The Countess of Wessex kicked off her tour of India with The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust as she visited a number of hospitals in Hyderabad. This trip marks Sophie's last international tour as Vice Patron of the trust, as the time-limited charity's projects are due to wrap up early next year.
Throughout her tour, the Countess will visit hospitals in Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi between Monday 29 April and Friday 3 May. As she travels across the country, Sophie will see first-hand the work that the trust has supported in preventing premature babies from losing their sight due to Retinopathy of Prematurity, an entirely avoidable form of blindness in newborn and the leading cause of childhood blindness worldwide.
A long-time supporter of the trust, the cause is one particularly close to Sophie's heart, as her 15-year-old daughter with Prince Edward, Lady Louise, was born prematurely and with a severe squint. Over the years, Sophie has supported a number of blindness prevention charities and is a global ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness.
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