The Duchess of Edinburgh has shared an account of watching Team GB’s women’s hockey team claim gold at the Rio 2016 Olympics from the drawing rooms of Balmoral, alongside the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.
Sophie, who serves as Patron of England and GB Hockey, recorded a conversation for a special radio programme airing on Wednesday evening to mark a decade since that historic triumph.
In a pre-recorded discussion with presenter Eleanor Oldroyd and Olympic gold medallists Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh, the duchess reflected on her memories of the final, the lasting impact of the victory, and why grassroots sport matters.
A teaser clip released on Tuesday evening offered a glimpse of the programme, in which Sophie painted a vivid picture of the tension and joy she experienced that night in the Scottish Highlands.
The Duchess of Edinburgh has shared an account of watching Team GB’s women’s hockey team claim gold at the Rio 2016 Olympics from the drawing rooms of Balmoral, alongside the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip
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BBC
Recalling the evening of the final, the duchess explained that the time difference meant the match coincided with dinner at Balmoral. She had followed every game in the tournament, staying in contact with the squad via a team director.
“That evening, of course, it was a completely different time zone, and so I started off watching the match, and then I had to go into dinner, and I was sitting at dinner thinking, ‘I really want… what’s going on?'” she said.
A member of staff who happened to be a keen hockey supporter kept slipping into the dining room to update her on the score in hushed tones.
As the meal drew to a close, Sophie’s restlessness became impossible to conceal: “And eventually Her Majesty sat there and said, ‘Oh, for goodness sake, just go!’ So I ran through to the library, and I was watching it.”
Queen Elizabeth II could not bear the pressure of watching the nerve-wracking penalty shootout when Team GB’s women’s hockey squad won gold 10 years ago at the 2016 Rio Olympics, the Duchess of Edinburgh has revealed
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PA
Prince Philip soon joined her in the library, drawn by his love of sport: “My father-in-law, the late Duke of Edinburgh, came through and he loved good sport, and he sat down, and he was watching it with me.”
The duchess suspected he found her reactions at least as entertaining as the match itself: “I think he was watching my reaction more than he was watching the television, because I was literally living and breathing every moment.”
As the tension mounted, Sophie’s cheering grew louder, with the drawing room situated directly next door.
“I was suddenly conscious of this presence, and Her Majesty had come through, and she was standing in the doorway watching, and it was getting so pressured,” she recalled.
Sophie, Princess Anne and Queen Elizabeth II at the Centenary Annual Meeting of The National Federation Of Women’s Institute at the Royal Albert Hall in 2015
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PA
The late Queen had been drawn in by the drama of the penalty shootout unfolding on screen.
But the pressure proved too much for the Queen: “She was watching the penalties; she couldn’t cope with pressure; she had to take herself away again. She couldn’t cope with it.”
Meanwhile, the duchess was anything but composed: “I’m standing there leaping up and down, or sitting, leaping up and down. My father-in-law was laughing at me.”
The climactic moment came when Hollie Pearne-Webb struck the decisive goal. “If you watch it back, because she actually leaps in the air, she’s like ‘Yes!'” Sophie recalled.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip sat in the stands to watch the England v Wales match at the National Hockey Centre during the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow
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PA
“But the full momentum of what had happened was only when she really turned round. And then suddenly the realisation of what she’d done suddenly hit her.”
As for her own reaction, the duchess was overcome with emotion: “I was in floods of tears, moving up and down, screeching and yeah, it was wonderful. I wish I could have been there, though.”
The full programme will be broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live on Wednesday at 9pm.
Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh were both part of the squad that defeated the Netherlands in that memorable penalty shootout a decade ago.