The Duchess of Edinburgh took the time to open a new community hub in Hampshire this week.Sophie visited Brendoncare Knightwood in Chandler’s Ford to open the Knightwood Community Hub.
The duchess, who is a patron of Brendoncare, also planted a magnolia tree to mark the occasion.Michael Cruthley, the chief executive of Brendoncare, spoke on the visit, saying: “We were delighted to welcome The Duchess on such a happy occasion.
The Duchess of Edinburgh attended Brendoncare Knightwood earlier this week | GETTY
“We are thrilled she continues to take such a keen interest in our activities across our network of community clubs in Hampshire, and our seven care homes.”During the visit, Sophie met with members of the club as well as staff and volunteers.She also tried her hand at kurling, one of the most popular activities that takes place at the venue.
She spoke with residents from the Knightwood Court care home and Knightwood Mews extra care housing development.Sophie met with longtime resident Brendoncare Knightwood, Derek Ball, who has lived there since 2006. Mr Ball also took part in the laying of the stone work in 2005, which the Duchess also attended.The outing came just a few days after she appeared in public, just hours after Prince Edward was questioned in Dubai about the latest Jeffrey Epstein files.
The Duchess of Edinburgh helped lay the stone for the foundations back in 2005 | GETTY
Sophie joined the King and Queen at St James’s Palace to recognise the work of local and regional Government employees across the United Kingdom.Their Majesties hosted a reception at the Palace for around 350 guests from local authorities across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.Sophie, 61, was joined by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester as part of the Royal Family presence for the event.
The reception was held to mark the contribution of local Government to communities throughout the UK, with invited guests representing a wide range of roles.Attendees included social workers and leaders working on Violence Against Women and Girls, as well as head teachers, public health workers and disability services coordinators.Prince Edward did not attend the reception because he was in Dubai for the World Governments Summit.While there, he was asked about the newly released tranche of US Department of Justice material connected to Jeffrey Epstein.
The Duke of Edinburgh was questioned about his brother during an event in Dubai | GETTY
In his response, the Duke of Edinburgh did not address the substance of the allegations against his brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.However, he stressed the importance of focusing on those harmed by Epstein, saying it was “really important always to remember the victims” and adding there were “a lot of victims”.The comments were made during an exchange filmed at the summit.