Exclusive: Duchess Sophie is the picture of elegance as she celebrates record-breaking achievement
The Duchess of Edinburgh was the picture of elegance on Wednesday evening when she attended a Christmas party to celebrate a charity's record-breaking achievement.
Sophie, 59, was elegant in a chic midi dress by Burberry for The Big Give's celebration, held at The Foundling Museum in West London.
She accessorised her outfit with a clutch bag and pointed-toe shoes in a very on-trend shade of burgundy and added a friendship bracelet-style accessory, not dissimilar to the ones worn by her royal family members, King Charles and Princess Charlotte.
The royal attended the evening to show support for Big Give and as Patron of two charities that took part in the Christmas Challenge: Wellbeing of Women and Shooting Star Children's Hospices.
The Big Give, which raised a whopping £44.7 million during their Christmas Challenge this year, doubles the money raised by charities alone, with donations matched by the Big Give's partners. The incredible figure beats last year’s total, which saw the charity raise £33.5 million. The Christmas Challenge is now the UK’s biggest public fundraising appeal, having overtaken Comic Relief and Children in Need.
James Reed, chair of trustees of Big Give, said: "I want to say a very special thank you to Hello! for being our official media partner on the campaign again this year. The support the whole Hello! team has shown and the breadth of coverage has been incredible and will have helped to drive lots of donations. Everyone at Big Give is very grateful to Hello! and its very generous army of readers."
This year, Big Give secured a record-breaking £20 million in match funds for the campaign, thanks to a range of generous champions, including The Reed Foundation, Julia Rausing Trust, The Childhood Trust, The Hospital Saturday Fund, ShareGift, Steve Morgan Foundation, Candis Magazine, Hampshire Cricket Foundation, Aesseal, The Coles-Medlock Foundation, and many others.
During the glamorous evening, guests heard from Bridgerton star Adjoa Andoh, who spoke about Tree Aid, a charity of which she is patron, and the impact of the work made possible by funds raised via Big Give.
Poet and broadcaster Lemn Sissay read a wonderfully engaging poem and shared his personal connection to The Foundling Museum.
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The special evening also heard from pianist Ayane Nakajima, who performed an impressively elaborate rendition of George Gershwin's Embracable You.
Of her performance, Sophie told Ayane: "That was so beautiful and incredibly quick," referring to her fingers.
