Annabel Gale had to wait 20 years and come “halfway around the world,” but she finally met her prince — now an earl — and his wife.
“It was a dream come true to actually meet them both,” said Gale, a native of Surrey, England, who lives in Victoria and was among more than 200 well-wishers charmed by the Earl and Countess of Wessex Friday at Government House.
It was the first visit to Victoria by Prince Edward, youngest son of the Queen, and his wife, Sophie Rhys-Jones, since 2006. It was the couple is on a five-day working visit in B.C.
After inspecting an honour guard from the Royal Canadian Navy, Prince Edward took to the crowd, bantering with small groups of schoolchildren.
The prince joked that the students, out of classes due to the teachers’ strike, seemed to be on something like a never-ending holiday.
“Has the weather been good the whole time?” he asked.
There was a tea-party vibe, as trays of cookies, tea and coffee were served, and plenty of colourful outfits were on display.
“It’s very nice to be back here — fantastic,” he told the crowd. This is the earl’s 36th visit to Canada and the countess’s 12th.
Several women brought their grandchildren, hoping to give them a historical perspective. Donna Perrin, a big fan of the royal family, asked grandson Chase Ward, 11, if he’d like to come along.
“I was like, that would be cool,” said Chase.
The countess, wearing a cropped black jacket over a black-and-white print dress, thanked Margaret Power for popping in to visit, petted Klippe, the mini-poodle of Susan Bartol-Drinker, and greeted a contingent of residents in wheelchairs from Oak Bay Lodge.
“Thank you for coming all this way to see us,” called out Victoria resident Toni Clark.
Corbin Miller, 10, sporting a Fraser tartan kilt he got for his birthday, was thrilled that Sophie accepted the bouquet of yellow dahlias he brought for her.
She asked whether he had Scottish heritage — he does — but did not discuss the issue of Scottish separatism.
No one appeared to have dressed up for the occasion as much as Lynda Witham, who donned an outfit fit for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953. Witham noted that she shares a birthday with Edward’s nephew, Prince George. “George was born on my 50th — that was a great little connection.”
As a person who’s often out and about in historical costumes, she knows how hard it is to be on show. “It’s not a bed of roses that the royal family lives in,” she said. “It’s hard work. Even one day and your face is tired from all the smiling.”
Jane Stevens was standing in the sunshine to listen to her son, a percussionist in the Naden Band, serenade the gathering. “The prince is a bonus,” she said.
Just about the only person immune to the friendly royals was Gracie Ling Lu Jones, 4, resplendent in a fancy lime green dress.
As the royals greeted a line of dignitaries including Lt.-Gov. Judith Guichon, Gracie crouched behind the legs of parents Mark and Lisa Jones from Victoria, seemingly determined not to be seen.
On Saturday, the countess will tour Jeneece Place and Our Place Society, where she and Guichon are to help serve lunch. They’ll also go to the University of Victoria to see the work of the CanAssist program and Ocean Networks Canada, and will view displays of the Centre for Athletics, Recreation and Special Abilities, which opens next spring. The earl will be at Government House to present youths with the Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award. These events are not open to the public.
