There's no doubt that an official royal tour takes a lot of fashion planning, whether it's the Duchess of Cambridge with her diplomatic outfits or the Duchess of Sussex with her favourite fashion-forward looks. But the Countess of Wessex, who always looks lovely in her elegant outfits, seems to take a laidback approach - since she was spotted on arrival during her recent visit to South Sudan carrying her own garment bag, ready to get changed and start her schedule of engagements. The carrier is from Swiss boutique Gross Couture, which stocks a number of designers including Safiyaa, Giambattista Valli and Roland Mouret.
Scroll down to see the picture of Sophie's arrival in South Sudan
Sophie was in fact pictured being tested for the coronavirus on arrival, with the Queen's ambassador to South Sudan Chris Trott writing on Twitter: "Very pleased to welcome HRH The Countess of Wessex to South Sudan today, to support Women’s participation and efforts to prevent and address gender-based violence. Like everyone else her first meeting was with a thermometer!"
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The royal packed a chic hot weather wardrobe for the trip, including her favourite Ray-Ban sunglasses and a number of pretty loose dresses and tops. It's thought that Sophie doesn't have her own stylist, and is known to love clothes - even buying pieces for the Queen and the Duchess of Cambridge!
Shirt designer Emma Willis told the Daily Mail: "I've made many, many clothes for the Countess of Wessex – when I used to do a full women's collection. She bought a shirt for her husband, Prince Edward, once. And she also bought a shirt for her mother-in-law, so I've made a shirt for the Queen!"
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Upon leaving South Sudan, Sophie also showed off her casual choices for her plane journey home - looking laid-back in a T-shirt, trousers and flat shoes. She returned home to another packed schedule, attended the Commonwealth Day service with the royal family on Monday and events with husband Prince Edward on Tuesday - though on Wednesday, she was forced to cancel a set of engagements due to illness.
