The Earl and Countess of Wessex attended an annual Garden Party at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland

Today, The Earl and Countess of Wessex travelled to Northern Ireland, Hillsborough - village situated 19 km from the city of Belfast to attend an annual Garden Party at Hillsborough Castle.

via The Northern Ireland Office Twitter feed

This visit was kept very hush-hush, it wasn't shared in advance, the news broke on Twitter when the office of Northern Ireland shared a pic of TRH's welcomed by MP Ben Wallace.

© Harrison Photography, Belfast; courtesy of The Northern Ireland Office.

TRH's were Guests of Honour at the annual Garden Party given by The Rt Hon Theresa Villiers MP, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, who was unable to attend due to political crisis at Stormont House.

© Harrison Photography, Belfast; courtesy of The Northern Ireland Office.

During the event, The Earl and Countess of Wessex performed the official switch on of a new fountain in the grounds of Hillsborough Castle. As you can see Sophie used sort of mechanical device that reminds me of car keys :)

© Harrison Photography, Belfast; courtesy of The Northern Ireland Office.

At an annual Garden Party, there is usually a senior Royal representative, in 2012 it was The Duke of York, in 2013 The Earl of Wessex and last year, during historic visit it was HM The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh. You can view pictures of this visit by clicking here.

© Harrison Photography, Belfast; courtesy of The Northern Ireland Office.

More than 2,000 people were invited to the party in recognition of work with charities or within their communities. TRH's spoke to some of invited guests. The Countess talked to Valerie Farrimond and Jane Maxwell, from Bushmills, who were chosen because of the work they do in their community. Miss Valerie said "We talked to her about the whiskey and salmon festival that's on next weekend. She said she could forgo the whiskey but she loves salmon. I'm so honoured to be here today. She's such a nice person. She's very down to earth."

© Harrison Photography, Belfast; courtesy of The Northern Ireland Office.

The Garden Party is held annually at Hillsborough Castle - the official residence of the Royal Family when they are in Northern Ireland & residence for the Secretary of State since the 1970s.

© Harrison Photography, Belfast; courtesy of The Northern Ireland Office.

It is not a true castle but a Georgian country house built in the 18th century for the Hill family, Marquesses of Downshire, who owned it until 1922 when the 6th Marquess sold the mansion and its grounds to the British government. The House is a large two-storey late Georgian mansion, and the State Rooms on the ground floor are open to the public.

© Harrison Photography, Belfast; courtesy of The Northern Ireland Office.

Since April 2014, it has been managed by Historic Royal Palaces with aim to increase public access, improve the visitor experience and open up the estate for the benefit of the whole community, while securing a sustainable financial future.

© Harrison Photography, Belfast; courtesy of The Northern Ireland Office.

Prior to farewells TRH's Earl & Countess signed the Hillsborough Castle visitors’ book. Belfast Telegraph did an article, you can read it by clicking here.

Outfit & jewellery:
New Issa, Bay Knitted Dress with matching Mills Knitted Cardigan in rose pink.
Brooch with matching earrings by Dior from 2015 cruise collection. Part of Mise en Dior collection. Not available online.
LK Bennett Maddox wedges in pink.
Clutch by Sophie Habsburg Design in Ginny Style in new colour.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex attended an annual Garden Party at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland 2015-09-14T12:41:00-07:00 Rating: 4.5 Diposkan Oleh: sho fia