Sophie heads to Canada for celebration for patronage but there’s no luck for the Duchess in UNO

The Duchess of Edinburgh is currently in Canada for a four day visit, another important overseas trip for Sophie and another sign of the important role she now has in the Royal Family.

The trip began in Calgary with the Duchess met at the airport by the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, Salma Lakhani.

Her first engagement was a dinner at the Fairmont Palliser, which calls itself Calgary’s Castle, and Sophie chose a navy midi-dress with delicate, white floral embroidery from Erdem for the evening. 

The trip is centred around her role as Patron of Spruce Meadows, an equestrian show jumping complex that hosts several competitions and events each year. Sophie took part in the Changing Fortunes Conference as her trip continued.

Then it was on to a lunch organised by Spruce Meadows for one of its charitable arms, the Leg Up Foundation. Spruce Meadows is a centre of excellence in equestrian sports. It is also known for its charitable works and community initiatives which include noted support for amateur sport.

Sophie was at Spruce Meadows for the Masters tournament as the trip continued, The event is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. 

While the Duchess enjoys equestrian events, much of her time is being spent with community members. 

She has visited the Horizons Art Pavillion to meet with local artists, including Indigenous artist Neepin Auger. The Calgary Herald shared Auger’s gratitude for the visit, ‘I’m so grateful that she chose to stop here and that I was able to share some Cree culture with her.’

And ever the parent, Sophie rolled up her sleeves to play a round of UNO with local pre-teens during a visit to  Youth Centres of Calgary in Ogden. The community centre is supported by Spruce Meadows Leg Up Foundation. 

Even though she wasn’t able to snag a victory in UNO, she then took to the basketball courts to shoot around. 

The Duchess of Edinburgh became Royal Patron of Spring Meadows in April this year.