Royals end brief visit with award presentation
Kanza Bodden shakes Prince Edward’s hand after he and Krysten Martin (centre) of Sunrise Adult Training Centre presented him with a Caymanite sculpture. Also pictured are (L-R) Kathy Jackson and the Countess of Wessex
(CNS): Among the highlights of the whirlwind visit of Prince Edward and his wife, Sophie, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, was their attendance at the presentation of the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Certificate at Government House Monday, 7 March. They met students and community members involved in the local branch of the awards and the prince presented the gold certificate to Lashonda Powell.
A trustee of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation, Prince Edward earlier attended a lunch at Government House hosted by Governor Helen Kilpatrick. Guests included past award recipients, financial sponsors, past and present board members, and government officials.
The Earl and Countess of Wessex flank Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award recipient Lashonda Powell
Then, at the award presentation, students of the Sunrise Adult Training Centre signed and sang the National Song.
Kathy Jackson, chair of the Cayman Islands National Award Authority, spoke about the Duke of Edinburgh programme and introduced Powell, Cayman’s latest gold-award recipient.
Prince Edward presented the certificate and addressed the participants, lauding all in the scheme, urging them to go for more golds and challenging them to bring in more of their peers to the youth-development programme which operates in 140 countries of the world.
Two clients of the Sunrise Adult Training Centre, Kanza Rose Bodden and Krysten Martin, presented the royal couple with a Caymanite book-shaped sculpture, created by local sculptor Horacio Esteban and engraved with the Duke of Edinburgh programme logo.
Before taking part in the presentation, the countess attended a reception and lunch at the National Gallery hosted by the philanthropic group, 100 Women in Hedge Funds (100 WHF). The Countess is a global ambassador for the 100 WHF Next Generation initiatives, which advocate for increased diversity in the financial-services industry.
She told those gathered, “I hope that every young woman that comes into the financial-services industry here is going to take full advantage of what you have to offer; of what we have to offer to our next generations.”
The countess then joined her husband at Government House, where she took time to meet some of the young people who greeted her.
After arriving in Grand Cayman Sunday, 6 March, the couple travelled to Little Cayman where they spent the day. They left Cayman 7 March.
The Countess of Wessex chats with Grace Christian Academy students who were invited to attend the award presentation
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