Prince Edward may not be as high-ranking a royal as his mother the Queen, but at his most recent royal engagement the Earl of Wessex made a rare appearance with his entire family.
Stepping out at the Wild Place Project in South Gloucestershire, a sister attraction to Bristol Zoo, the Queen’s youngest son was joined by his wife Sophie of Wessex and their children Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn for a fun day out in the sun.
As Patron of the Bristol Zoological Society, Prince Edward with the assistance of his family opened Bear Wood, the UK’s largest brown bear exhibit and enjoyed some fun in the British sun while doing so.
The royal foursome were snapped feeding giraffes Bem and Dayo as well as planting a tree to open the new bear exhibit. Not a bad way to spend your school holidays, right?
At the new exhibit, visitors will be transported back to 8,000 BC and will see the bears as they would have lived 10,000 years ago in and around Bristol.
The Wessex family’s last public appearance was at Trooping the Colour.
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Someone’s hungry!
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Countess Sophie and her children were all smiles as they roasted marshmallows.
(Image: Getty Images)Countess Sophie, who could be the British royal family’s unsung fashion hero, looked as stylish as ever in a navy blue and white polka dot dress with white wedge heels.
But it’s her blue and black snake skin clutch bag that we think is the ultimate zoo accessory. Let’s just hope it’s not the real thing!
This comes just days after the Countess of Wessex sported another fashionable clutch bag to Wimbledon that read, “I am not saying I am wonderwoman. I’m just saying that no one has ever seen me and wonderwoman in the same place.”
Lady Louise looked equally lovely in a white shirt and pretty pink floral skirt while the Earl of Wessex and James, Viscount Severn looked smart in their suits.
The Wessexes posed for a family photo in the sunshine.
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A very zoo appropriate clutch bag, let’s hope it’s not real snake skin!
(Image: Getty Images)The last time the Wessex family were seen out and about as a foursome was at Trooping the Colour, the official celebration of the Queen’s birthday, back in June.
Following their ride in the carriage, Prince Edward, Countess Sophie, Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn joined the rest of the royals on the balcony of Buckingham Palace but as less senior members, they were not placed front and centre.
WATCH: The royal family wave from Buckingham Palace for Trooping the Colour 2019. Post continues after video…
Unlike Edward’s older siblings Prince Charles and Prince Andrew, the youngest child of the Queen and Prince Philip keeps things rather private when it comes to family matters.
Following their 1999 wedding, a statement was released to say any children of Prince Edward and Countess Sophie’s would be titled as the children of an Earl and not the grandchildren of the Queen.
Sophie herself has explained that when Louise and James were younger, she and her husband tried to keep their children out of the global spotlight.
“Certainly when they were very young we tried to keep them out of it. Only because for their sakes, to grow up as normally as possible we felt was quite important. And they’re going to have to go out and get a job and earn a living later on in life and if they’ve had a normal a start in life they possibly can get, then hopefully that will stand them in good stead.”
