The Countess of Wessex and her daughter, Lady Louise Windsor, attended the final of the Hockey Women’s World Cup in London on Sunday afternoon.
Their Royal Highnesses saw Ireland take a battering against defending champions The Netherlands who won match 6-0.
Ireland started the tournament as the lowest ranked team, so to make the World Cup final is no small achievement. But in the end, they were no match for the Dutch who claimed their 8th title.
The Countess of Wessex has a great interest in the sport and is the patron of England Hockey.
Sophie and Lady Louise met some of the England Hockey players at the event, as well as the and volunteer “Hockey Makers” who play a crucial role in the smooth running of the tournament.
Earlier this week she hosted a lunch at St James’s Palace to celebrate the Women’s Hockey World Cup, which took place in London.
Guests who attended the event at St James’s Palace on Monday afternoon included Dame Katherine Grainger and England Hockey’s chief executive, Sally Munday.
The Countess of Wessex became Royal Patron of England Hockey in 2006 and has made frequent visits to support and encourage the organisation in the years since.
The England women’s hockey team has had huge success in recent years. In 2015, the women’s team won gold at the Unibet EuroHockey Championship gold in London. This win was followed in 2016 by Olympic gold at the 2016 games in Rio in front of a worldwide audience of almost 10 million people.
However, it was a different picture at the 2018 World Cup, with the team dropping out of the tournament in the quarter-final stage.
The Countess of Wessex is patron of more than 70 charities and organisations altogether. These include The Girl Guides, The Central School of Ballet, The National Autistic Society and Wessex Youth Trust.
