Kate Middleton Updates: Countess of Wessex Stealing the Spotlight From The Duchess

More beautiful and fashionable than ever, Sophie, the Countess of Wessex is reportedly trying to steal Kate Middleton's spotlight with her new interest in fashion. The soon to be 50-year-old royal has been undergoing a lot of changes with her subtly highlighted hair, slender figure and sporting a new fashionable edge.

During her latest interview, the mother of two revealed her observations about the delicate issue of the burka and declares that wearing the controversial Islamic garment proves "you don't have to shot a lot of flesh in order to be beautiful and stylish." She is currently the first-ever patron of the London College of Fashion which allows her to meet representatives from the IslamicFashion Festival at Windsor Castle.

"It's very evident that Muslim women can be fashionable while also retaining their modesty..." the Countess of Wessex told Harper's Bazaar during an interview for their February 2015 issue as she encourage Islamic girls to be proud of their own burka. "And what people forget is that underneath the burka and everything else there is somebody who is probably wearing something really quite fashionable."

Now blossoming into a woman of style, the former Sophie Rhys-Jones was once seen as Prince Diana's successor but she hated comparison knowing that the challenge is too great. So why the transformation now? According to Daily Mail, Price Edward's wife shares the same designer with Kate Middleton but it's always the Duchess who gets the credit and the attention, so there's a little of envy between the two royals.

One classic example is when the Duchess of Cambridge wore an earrings made by Sophie's good friend Belinda Hadden's company Heavenly Necklaces. The Countess has worn earring from the designer since before her wedding in 1999, but it only took one earrings for Kate to make its website crash because too many orders.

It seems that the Kate effect is a tough act to follow and with her second pregnancy Prince Edward and his family will be push further down in claiming the throne. When it comes to Sophie, she always maintain a low profile when it comes to her work with charities for fear of being compared to Diana but it seems now that she is being compared to Kate Middleton who is 20 years her junior.

Meanwhile, pregnant Kate Middleton is preparing herself for the arrival of another baby and is trying to spend more time with Prince George before she will get her hands full. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge announced that were expecting another baby in early September after months of speculations about Kate's second pregnancy.