INTERVIEW

Can Sophie, Countess of Wessex, steady the royal ship?

Andrew is out. Megxit has happened. Can Sophie Wessex get the royals back on track? Christina Lamb joins her on a mission to South Sudan

The Countess of Wessex is presented with a necklace on a visit to a United Nations camp in Malakal
The Countess of Wessex is presented with a necklace on a visit to a United Nations camp in Malakal
NOCHOLE SOBEKI FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES MAGAZINE
The Sunday Times

On Tuesday, March 3, the Court Circular, published in The Times every day, started pretty much as it has since 1803, when George III, frustrated by inaccurate royal reporting, appointed a “court newsman” to inform newspapers about royal engagements.

The Queen held an Investiture at Buckingham Palace this morning.

The Prince of Wales, President, this morning visited the Royal College of Music.

Anyone reading to the end might have done a double-take. The Countess of Wessex arrived at Juba International Airport, South Sudan.

The world’s newest nation, South Sudan, is also one of its most dangerous. Over the past six years about 400,000 people have been killed in the civil war and more than four million have fled their homes. The International SOS website classifies