."

Having recently visited the Chad-Sudan border, Plan International UK notes that Duchess Sophie was able to witness the impact of conflict on displaced girls and young women and met many young people being supported by the charity.

Meanwhile, back in London, Queen Camilla hosted an event to celebrate the 15th anniversary of female empowerment charity Women of the World (WOW) on March 11, welcoming stars like Victoria Beckham to Buckingham Palace.

"As we look forward to the next 15 years, the task of forging a gender-equal world is a daunting one," Queen Camilla, who serves as president of WOW, said in a speech during the event. "At the current rate, globally, it will take an estimated 286 years to remove discriminatory laws, 140 years for women to hold half the positions of leadership in the workplace and 47 years to be represented equally in national parliaments."

Despite these daunting statistics, The Queen added, "But by following in the footsteps of these amazing women and girls who will not take ‘no’ for an answer, we members of the WOW family fervently hope that this will be achieved in a much shorter time."