Her Majesty Elizabeth II, Queen of England and the Commonwealth, addressed recently Lebanon on her 93rd birthday during the celebration in her honor at the British embassy in Lebanon, in the presence of HRH Countess Sophie of Wessex.
Countess Sophie of Wessex undertook this week a Royal visit to Lebanon with Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, a UK Member of Parliament and a British businessman.
Their 2-day visit concluded with the celebration of the Queen’s birthday that was hosted by UK Ambassador Chris Rampling at the Lebanese National Library in Beirut.
The Countess of Wessex is a member of the British royal family. She is the wife of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
During the celebration, Countess Sophie delivered a speech about her experience in Lebanon and the visitations she made. She then conveyed to the Lebanese people a warm message of appreciation from her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
“Before I finish, a very special member of the British Royal Family has a few words for you,” HRH the countess said. “It is, therefore, my honor and pleasure to read a personal message to the people of Lebanon from Her Majesty The Queen.”
Read by Countess Sophie, the message of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II came as follows:
“I am delighted that my daughter-in-law is with you this evening. The United Kingdom recognizes Lebanon as a symbol of diversity, tolerance, and resilience, and I hope that the strong bond of friendship between our two countries will continue for many years.
Prince Philip and I send our warmest good wishes to the people of Lebanon, and to all those attending this evening’s reception.”
It is to mention that Queen Elizabeth the Second is the Monarch of 16 different countries, including Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
These countries are known as the Commonwealth Realms. They officially acknowledge Elizabeth II as their queen while being fully independent sovereign states.
In the past few days, her daughter-in-law HRH Sophie was on an official visit to Lebanon for the first time. She focused her tour on the experiences of women in the region, promoting tolerance and addressing gender-based violence in conflict.
The Countess of Wessex met refugees and representatives from women’s charities, looking closer at the work of charitable foundations and NGOs in Lebanon that are offering support to the most vulnerable communities, particularly women and children.
HRH Sophie also met with the Lebanese President Michel Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Saad Hariri, discussing the friendship and strong bilateral relations between Lebanon and the United Kingdom.
