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The Countess of Wessex is in the Big Apple! Queen Elizabeth ’s daughter-in-law arrived in New York on Sunday, per the Court Circular. While in town, Sophie will deliver the key note address at an event (“Upholding Women’s Rights in Afghanistan”) hosted by the Group of Friends of Women in Afghanistan, UN Women and the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security.
During her four-day working visit, the Countess, who is a global ambassador of 100 Women in Finance and a global ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), will also undertake engagements in support of gender equality in the workplace, as well as attend 100WF’s First Impressions event and will spend time with international eye health leaders from UN Women, UNICEF, and the World Health Organisation to celebrate the adoption of the United Nations’ “Vision for Everyone” Resolution.
The royal’s first stop on Monday was at the QEII Garden in Manhattan’s Financial District. Sophie, bundled up in a cream coat, marked Commonwealth Day on March 14 by planting a rosemary bush at the garden, which “celebrates the historic ties of friendship between the UK, the USA and the Commonwealth.”
Following her visit to the garden, the royal mom of two, wearing a leather dress and boots, opened St. George’s Society of New York’s new office at 866 United Nations Plaza.
There, the Countess heard about the non-profit organization’s work to support vulnerable people with British and Commonwealth heritage in the city. Prince Edward’s wife also unveiled a plaque and met with students who have received scholarships from the Society. In the evening, Sophie changed into a printed dress for a UN Commonwealth Day reception held at The Yale Club.