(CNS): Prince Edward and his wife, Sophie, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, will be visiting the Cayman Islands later this month for a two-night stay as part of a regional trip. The prince will spend time on Little Cayman in celebration of the 20th anniversary of his patronage of the Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) and will launch its Coral Fund. Premier Wayne Panton will host a lunch for the prince on Little Cayman to discuss climate change and sustainability.

King Charles III’s youngest brother and thirteenth in line to the throne will later spend time with the Cayman Islands Coast Guard, inspect a guard of honour from the Cayman Islands Cadet Corps and see the Cayman Islands Regiment demonstrate their disaster resilience response.

Meanwhile, the countess, who is the Global Ambassador of 100 Women in Finance, will support their causes during the visit. She will also formally open the Agricultural Show on Ash Wednesday, 22 February, by ringing the cowbell before taking a tour, accompanied by the premier.

She will also visit the YMCA Field of Dreams in George Town to meet children attending the mid-term break camp. The couple will be meeting with Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awardees before departing on the next leg of their trip.

Governor Martyn Roper, who will host an invitation-only reception for the couple on their arrival, said that they were “visiting the Cayman Islands not only to support two excellent charities that enjoy their patronage, but to also spend time meeting our community.”

He said that the Agricultural Show would be an opportunity for the countess “to talk to people from different districts and learn more about Caymanian culture”. Saying he was pleased that Prince Edward was visiting Little Cayman as well as Grand Cayman, he added, “I know the real affection that Caymanians feel towards the Royal Family and the visit is an opportunity to celebrate our links with the UK and showcase what our islands have to offer.”

The governor, who will be leaving Cayman next month, said his time began with a royal visit by King Charles, then Prince of Wales, and he looked forward to the visit from his brother.

Noting that this year marks the 54th Cayman Islands Agricultural Show, Panton said that Cayman was “honoured” that the countess “is interested in learning about Caymanian agriculture and our youth development initiatives” and thanked the prince “for supporting CCMI and his openness to hearing about our climate resiliency framework”. The premier said he was confident the visit would “be forever cherished and fondly remembered”.

This will be Prince Edward’s sixth visit to Cayman. The last time was in 2016, when he and the countess, who was paying her first visit, attended an event at the CCMI.