The Earl of Wessex recently carried out engagements in the west country, undertaking a visit to the Royal Wessex Yeomanry and Bristol Zoo Gardens.
On Saturday 9th July, Prince Edward visited The Royal Wessex Yeomanry on the Bathurst Estate in Cirencester, where he took part in a parade.
Edward handed out Platinum Jubilee medals to the Royal Wessex Yeomanry (Royal Family)
Edward handed out Platinum Jubilee medals. (Royal Family).
The Royal Wessex Yeomanry is the country’s only armoured reserve regiment.
The parade officially marked the Regiment’s 50th anniversary, a milestone that was actually reached in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As their Royal Colonel, Edward presented Platinum Jubilee medals to the officers and soldiers. The medal features the iconic Ian Rank Broadley portrait of Her Majesty, and on the reverse, the Royal Crest and the years of The Queen’s Reign (1952-2022). The ribbon has silver edges representing the Silver Jubilee, the blue from the Golden Jubilee medal, and the red from the 2012 ribbon for the Diamond Jubilee.
HRH visited The Royal Wessex Yeomanry where he took part in a royal parade. (Royal Family)
As part of the parade, the Regiment gave the Royal Salute to the Earl.
Commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Charles Speers said: ‘It is an honour and privilege to welcome His Royal Highness The Earl of Wessex to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Royal Wessex Yeomanry and to present our soldiers with their Jubilee medals.’
‘Their commitment as Reserve soldiers is impressive and this parade celebrates the achievements and dedication of our serving soldiers and veterans. We are proud to have our Royal Colonel here supporting us, as he continually does.’
Michael, a tank commander in the Reserves, paraded in front of his His Royal Highness and said: ‘I have paraded for His Royal Highness four times now, he is so down to earth and remembers faces, where they are from and what they do.’
The Earl took the royal salute during the parade. (Royal Family).
On Monday, The Earl of Wessex visited Bristol Zoo Gardens; Edward is their Royal Patron.
The Queen’s youngest son heard about the zoo’s proposals to make the landmark gardens accessible to the public for free, while also providing over 200 high-quality, much-needed homes for the city.
Part of the conversation with the Royal additionally included their plans to create a new, world-class Bristol Zoo at their sister site, Wild Place Project, to enable the charity to extend its on-site and worldwide conservation work.
The Earl of Wessex spoke to staff at Bristol Zoo. (Royal Family)
His Royal Highness also stopped off at the Zoo’s Amphipod – where some of the world’s most threatened amphibians are bred and reared – and he received an update about the overseas work from Dr Tim Bray. The scientist returned from a field trip in the species’ natural habitat, where he and a team had been surveying for frogs and working with local communities.
In celebration of our 186th anniversary, we were delighted to welcome our Royal Patron, the Earl of Wessex, to the Zoo yesterday afternoon.
? by @markeastment
Press release: https://t.co/bwEpClQSXK@theroyalfamily pic.twitter.com/vqy0ir42wu
— Bristol Zoo Gardens (@BristolZooGdns) July 12, 2022
The Earl also met with volunteers from the zoo, before heading to see the Gorillas Island.
Dr Justin Morris, Chief Executive of Bristol Zoological Society said: ‘We were delighted to welcome our Royal Patron, The Earl of Wessex, to Bristol Zoo Gardens. His Royal Highness has always shown a great interest in our charity’s conservation and education work and for him to visit on our last anniversary feels very poignant, and means a lot to the team of staff and volunteers.’
Recently, The Earl of Wessex was seen with his wife and two children at the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. They made an appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after Trooping the Colour, as well as attended a Service of Thanksgiving for Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee.
The Earl also recently joined The Queen at the Ceremony of the Keys during Holyrood Week.
