As the Duchess of Edinburgh turns 60, friends and colleagues pay tribute to Sophie’s modesty, humour and generosity in both her unstinting public work and her happy family life

Laughing joyfully as she leans against a window in her beautiful home, Bagshot Park near Windsor, the Duchess of Edinburgh looks stunning in a new image shared to mark her 60th birthday.

Sophie, who celebrates her milestone on 20 January, is seen wearing an elegant black sweater and cream pleated skirt with delicate gold jewellery in the shot, taken by Nigerian-born photographer Christina Ebenezer.

Known for championing women and girls, the Duchess chose Christina because she is interested in her creative style and wanted to support a rising female photographer.

Sophie is said to have “a renewed sense of excitement and commitment” to her work around gender equality in the years to come, according to a royal source.

The Duchess is expected to spend her special day relaxing privately with her husband the Duke, receiving birthday wishes from her daughter Lady Louise Windsor, 21 – currently studying at the University of St Andrews – and her son James, Earl of Wessex, 17, who boards at a school in Oxfordshire.