Countess of Wessex Attends Funeral of Zambian President

As Queen Elizabeth II’s representative, the Countess of Wessex was present today at the state funeral of the late President of Zambia, His Excellency Michael Sata.

The Countess arrived in Lusaka yesterday, three hours behind schedule due to a flight delay. She was greeted at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport by Britain’s High Commissioner to Zambia, Mr James Thornton, and the Zambian Community Development, Mother and Child Health Minister, Ms Emerine Kabanshi.

Sophie visited State House where the late President’s body lay in state, where she was able to pay her respects and meet President Sata’s wife, Dr Christine Kaseba-Sata, and other members of the Sata family and Presidential staff.

This morning, a requiem mass was held at the National Heroes Stadium, which was at full capacity as Zambians gathered to farewell their leader. First Lady Sata delivered a short eulogy, while his son Gerald sang Dance With My Father. The Countess of Wessex was one of the several foreign dignitaries who attended the funeral, others were President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and his wife Grace, and President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya.

President Sata, who was born in 1937, died on October 28 while in London for medical treatment. He was the Zambia’s fifth President, taking office on September 23, 2011. He was buried following the funeral at Embassy Park.

Filed under The United Kingdom
Tagged Funeral, President Sata of Zambia, The Countess of Wessex, Zambia.