Earl and Countess of Wessex Tour of the Islands in pictures

His Excellency and Mrs Cripwell welcome VIP guests to the Bailiwick.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex came on a whirlwind tour of the Channel Islands for Liberation Day in Jersey and Guernsey on 9 May and Sark on 10 May. Alderney doesn't celebrate their own Liberation day but it being the Platinum Jubilee year of Her Majesty The Queen, they were thrilled to also receive a Royal visit on the 10 May.

The Earl and Countess arrived by plane from Jersey at 13.45 and were greeted by His Excellency and Mrs Cripwell and ADC Major Marco Ciotti. 

They hotfooted it to Beau Sejour with all the blues and twos and a police motorcycle escort to arrive and be greeted by the Bailiff of Guernsey who would do the introductions for the President of Education, Sport and Culture and Dame Mary Perkins before the children of Notre Dame School and the audience burst into a rousing chorus of the National Anthem. They were then introduced to the MC Rob 'Judge' Rinder, delivered Her Majesty The Queen's Message and then spent time meeting as many of the wartime Occupation Generation as the time allowed. His Excellency and Mrs Cripwell and the Bailiff were doing the rounds as well, spending time with the islanders of which they have already grown so collectively fond. 

The excitement at the Tea Dance was over all too quickly before they sped off to Castle Cornet for a short ecumenical service led by the very Reverend Tim Barker, Dean of Guernsey and featuring the Youth Service Choir who treated them to Sarnia Cherie before they moved along to the saluting battery to watch the 21 gun salute fired by local veterans who they took time to talk to as they were leaving the castle. The cavalcade of vintage military vehicles and decorated floats filled with waving islanders in Occupation period dress drove around the model yacht pond as the Earl and Countess watched and waved from the balcony at the Yacht club. They then met with islanders lining the castle emplacement before adjourning to Government House for a break before dinner.

A reception and dinner at Les Cotils in the evening with guests including Crown Appointees, Jurats, States Deputies and local representatives of organizations with which Their Royal Highnesses are involved was followed by a fantastic view of the Liberation Fireworks over the castle. 

The next morning, after a bright and early breakfast, Their Royal Highnesses signed the visitors book and were invited outside to plant a tree in the grounds. Another tree planting followed at Forest Primary School where they were greeted by the Bailiff and presented to the Headteacher, Mrs Paul Sullivan and Guernsey Trees for Life Operational Officer, Andy McCutcheon who had arranged the planting of the tree as part of the Queen's Green Canopy for HM Queen's Platinum Jubilee. After meeting the schoolchildren and being presented with a posy of flowers, they were introduced to Ben le Marchant who designed the winning entry in the Guernsey Queen's Jubilee Flag Competition. 

His Excellency greeted Their Royal Highnesses in Alderney before  introducing the President of the Alderney States, William Tate and his wife, Gabrielle. They greeted islanders in Victoria Street before visiting the Alderney Wildlife Trust to view the Puffin and Gannet cams. 

A reception in the Island Hall followed, where political representatives and members of the Alderney Services were presented and the Earl delivered a message from Her Majesty. They went on to visit the Nunnery, a Roman Fort now open to the public and Dr Isobel Picornell invited them to 'break the ground' for the next archaeological excavation soon to be starting. On departing the Roman Fort, they went up to the newly named Platinum Jubilee Railway Station and took a trip on board the Alderney Railway Train up to Braye Station before departing Alderney for Sark.