Royal fans have named a new ‘Fab Four’ after the Prince and Princess of Wales‘s easy friendship with the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh was on full display during the late Queen’s centenary celebrations.

King Charles led the full delegation of senior royals at a Buckingham Palace reception honouring Queen Elizabeth II’s life and legacy on what would have been her 100th birthday.

While everyone from Princess Anne to Princess Alexandra joined the celebrations, notable absences included the King’s younger son, Prince Harry, who stayed back in California amid his estrangement from the Royal Family.

When Harry, 41, and wife, Meghan Markle, 44, quit The Firm, it was also the final chapter in the ‘Fab Four’ era as the Sussexes and Waleses were jointly known.

Six years later, fans suggested Harry and Meghan have finally been replaced by Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie after photos and videos from yesterday’s reception showcased their strong bond with William and Kate.

One snap showed the future King struggling to contain his laughter during a chat with Sophie, known for her wicked sense of humour, while Kate and Edward appeared deep in conversation.

They stood together while singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to six centenarians, who were all celebrating their 100th birthdays, as fans on X/Twitter declared they were the ‘real Fab Four’.

And they were front and centre in the royal portrait that represented King Charles’s ‘slimmed down’ monarchy after the scandal surrounding his disgraced younger brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, as well as Megxit.

Prince Harry’s engagement to the former Suits actress Meghan was announced in 2017 and the couple were carrying out royal engagements alongside William and Kate soon after.

When they came together at an event for the Royal Foundation, established by the brothers, in February 2018, their camaraderie led to royal fans describing the group as the ‘Fab Four’.

But the high-profile partnership between the younger royals did not last long, after a rumoured rift – first between Kate and Meghan and then between the future King and Harry – that ended with the splitting of their households and Royal Foundation charity in March 2019.

Just one month before the ‘Fab Four’ broke up, Prince William confronted Harry about his wife’s ‘abrasive’ nature during a tense meeting at Nottingham Cottage, the Duke later revealed in his controversial memoir Spare.

Harry claimed the fight ended after William knocked Harry to the floor and ‘landed on the dog’s bowl’ in a shocking revelation about the row that rocked the foundation of the ‘Fab Four’.

Over seven years later, a ‘new Fab Four’ has emerged, X/Twitter users said while reacting to images of William, Kate, Sophie and Edward together.

The King’s youngest brother, 62, was seen having an animated conversation with Kate, who opted to wear a lavender coat dress in honour of the late Queen. 

Meanwhile, Prince William couldn’t contain his laughter as he spoke to his ‘aunt-in-law’ at the Buckingham Palace reception for the late Queen.

One X user wrote: ‘Love the dynamics between William and Aunt Sophie.’

Another added: ‘They make me smile, I love the four of them.’

A third fan declared the group comprised ‘four of the finest the Royal Family has’ while yet another said ‘we love them so much!’

While they were born commoners, Sophie and Kate quickly won the affection of the public and, crucially, the approval of the late Queen after marrying into the Royal Family.

In fact, former PR executive Sophie was a big part of Kate’s induction, as the Daily Mail’s Diary Editor suggested the future Queen managed to ingratiate herself with the Royal Family as a result of the ‘unbreakable bond’ she formed with Prince Edward’s wife.

Since then, the pair have come a long way from their tentative mentor/mentee relationship to develop a genuine friendship that will shape the future of the monarchy, he added.

The Daily Mail’s Royal Editor Rebecca English added that Sophie ‘cemented’ her status as Kate’s ‘wing woman’ with a subtle gesture at the first Remembrance Sunday after the princess’s cancer diagnosis in 2024.

The ceremony revealed how Kate, who announced she was in remission from cancer in September 2024, found comfort in Sophie as she made a measured return to public life.

A poignant photo showed the Duchess place a reassuring hand on Kate’s back as they left the balcony at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office after the wreath-laying ceremony at the Cenotaph.

Body language expert Judi James told the Daily Mail: ‘She and Kate always appear to be close and to share a sense of humour but Sophie’s gesture here seems to show her in a more maternal mode, as she places one hand on or near Kate’s back as she stepped inside the building.’

‘It registered fondness and maybe a small congratulatory “well done” for another milestone achieved in terms of Kate’s return to royal duties.’

Meanwhile, William and Sophie were hailed as a ‘royal power duo’ last year after they carried out a rare joint royal engagement at the Royal Cornwall Show on June 6.

As they sampled local Cornish gin at the event, organised by the Royal Agricultural Association of which Sophie and William are both patrons, their growing friendship was hard to miss.

Edward is also believed to be close to his nephew, who is 19 years his junior, making the new ‘Fab Four’ a group rooted in longstanding respect and love for each other.

They took centre stage in a new royal portrait taken on what would have been the late Queen’s 100th birthday as it underscored the changing face of the monarchy.