The Countess of Wessex is the first royal
to carry out an overseas trip in 2022 had traveled to Qatar this
week with global sight loss charity, Orbis.
Sophie, 56, who arrived at Hamad International Airport, Doha, on Monday,
is carrying out engagements in her role as Global Ambassador for the International
Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB).
The Countess will visit organizations and charities, and meet
dignitaries who are championing crucial eye healthcare programmes, in support
of the IAPB’s ‘2030 in Sight’ initiative.
The pandemic has created a backlog of vital eye treatments and surgeries
around the world. The IAPB’s campaign seeks to highlight the scale of avoidable
blindness and to promote a collaborative, global approach to ensuring eye care
and rehabilitation facilities are available to everyone who needs them,
wherever they are in the world.
Back in October, the Countess showed her support for World Sight Day’s
#LoveYourEyes campaign, visiting a London school that works
with children and young people aged three to 19, who have special educational
needs and learning disabilities, to see children having their eyes tested.
While in Qatar, Sophie will also meet Afghan women evacuees to learn
more about the peacekeeping roles they play in their communities. The Countess
has long been a supporter of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda.
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The Wessexes attending church on Christmas Day
Sophie’s trip comes ahead of her 57th birthday on 20 January. Both she
and the Earl of Wessex have returned to their
royal duties after their Christmas break. The couple attended a church service in Windsor on
Christmas Day along with their children, Lady Louise Windsor, 18, and James, Viscount Severn, 14.
The Wessexes were also pictured attending a church service on
2 January at Sandringham, the Queen‘s Norfolk estate. The family of four reside at
Bagshot Park in Surrey.
