Prince Edward’s wife revealed the affectionate name she calls the monarch during at a reception to celebrate the work of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Trust, which she is vice patron of. The mother-of-two, who looked flawless in a white below-the-knee dress and a an elegant updo, first use “Her Majesty” to refer to the 93-year-old as she addressed a room full of guests. But as she went on she used the name “Mama” as she told of how proud she felt to see the difference made by a project run by the trust to wipe out blindness in the Commonwealth.

In a speech addressed to the Queen, she said: “Mama, when I have returned from my travels I have been so proud to share with you the work I have witnessed being carried out under the umbrella of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust and the care of so many people working so hard to save and cure sight.” 

Around 200 health professionals who work on the project packed into he room as the Countess delivered her speech from a podium. 

The Countess, 54, has been campaigning for improvement to eye health across the globe since 2000. 

The trust’s scheme kicked off in 2015 and since then more than 22 million people in African nations and the Pacific have received antibiotics to combat trachoma, the world’s most common cause of blindness. 

Sophie has a personal connection to eye conditions, with her daughter Lady Louise, 15, having been born prematurely and going on to suffer from exotropia, a condition which means one eye is turned outwards. 

Five years ago she underwent surgery for what Sophie described as a “profound squint”. 

The teenager now has perfect sight. 

Sophie spoke of how it was an honour for her to travel abroad and see first-hand the positive impact the trust was making in the lives of people in developing countries. 

She praised the Queen for taking such a strong interest in the project and said she was impressed the the remarkable knowledge the great-grandmother possessed when it came to individual Commonwealth nations. 

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Sophie said: “Each time you have listened with interest and been eager to hear of how the work is going. 

“And each time I have been stunned as you have shared with me your deep knowledge of each of these countries, not top-level observations, but personal experience, demonstrating to me time and again the real affection you have for all people of the Commonwealth and why that affection is so abundantly returned by them to you.” 

The Queen, patron of the trust, opted fro a royal blue embossed dress topped off with pearls and a sapphire chrysanthemum brooch for Tuesday’s event at Buckingham Palace. 

Sophie and the Queen’s youngest son, the Earl of Wessex, 55, share Louise and 11-year-old James, Viscount Severn. 

Louise has followed the footsteps of her great-grandmother and great-grandfather Prince Philip with her passion for horse riding and carriage driving, a sport popularised by the Duke of Edinburgh. 

During the royals’ summer break in Balmoral, the Queen was pictured on a hack with her youngest granddaughter and Edward. 

James does not seem to have towed the line but is regularly seen attending equestrian events as a spectator to cheer on his big sister. 

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