06 May 2023 , 14:27
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The great and the good of the aristocracy and showbiz world were out in force today for King Charles' Coronation.
Among the famous faces attending the service at Westminster Abbey were singer Katy Perry and TV's Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, while Charles' estranged son Prince Harry briefly flew in for the occasion.
But one of the stars fans were hoping to see due to her royal connections was Peep Show's Big Suze.
Many were surprised when actress Sophie Winkleman was spotted paying her respects to the Queen at her funeral last September.
Jaws hit the floor when Sophie was seen walking into Westminster Abbey with other members of the royal family.
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Sophie Winkleman pictured at the Queen's funeral last year (BBC)But this time around she was nowhere to be seen, despite fans spending the entire ceremony looking out for her.
"Disappointed we never saw Big Suze," wrote one on Twitter.
"Big suze my queen," lamented another, while one pleaded, "Anyone managed to spot Big Suze yet?"
Her character, Big Suze, was Jeremy's ex-girlfriend. The show saw Mark Corrigan lust after her while Jez attempted to rekindle their romance, only to be snubbed for business boss Alan Johnson.
Mark quipped: "God, she's so posh, that I, Mark Corrigan, who was privately educated until dad's British Aerospace shares went kaput, could be her bit of rough."
Her 'Big' nickname comes from her height, but in an interview on the Podcast Secrets of the Pharaohs, Sophie explained that show creators Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong initially alluded that Big Suze may have been "big" in the past but she is no longer so.
Sophie played Big Suze in Peep Show (Channel 4)Sophie, who recently appeared in This Is Going To Hurt, has a strong royal connection because she is married to Lord Frederick Windsor.
She wed Lord Freddie, a financial analyst, at Hampton Court Palace in 2009 and they have two children - nine-year-old Maud and seven-year-old Isabella.
Lord Frederick is the son of Prince Michael of Kent, who is the Queen's cousin as his father, Prince George, was the younger brother of Edward VIII and George VI.
The actress has previously said she was welcomed into the clan with open arms, particularly by the Queen and King Charles.
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Speaking to The Times, she said: "I've been incredibly welcomed with open arms by all of them... They'd never tell me off at all if I wanted to play some [racy] role."
Following their wedding, the couple moved to the US so that Sophie could further pursue her acting career and Maud was born while they were living in California.
Sophie Winkleman was spotted arriving at the Queen's funeral (BBC)The couple later moved back to the UK and welcomed their second daughter, Isabella, back in 2016.
Sophie became the new royal patron of Children's Surgery Foundation and later became the first female patron of School-Home Support.
She was a guest at the 2011 wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as well as at the 2019 wedding of her sister-in-law Lady Gabriella Windsor.
Speaking to Daily Mail, Sophie revealed that she sang at Lady Gabriella's wedding.
The talented soprano said: "I sang one of my sister-in-law's favourite songs, Will You Love Me Tomorrow. There were a few tears but I'm not sure if it was because they were moved or wanted me to stop!"
Princess Michael of Kent, Lord Frederick Windsor, and Sophie Winkleman after the Queen's coffin procession (Tim Rooke/REX/Shutterstock)
Lord Freddie Windsor poses with his bride Sophie Winkleman (Getty Images)Her children are very close in age to the Prince and Princess of Wales' kids - and Sophie has spoken in detail about her daughter Maud's close bond with Prince George.
In an interview with , she said: "We were invited to tea at Kensington Palace just before Princess Charlotte was born.
"Maud and George got on very well… He is a very clever, articulate little boy and was speaking long before other toddlers his age."
George and Maud both started at Thomas's school in Battersea on the same day in September 2017.
Sophie on the Buckingham Palace balcony in 2017 (Getty Images)Speaking about her name, Lord Freddie told Hello! in 2013: "We liked the idea of an old-fashioned English name and there are a couple of Princess Mauds in my father's family from a hundred years ago – one was the youngest daughter of Edward VII who ended up being Queen of Norway, and another a grand-daughter of Edward VII by his daughter Princess Louise.
"It's also a beautiful, elegant name and it was always our first choice."
Maud was also pictured next to Princess Charlotte when they both served as bridesmaids at Princess Eugenie’s wedding to Jack Brooksbank on October 12, 2018.
Due to their lowly ranking in the line of succession, we rarely see Lord Freddie, Sophie, Maud or their youngest daughter Isabella at royal events.