If she was aiming to charm and disarm, then the Countess of Wessex was bang on target during her visit to the 5th Battalion The Rifles’ military base at Bulford in Wiltshire. As Royal Colonel of the regiment since 2007, Sophie has been a regular visitor, both in the UK and at its previous base in Paderborn, Germany.
The reason for her visit last week was to officially open the new officers’ mess. After being greeted with a royal salute from six buglers, the Countess was welcomed by commanding officer Lt Colonel Mark Wilson, to whom she then remarked on the convenience of the new location, exclaiming: “And it’s only an hour [from her home in Surrey].”