The Duchess of Edinburgh’s next big summer event has just been teased and it’s already proving popular

The big summer event in the diary of the Duchess of Edinburgh has just been teased.

Organisers of Le Grand Depart 2027, the kick off to next year’s Tour de France, have revealed more details of the start of the world famous race which kicks off in the Scottish capital for the first time ever.y

The Duchess of Edinburgh helped announce that the Tour, the most famous cycle race in the world, would be coming to the city and Sophie’s image is across the announcement of the grand opening ceremony, indicating that she will be there as this once in a generation event takes over Scotland.

The big reveal came as tickets for the opening ceremony, on June 30 2027, were put on general sale. All were bought within hours and the glittering event is now sold out.

It’s likely that Sophie along with her husband, Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, will be present for the start of the prestigious event which will put the city from which they take their title on global show.

It’s also expected that the Edinburghs will be on hand to cheer the riders as they take on the opening stage of the 2027 Tour as it wends its way through Scotland.

Day two of the Tour 2027 is in the north of England while the third stage takes place in Wales, meaning William and Kate could well be on hand to mark such a major sporting moment taking place in the country.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, then still known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, were present when the Tour last began in the UK back in 2014. Both William and Kate are big sports fans and likely to want to show their support for the event and its riders this time round, too.

The Grand Depart 2027 has already brought jobs to the UK and thousands of volunteers will be on hand to look after riders and spectators alike in what will be a huge boost to tourism in the three areas the race passes through.

The opening ceremony will also come at the end of a traditionally busy month for the royals. June sees them at the Order of the Garter ceremony in Windsor as well as at Royal Ascot. Trooping the Colour also takes place in June and in 2027, it is expected that events to mark the 80th birthday of Queen Camilla will start as summer really gets into its swing.

Edward and Sophie became Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh in 2023 when King Charles created the title again for his youngest brother. Prince Edward was officially put in line to be Duke of Edinburgh in 1999 when he married Sophie Rhys-Jones. Buckingham Palace announced that it was expected the title would come to them in due course.

However, first it had to return to the Crown. Prince Philip had been created Duke of Edinburgh in 1947 ahead of his marriage to the then Princess Elizabeth. When he died, in 2021, the title of Duke of Edinburgh passed to his eldest son, Charles. It was only on the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the accession of King Charles III in September 2022 that the title of Duke of Edinburgh returned to the Crown. Six months later, King Charles recreated it, this time as a life peerage, and bestowed it on his brother to fulfil the wishes of his parents.

The new Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh visited the city just hours after the announcement was made. They have been regulars in Edinburgh ever since and their presence at Le Grand Depart is expected to be confirmed in due course.