Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh has steadily become one of the hardest working members of the Royal Family, taking on new responsibilities all the time. This week, the Duchess confirmed yet another role, and demonstrated some impressive skills as she marked the brand new patronage in Herfordshire.
On Monday (10 August), Sophie visited The Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead to announce that she was now royal patron of the Armed Forces Para-Snowsport Team (AFPST). Never one to shy away from getting stuck in, Sophie donned a set of skis and took to the indoor slopes herself. The Duchess was snapped whizzing across the snow wearing white salopettes, a blue ski jacket and a helmet - complete with panda ski goggles.
Sophie was clearly no beginner as she demonstrated her impressive snow skills and, while at the centre, she also got involved with other activities including laser shooting. The AFPST describes itself as 'an independent charity that uses the restorative and transforming power of para-snowsport to accelerate and support the recovery and welfare of our wounded, injured and sick serving military personnel and veterans.'
The organisation's chief operation officer, Elizabeth Winfield said that having the Duchess' official support 'marks a defining moment in AFPST’s journey,' which 'strengthens our ability to grow, to reach more veterans and to deliver the life changing programmes that sit at the heart of our charity,' according to the Independent.
Next year, APFST will undertake an Artic expedition which will involve amputee veterens crossing the Norwegian Vidda plateau. Elizabeth described the project as 'vital' and said that Sophie's patronage helps to bring 'visibility to [participants'] resilience and achievements.'
Back in February, Sophie joined the APFST team in the real snow of Meribel, France, for the UK Armed Forces Winter Sports competition. Sophie cheered on the races before joining the team for lunch.
The Royal Family shared photographs of Sophie's most recent visit to the official Instagram account, showing The Duchess grinning as she made her way across the artificial snow, as well as chatting with APFST members. Given the extreme heat this week, a caption joked that the Duchess' outing was certainly 'one way to cool down in a heatwave'.
