The Earl and The Countess of Wessex tour the West Indies

THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT IS ISSUED BY THE PRESS SECRETARY TO THE QUEEN

The Earl and The Countess of Wessex will undertake an overseas tour of the West Indies from 21st February to the 7th March, representing The Queen in the year of Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee.

The tour of Realms, British overseas territories and Commonwealth countries, will visit: St Lucia; Barbados; St Vincent and the Grenadines; Grenada; Trinidad and Tobago; Montserrat; St Kitts and Nevis; Anguilla; Antigua and Barbuda; and is the first of the Diamond Jubilee overseas visits by a Member of the Royal Family.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex will begin in St Lucia where they will join the Independence Day celebrations, attending the Parade and watching a youth performance.

Other highlights of the tour include Their Royal Highnesses’ visit to the Barbados Parliament where The Earl and Countess will receive a Joint Address by both Houses, a visit to the Princess Elizabeth Centre in Trinidad and Tobago, built with funds given to The Queen as a wedding present, and a visit to Montserrat where TRH will see the Island’s ongoing recovery from the devastating effects of the volcanic eruption.