The Earl and Countess of Wessex are visiting Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to mark the countries’ centenaries and celebrate their historic links with the UK. Today, TRHs started their 2-day visit to Estonia (on 7-8 October) in connection with Estonia’s centennial as well as the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the friendship between Estonia and the UK. The Earl and Countess of Wessex this morning departed from Farnborough Airport, Hampshire, for Estonia and were received upon arrival this afternoon at Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport by Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Estonia (Her Excellency Mrs Theresa Bubbear) and the Estonian Ambassador to London (Mrs Tiina Intelmann).
From airport in Tallinn , The Earl and Countess travelled to Presidential Palace in Kadriorg Park, where they were officially welcomed by Kersti Kaljulaid, Estonia’s President and her husband. “We appreciate in Estonia that the United Kingdom has been a friend and ally of Estonia for 100 years,” said President Kersti Kaljulaid today at the meeting with TRHs in her cabinet. Kersti Kaljulaid, was elected by Parliament on 3 October 2016, and on that day, she became the first woman and youngest person ever to hold that position. More from President, via her Facebook post. I have used google translator, but the text seems to be translated pretty accurate.
“Nowadays, the help of good friends and allies is as valuable as 100 years ago, and I am pleased that, thanks to the increased presence of NATO allies, the United Kingdom is still showing strong support for our independence. At the meeting, we also spoke about the close defense cooperation of the two countries, which began some hundred years ago, when the British navy and the air force provided decisive assistance to Estonia in the War of Independence.”
During the meeting “We discussed further topics, including Estonia’s experience in e-government and cyber security, and the development of cooperation in this field.” There was also exchange of the gifts, President: “Exchanged gifts more literally than usual – presented the Earl and Countess of Wessex with honey from the rose garden of the Office of the President and also received gifts of honey from the royal residences.”
Afterwards, The Earl and Countess of Werssex enjoyed a private tour of amazing Old Town of Tallinn with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia Sven Mikser. Tallinn’s Old Town is one of the best preserved medieval cities in Europe and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The origins of Tallinn date back to the 13th century, when a castle was built there by the crusading knights of the Teutonic Order.
It developed as a major centre of the Hanseatic League, and its wealth is demonstrated by the opulence of the public buildings (the churches in particular) and the domestic architecture of the merchants’ houses, which have survived to a remarkable degree despite the ravages of fire and war in the intervening centuries. The combination of the upper town on the high limestone hill and the lower town at its foot with many church spires forms an expressive skyline that is visible from a great distance both from land and sea.
The upper town (Toompea) with the castle and the cathedral has always been the administrative centre of the country, whereas the lower town preserves to a remarkable extent the medieval urban fabric of narrow winding streets, many of which retain their medieval names, and fine public and burgher buildings, including town wall, Town Hall, pharmacy, churches, monasteries, merchants’ and craftsmen’ guilds, and the domestic architecture of the merchants’ houses, which have survived to a remarkable degree. The distribution of building plots survives virtually intact from the 13th-14th centuries.
In the Church of the Holy Spirit, Their Royal Highnesses were shown a commemorative plaque in honour of the 112 British Royal Navy & Royal Air Force Servicemen who lost their lives during the Estonian War of Independence.
In the evening, a dinner was hosted by British Ambassador Theresa Bubbear on the occasion of the visit by the Earl and Countess of Wessex, that was also attended by Foreign Minister Mikser.
For gallery of pictures and article about that portion of TRHs visit, please click here. More pictures can be found here. Video of TRHs visit is here.
Outfit & jewellery:
Coat by Catherine Walker, Sophie had it since 2006 or earlier.
Dior earrings & brooch.
UFO pearl bracelet.
Skagen Ladies’ Nicoline Refined Watch.
Clutch by Sophie Habsburg Design.
Suede pumps by Prada.
Afternoon outfit:
Millington wool-crepe coat by ROLAND MOURET in navy.
New, Ellisse sweater by Max Mara.
Some navy pants.
Tiffany earrings.
Necklace, but due to limited pics, not sure if it’s something new or old.
Some flat shoes.
HRH The Countess of Wessex 
I’m almost certain Sophie has had this coat for many years. Its very similar to one she was wearing in the documentary “Monarchy at Work” and that was in 2007.
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Molly you are right!! This helped with my memory. March 2006 Sophie & Edward welcomed President of Brasilia during State Visit & she wore the same exact coat.
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Congratulations for the new blog environment, and the coverage of this visit to Estonia !
HRH’s coat (coatdress ?) fits the bill perfectly, the cut and color are great.
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Congrats Anna on the new site ! ❤
Love the coat, but love the fact that Sophie has had it for over ten years ! Sure she wore it one Christmas, but can’t remember what year that was. Looking forward to the rest of the tour. Busy time for the Wessex’s ! France last week and now Estonia. Hope we seem them at the up and coming Dutch State visit.
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