Earl of Wessex gives church reading on calmer day after Caribbean protests

The Earl and Countess of Wessex attended a church service on a calmer day for the couple after experiencing protests earlier in the tour.

Edward gave a reading from the Apostles chapter of the Bible during a lengthy service at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Saint Lucia on Sunday, which was held to mark the Queen’s platinum jubilee.

Sophie, wearing a spotted dress, sat with her husband at the front of the church and they joined in with all hymns and prayers.

Both were warmly welcomed by all who attended.

The two engagements carried out by the couple avoided crowds, with the small service beginning their day, followed by a visit to a monument dedicated to Nobel Laureate Sir William Arthur Lewis.

The third day of their Caribbean tour was a quiet day, following a protest from a group of around 15 demonstrators who displayed placards during their visit to St Vincent and the Grenadines on Saturday.

Banners on show included “end to colonialism”, “#CompensationNow”, “down with neo-colonialism” and “Britain your debt is outstanding”.

Edward and Sophie are due to travel to Antigua and Barbuda on Monday, where an organisation has already warned the pair to avoid “phoney sanctimony” over slavery.