The Earl and Countess of Wessex are expected to visit St Vincent and the Grenadines on February 25, 2012, as part of the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II.{{more}}

The celebrations, which end in the month of June, will also feature events, including a Diamond Jubilee Flower Show and Tea Party at Government House, Stamp, Photo and Art Exhibitions, and the Queen’s Birthday Parade. The Jubilee celebrations will also include the launch of the Jubilee Legacy Project – The Restoration of the Botanical Gardens. The official launch of the celebrations took place on Tuesday, January 31, 2012, at the Foreign Affairs Conference Room.

Speaking at the launch, Governor General Sir Frederick Ballantyne stated that the celebrations will mark the Queen’s 60th year as a monarch.

The Queen is the second longest serving monarch in history, and Sir Frederick said St Vincent and the Grenadines, which is a part of the Commonwealth, joins 1 billion other persons within the Commonwealth who will also take part in celebrations. Sir Frederick also assured Vincentians that the celebratory events will be undertaken at minimal expense to the Vincentian public.

Rene Baptiste, Chairman of the Diamond Jubliee Celebration committee, stated that the visit of the Earl and Countess of Wessex will include a welcoming ceremony at the Cruise Ship Terminal, and a visit to the Botanic Gardens, where a Pink Pouis tree will be planted by the Royals.

The Earl of Wessex is Prince Edward, the youngest child of the Queen and her husband The Duke of Edinburgh. The 47-year-old prince is seventh in line to the throne and has been married since 1999 to Countess Sophie Rhys-Jones.

The royal couple will also visit the island of Bequia, and the town of Port Elizabeth, where they will interact with persons on the island. Baptiste added that the Earl and Countess will also visit Barbados, Grenada, Trinidad, Antigua, Montserrat, and St. Kitts and Nevis to participate in Diamond Jubilee celebrations on those islands. The celebrations will also see six individuals receive Duke of Edinburgh Gold Awards in a ceremony at the Government House.

The Diamond Jubilee Flower Show and Tea Party will take place on May 4, 5 and 6, 2012. Baptiste stated that various types of flowers will be used to construct crowns, which will be placed in the halls of the Government House during the event. She also issued an appeal to persons wishing to provide flowers for the event to contact the co-coordinator Flora Gunn at the Beachcombers Hotel. Tickets for the Tea Party, Baptiste added, will cost $20 and will go towards the Restoration of the Botanic Gardens.

The Stamp Exhibition will take place on June 2, while the Art and Photography Exhibition will take place on June 5, 2012. The Queen’s Birthday Parade will take place on June 16; also, the Diamond Jubilee Reception will take place at Government House on June 16.

There will also be a special meeting of Parliament on June 1, a Diamond Jubilee Beacon Event at the Botanic Gardens and a Diamond Jubilee Lecture on The Modern Commonwealth in March 2012.(OS)