Sophie Wessex shares support for the ‘Menopause Workplace Pledge'

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This week Sophie joined a discussion to support the Menopause Workplace Pledge campaign, launched by charity Wellbeing of Women, one of the Countess’ patronages. The campaign looks to raise awareness on the effect of menopause on working women, who often quit their job due to its physical effects. The charity is also asking businesses to sign the pledge as part of World Menopause Awareness Month.

Sophie said: “Women having to leave the workplace because of the menopause is tragic. 

“We’re fabulous in our forties, and we’re even more fabulous in our fifties, sixties and seventies and we need to celebrate that and keep opportunities going for women.

“We can’t let anyone leave the workplace feeling they’ve got to slope off into the shadows ‒ we have to be able to change that.”

The royal spoke openly about menstruation, menopause and pregnancy in a video call with the organisation’s chair and a panel of experts. 

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She stressed she wanted to normalise taboo topics by bringing them “out into the open and not making it some kind of behind-closed-doors conversation.”

This week a royal expert lauded Sophie for her work in promoting the campaign

Pod Save the Queen is hosted by Zoey Forsey and features Daily Mirror royal editor Russell Myers.

On the podcast Mr Myers praised the Countess and dubbed her the “Royal Family’s secret weapon”.

He said: “It’s something that should definitely be spoken about in the office.

“I would readily admit as a man, it’s something I wasn’t too aware of. 

“I think that one of the analogies she used back in May when she was doing one of these round tables is it’s definitely about ‘opening up a conversation’.

“Well this is an ample opportunity to make this part of an everyday conversation to be more inclusive and more accepting to how other people are feeling at different times and I think this is something she is going to be speaking more about.

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“She’s very comfortable in her own skin, she is the Royal Family’s secret weapon of late isn’t she.”

Symptoms of the menopause include anxiety, brain fog, poor concentration, fatigue and hot flashes.

In May the Countess became a patron of Wellbeing of Women, which looks to improve the lives of women.

She has also become an increasingly central figure in the Royal Family due to the void left by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who quit the Firm last year. 

Since, Sophie and her husband Prince Edward have made a number of public appearances while their close-knit family is considered important for the future of the monarchy. 

Mr Myers suggested that Harry and Meghan have left a “space” for Sophie to “hammer home” causes “close to her heart”.

He said: “Theres defintiley a space that has possibly been created ‒ I know that Sophie was doing an awful lot of good work within sexual violence for women, being over in Africa and talking about several issues to do with female education.

“This is another fantastic opportunity to use the space that has been created because of the Sussexes to really hammer home causes that are close to her heart.

“She believes it’s not only women of a certain age that should be talking about it, it’s not only mothers to their daughters, or women having to explain how they’re feeling all the time. 

“It should be for us to have an honest conversation and for it to take place in the workplace.”

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