The Countess of Wessex is scheduled to come to Zambia next week to represent Queen Elizabeth II at President Michael Sata’s state funeral.
Sophie Rhys-Jones, who is the wife of the Queen’s youngest son, will be in the country from 10th to 11th November 2014.
According to a statement made available to ZANIS yesterday by the British High Commission in Lusaka, the Countess of Wessex acts in support of the Queen and of her husband in his roles.
And the British government has expressed sadness at the death of President Sata.
British High Commissioner James Thornton said he was however pleased that a leading member of the royal family will represent the Queen at the state funeral.
Mr. Thornton said the British government will be represented by a senior minister, Lord Popat of Harrow, who will also pay his last respects to the late President Sata.
Mr. Popat is also government’s spokesperson in the House of Lords for the department of business, skills and innovation and the transport department.
He represented the Queen at the sendoff for the late President Sata at the Royal suite at Heathrow Airport on October 31.
President Sata died on Tuesday last week in London where he was receiving medical treatment and will be put to rest on November 11, 2014 at the Embassy Park in Lusaka.
Sata’s body was not seen of through the Royal Suite at Heathrow airport. That was considered as Cargo so was done through Cargo loading bay and maybe considered VIP Cargo.
Just imagine bringing dead cargo in a cargo coffin through the Airport to the Royal Suite. Even the plane chartered to bring back the Cargo did not fly from Heathrow but a from a military airbase so how was he seen off from the Royal suite? Is the writer trying to create any more importance on Sata than the important status he already had as president?
Really simple mind!
Mr sata was a great man and no one can take away any thing from him. His greatness can be seen country wide. saying bad things about this man is more like lighting a candle in a house full of blind men
@KANDOLO ULICIPUBA SANA. WENDOSHI WEE
@kondolo,
Please have your brain checked.
KANDOLO napamushi wafuma tapalubika you are Great wizard which u inherited from your Grand mother and not father. Chipubawe Chimbwi.
Reward for his whistle blowing on the natives during his time in the british colonial era.
The Queen sends the most junior of all members of the royal family, not even her blood relative like Prince Edward himself. Wow! Sophie is not seen even in England.
kondolo I think you are a bit behind, there is nothing special flying out of Heathrow, most people actually prefer to fly from smaller airports in the uk. For your information airforce one does not fly into Heathrow, instead they use stanstead airport. So I don’t see your reasoning of saying Satas body did not fly out of Heathrow. It was actually. South Africa uses a a military airport for most of their VIPs. So Mr u not special when u fly from KK international than the guy flying from city airport.
Kondolo is living in fools paradise because he does not know that VIPs do not usually use Heathrow Airport. This a guy who is living with no papers hinding behind the keyboard vomiting his frustrations under the influence being trapped in the under world of fools
What a great man this man was! I wish he had finished two terms. Zambia would not have been the same. I hope someone in the party picked up his vision to build Zambia – roads, bridges, schools, infrastructure. God bless his family! Stay strong Dr. Kaseba, simple humble, I remember you as a student working in your dept at UTH. Peace to Mother Zambia.