Sophie, Countess of Wessex coming to UVic

On Saturday, Sept. 13, UVic will welcome Her Royal Highness The Countess of Wessex to campus.

Prince Edward and his wife, Sophie—Their Royal Highnesses The Earl and Countess of Wessex—arrive in Victoria on Friday, Sept. 12 for a five-day visit of BC.

Members of the community will have an opportunity to see the royal couple at a special outdoor public ceremony on Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. at Government House.  News Release  Related Article (Times Colonist)

A packed agenda will see the royal pair participating, as a couple or individually, in a wide range of community events. On Saturday, accompanied by the Honourable Judith Guichon, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia and the representative of Her Majesty The Queen in the province, the Countess will be met by UVic President Jamie Cassels and UVic Vice-President External Relations Carmen Charette for a private visit to campus.

This visit will showcase some of UVic’s most exciting and advanced programs and projects, with the Countess and the Lieutenant Governor viewing display stations by Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) and CanAssist, as well as on UVic’s new Centre for Athletics, Recreation and Special Abilities (CARSA) opening in spring 2015.

Invited guests will gain an appreciation of the work of ONC, an initiative of UVic, with its world-leading NEPTUNE and VENUS ocean observatories—one of the largest ocean science projects in the world. The Countess will meet CanAssist clients—people living with disabilities who have benefited from the work of the innovative program—and she will also have an opportunity to interact with some of the technologies that have been developed by CanAssist. And UVic Vikes athletes will be on hand to talk about the benefits that CARSA (also the new home of CanAssist) will provide for the entire community.

The afternoon campus visit will conclude with a brief reception and refreshments before the Countess and Lieutenant Governor return to Government House.