The medical emergencies which left the Duchess of Edinburgh in danger of losing her life have been revealed in further detail.
Sophie was rushed to hospital in November 2003 and delivered her daughter, Lady Louise, weeks early. It was known at the time that the Duchess was very ill but more information on just how difficult her situation was have come to light in a new TV show.
Ailsa Anderson, a former press secretary to the Duchess of Edinburgh, told True Royalty TV’s The Royal Beat – Book Club that the day Lady Louise was born brought frightening concerns for Sophie. She said ”“I remember I was home in Putney and we were actually hosting a dinner party and I got the call from Marcus Setchell, who was the Queen’s gynaecologist who was overseeing Sophie’s pregnancy to say he was in a police car on his way to Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey because he got the call.”
Prince Edward was on overseas engagements in Mauritius as the couple hadn’t expected their baby to be born for several more weeks. Ailsa Anderson said they knew it would take the Prince time to get back as he had rushed to get commercial flights as soon as he heard of the danger and she added ”it was a really really scary period we just didn’t know what was going to happen.”
The Duchess of Edinburgh had suffered a sudden placental abruption which put both her and Lady Louise at risk. She underwent an emergency Caesarean section and remained in Frimley Park Hospital for two weeks while her daughter, who was premature, was taken to St. George’s Hospital in London as a precaution. Sophie had to wait several days to be reunited with her newborn little girl.
Two years earlier, Sophie had been rushed to hospital after suffering an ectopic pregnancy, where the foetus develops outside the womb. She lost a lot of blood as doctors battled to save her.
Royal commentator, Sarah Hewson, told The Royal Beat that Sophie had been in danger several times, noting ”she almost lost her life then. And again, when she had Lady Louise, I mean, it is no exaggeration to say she did almost lose her life in childbirth.”
The comments came as they discussed a new book on Sophie called Sophie: Saving the Royal Family written by Sean Smith. He told the show’s host, Laurence Llewellyn Bowen, that he’d been interested in Sophie’s work when she first married Prince Edward and ”I had another look at her and she’s rather interesting. All the royal family, don’t forget, are celebrities. And celebrities are my specialty. The most famous people in the world and that’s what they are.”
You can watch the full episode of The Royal Beat – Book Club on True Royalty TV.
