Ten years ago, Great Britain's women's hockey team secured a historic gold medal at the Rio Olympics, a moment that reportedly caused considerable tension for Queen Elizabeth II. The late monarch, according to her daughter-in-law Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, once instructed her to leave a dinner table at Balmoral so she could watch the crucial match.
Sophie recounted the amusing incident during a special BBC Radio 5 Live program marking the anniversary of the final, where Great Britain defeated the Netherlands 2-0 on penalties. She recalled being at Balmoral, the monarch's Scottish residence, and growing increasingly anxious during dinner as a staff member relayed the game's score.
"Oh, for goodness' sake, just go," the Queen told Sophie, who then retreated to the library to watch the game. Prince Edward's wife later joined her husband for the final moments of the match, with Queen Elizabeth observing from the doorway.
"I was leaping up and screaming and everything, and the drawing room is right next door, and I suddenly was sort of conscious of this presence, and Her Majesty had come through, and she was standing in the doorway watching, and it was getting so pressured," Sophie said. However, the Queen "couldn't cope with it" and left again due to the stress.
Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, was reportedly amused by Sophie's enthusiastic reactions. "I think he was watching my reaction more than he was watching the television because I was literally living and breathing every moment," Sophie explained, adding, "My father-in-law was laughing at me."
Sophie, who is a patron of England Hockey, recorded the program with presenter Eleanor Oldroyd and Olympians Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh, members of the gold medal-winning squad. The Duchess also recently attended a theatre performance in London's West End with her husband, Prince Edward, their daughter Lady Louise, and Lady Louise's boyfriend, Felix da Silva-Clamp.