Sophie, Countess of Wessex, 54, is a dedicated Royal Family member and Queen Elizabeth II is understood to have a soft spot for her. When Sophie stays with the Queen at one of her country royal residences they often share the car journey to church on Sundays.

According to royal insiders, the Queen only extends this invitation to people she is particularly fond of.

By inviting Sophie to sit next to her in the black Rolls Royce she takes to church the Queen is showing Sophie is a favourite, royal sources have claimed.

A former royal equerry told the Sun: “If Sophie Wessex is staying at Sandringham then you can pretty much guarantee the Queen will ask her – usually last thing on a Saturday night – if she would like ‘a lift’ to the church.”

“And the same happens at Balmoral. The Queen likes to be completely calm before church and she finds Sophie’s presence soothing.

“Who gets the backseat is also one of those quirky royal ways that signals who is in favour.

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“For example, Princess Anne may be staying at the same time, but how often do you see her in the Rolls?”

The Royal Family join the Queen for Christmas at Sandringham every year and Sophie Wessex is expected to be there next week.

Sophie, her husband Prince Edward and their two children Lady Louise Windsor, 16, and James, Viscount Severn, 12, are regulars at the royal Christmas gathering.

While the royals are usually snapped arriving at church by foot on Christmas Day there is a possibility the Queen will ask Sophie to share the car ride with her from Sandringham House to the service.

Former PR guru Sophie was a royal outsider before she tied the knot with Prince Edward in 1991.

However, since then she has flourished in her role as a full-time working royal and won the Queen’s trust.

Royal expert and author Robert Jobson told the Telegraph: “She is probably the best example of an outsider coming into the family and learning on the job.

“She’s very much the Queen’s favourite, and you’ll notice that whenever there is a family holiday or gathering, Sophie and Edward often stay a while longer than the rest.”

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This week Sophie and her teenage daughter Lady Louise teamed up to deliver an adorable Christmas message to royal fans.

During a visit to Christmas experience LaplandUK, they backed a campaign to plant more trees around Britain.

In a special clip to promote the good cause Sophie is captured delivering a heartfelt message alongside her daughter Lady Louise.

Speaking to the camera Sophie says: “Father Christmas wants us to plant a tree for every child in the UK.

“Plan Tree: We can do this!”

The Queen will deliver a speech at the reopening of Parliament on Thursday before heading off to Sandringham later in the week.

She usually travels to Sandringham by train a few days before Christmas and remains there until the New Year.

The Queen writes and delivers a Christmas Day speech every year.

Following a turbulent 12 months for the British Royal Family royals watchers will be interested to see what she mentions in her festive address this year.

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