Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, gamely participated in a Q & A with some of the students of The Orpheus Centre in a Zoom chat. The specialist college, which houses young adults with disability, is one of the royal's patronage and since he couldn't visit the Surrey site, due to the coronavirus lockdown, Prince Edward had a virtual call with the students on Zoom.
They prepared questions for the Earl of Wessex and one of kids asked if Prince Edward's family has any pets at home to help them cope with the isolation. The royal has not been one to talk about his private life in public but, this time, he indulged the kids and said that they do have two dogs. Prince Edward also said that they have pet tortoise and he joked that it "basically runs the house!"
Another student asked Prince Edward about his upcoming wedding anniversary with Sophie, the Countess of Wessex. The couple will be marking their 21 years of marriage and two kids, Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn, and will likely be spending this in lockdown since the U.K. has not yet eased down on social gatherings.
Prince Edward also made a quip about his kids, who are both in their teens. When one of the children asked if the royal family likes to watch wrestling, the earl said that he hasn't seen a lot of wrestling much except with his kids.
The children also performed some songs for the Earl of Wessex and he applauded them for their excellent talent. The heartwarming call ended with the royal thanking the children and the staff for this special experience, albeit virtually.
According to The Times, Prince Edward and his wife has been holding the Windsor ship steady amid the exit of Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and the resignation of Prince Andrew because of his sex scandal. The Wessexes have been working and representing the Queen in the quiet and have been stepping up more during this period when Queen Elizabeth can't attend to her royal roles to protect her against the coronavirus.
Prince Edward and Sophie has been increasingly seen in the royal spotlight in recent months. But the Earl of Wessex used to complain about the pressures of being in public service.
He said that anyone in the public eye has little escape but for the royal family, there is no escape at all because they are always under intense scrutiny. In his bachelor years, Prince Edward had encounters with the media which has been pressing him on his wedding to Sophie. His grandmother was reportedly dismayed by Prince Edward's attitude towards the press at that time as she didn't want the royal family to be a laughing stock.
