This gallery of photos taken by Cathy Whytehead (using Anne Barbetta's camera) highlights the exciting visit of Her Royal Highnesss The Countess of Wessex with lung transplant patients at Toronto General Hospital November 22, 2006. Please feel free to download these to your computer by right-clicking and saving to a folder. If you wish to have a high-resolution copy of a photo or photos for printing please email me.

It was a great pleasure to have the opportunity of meeting Her Royal Highness, who is the wife of Prince Edward, son of Queen Elizabeth ll. Sophie Rhys-Jones, was a public relations manager with her own firm and she married Prince Edward on 19 June 1999 at St. George's Chapel, Windsor.

The Countess, who is a Patron of Toronto General Hospital, was visiting Canada and Toronto General and Western Hospital Foundation took the opportunity to invite her to tour the lung transplant department and meet some of the pre and post-transplant patients. I found her to be genuine and charming and her questions indicated a real interest in lung transplantation and how it transforms the lives of the recipients.

Her Royal Highness' visit spiked my interest and I learned the following at Wikipedia where you can read more and also view a lovely photo of the Prince and Countess on their wedding day.

On his wedding day, the Queen conferred the titles of Earl of Wessex and Viscount Severn on Prince Edward. This was a break with tradition whereby the sons of a sovereign were usually created a Duke. The title of Wessex was unusual. The last person known as "Earl of Wessex" was Harold Godwinson, prior to his accession to the English throne in 1066. Edward is styled HRH The Earl of Wessex, with Sophie taking the style HRH The Countess of Wessex. It was also announced at that time, that upon the death of his father Prince Edward will inherit the title HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and The Countess will assume the title HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh.

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