Funeral Guest Says Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Is 'The Glue' Keeping Royal Family 'Strong'

Sophie, Countess of Wessex is staying strong for her family.

A guest who attended the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth at Westminster Abbey in London on Monday exclusively tells PEOPLE that the royal, 57, had remarkable resolve at the emotional service for her mother-in-law and has been a rock for her relatives as they mourn the Queen.

"The Countess of Wessex was incredible. I saw her putting her arm around three or four people," lawyer Pranav Bhanot tells PEOPLE of what he saw. "It felt like she was really the glue keeping everyone quite strong today."

"She really seemed to be the person keeping the family together," Bhanot explains. "There were a few bishops who started crying when they saw the Queen and she was kind of comforting them, even though she is the direct family member."

The guest, 34, says that Sophie, who is married to the Queen's youngest son Prince Edward, was warmly there for everyone around her, including Kate Middleton.

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"She put her arm around Kate's shoulders towards the end too. It was comforting," Bhanot says, reflecting on what the move meant.

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"From where I was I got the sense that... sometimes you have that one strong person in a family who's kind of keeping everyone together. To me, it seemed like Sophie was that person today," he adds. "It was something that really stood out because it seemed that she really was very strong."

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Bhanot is an attorney in Essex, England, and provided free counsel during the worst of the coronavirus pandemic to people whose lives were seriously disrupted, The New York Times reported. He also helped deliver 1,200 meals to those in need and was named an MBE in the Queen's most recent birthday honors for his acts of service to the community. From this connection, he was invited to her funeral.

Recalling what it was like to witness the hour-long service in the ancient church, the attorney says it surprisingly felt "very private."

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"The irony was that when we were sitting in the Abbey, it felt very private. You kind of forgot for a moment that the whole world's attention was on this event because you don't have all the cameras and the press and all the bodyguards," he shares. "It was just very beautifully done and it felt very private even though the eyes of the world were on it."

In another emotional moment following the Monday morning service, Sophie was seen reaching a reassuring arm around Prince George, 9. The eldest child of Princess Kate and Prince William is now second in line to the throne following the death of Queen Elizabeth.

Gareth Cattermole/Getty From left: Sophie, Countess of Wessex with Prince George of Wales, plus Princess Charlotte of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales

Sophie walked alongside the prince, his sister Princess Charlotte, 7, and Princess Kate during the procession following the funeral service. Sophie and Prince Edward's two children, Lady Louise, 18 and James, Viscount Severn, 14, were also in attendance.

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PEOPLE understands that William and Kate spent last week carefully considering whether to include their eldest two children in the procession and service.

With the eyes of the world on them, their parents kept in mind the fact that George and Charlotte were at Westminster Abbey for Prince Philip's memorial service in March.