THE COUNTESS OF WESSEX is in the frame as she unveils two new artworks reflecting her charitable causes
IS ALSO THE SUBJECT OF A HISTORIC PORTRAIT AS HER WORK IS HONOURED
It
was the week when the Countess of Wessex acted as something of an artist’s muse. Sophie was present at the unveiling of a sculpture of her likeness that made royal history, while on the same day an official portrait photograph of her, shown right, was also released.
At Sophie’s Bagshot Park home, the bust, by sculptor Lady Petchey in conjunction with charity Vision Foundation ( of which the Countess is patron), was unveiled. It has been created especially for blind and disabled people, who will be able to get an idea of her likeness when they touch and feel it.
Olivia Curno, chief executive of the Vision Foundation, said: “We remain so grateful to HRH the Countess of Wessex for shining her spotlight on the desperate need for sight- loss equality in
employment. Her warmth, kindness and passion bring our vital work to life.”
When work on the bust first began i n September last year, Sophie joined the artist, also known as Frances Segelman, a t her London studio and made history as the first member of the royal family to sit for a live- streamed sculpting session in support of one of her patronages.
‘Sophie’s warmth, kindness and passion bring our work to life’
PROUD MOMENT
Meanwhile, the portrait photograph – also released by Buckingham Palace on Thursday last week – captured the Countess wearing the robes of a Dame of the Order of St John.
Smiling as she posed for photographer Julian Calder, Sophie, 56, donned the formal attire in honour of the Order of St John, the historic Christian charity – headed by the Queen – that has connections to the St John Ambulance organisation.
Fittingly, Sophie – who is the Grand President of St John Ambulance – was also last week presented with the first bar to the SJA’s Service Medal in a ceremony held at St James’s Palace to mark her 15 years of service.
There are five Orders of St John around the world and they run a range of programmes, including ambulance corps and care for the elderly and the disabled, while they also provide first-aid training and disaster relief on an international scale.
In recent months the Countess has been volunteering with the organisation at a vaccination centre, after reportedly being eager to work in a practical way to help the Covid-19 jab rollout.
HIGH PRAISE
A St John Ambulance spokeswoman said: “Like many of our existing and long- standing volunteers, the Countess of Wessex has completed the required training to become a care volunteer in support of the NHS vaccination programme.
“We’re delighted to welcome the Countess, as the Grand President of St John Ambulance, to a growing team of over 10,000 volunteers who are now trained and being deployed to NHS vaccination centres all over England, in an extraordinary collective effort to beat the pandemic.”