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sophie wessex volunteers birthday© Daniel Lewis/St John Ambulance

The Countess of Wessex steps out to volunteer on her birthday - and she got the sweetest surprise

Sophie turned 57 on Thursday

Danielle Stacey
Online Royal CorrespondentLondon
January 20, 2022
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The Countess of Wessex stepped out to volunteer at a vaccination centre on Thursday – which also marked her 57th birthday.

Sophie became Grand President of St John Ambulance in 2004 and last year she completed training to become a Care Volunteer in support of the NHS Vaccination programme.

In photos released by Buckingham Palace, the Countess could be seen working with fellow volunteers to greet patients, taking their details and looking after their wellbeing while they had their vaccinations

RELATED: The Queen celebrates the Countess of Wessex's birthday with sweet photograph

WATCH: The Countess of Wessex: Everything you need to know about Sophie

At the end of the shift, the royal mum-of-two was presented with a pin badge, which is given to all St John Ambulance personnel to thank them for their support with the vaccination programme, as well as bouquet of flowers to mark her birthday.

In 2020, Sophie visited the charity's Operational Support Hub in Gosport where she joined volunteers organising new deliveries and packing PPE shipments for ambulance crews, specialist cleaners, hospital staff and first aiders.

sophie wessex volunteers© Daniel Lewis/St John Ambulance

The Countess volunteered with St John Ambulance on her birthday

And back in September, the Countess was honoured for her service to St John Ambulance in a special ceremony where she was presented with a Bar to the Service Medal to celebrate 15 years working with the organisation.

MORE: 9 photos which prove the Countess of Wessex's close bond with her mother-in-law the Queen

MORE: 15 times the Countess of Wessex has wowed in a tiara

sophie wessex volunteers flowers© Photo: Twitter

Sophie was given a bouquet of flowers on her birthday

Sophie married the Queen's youngest son, Prince Edward, in Windsor in June 1999 and the couple share two children, Lady Louise Windsor, 18, and James, Viscount Severn, 14.

The monarch, 95, shared a touching birthday message for her daughter-in-law on the royal family's official social media accounts on Thursday, writing: "Wishing The Countess of Wessex a very Happy Birthday today!"

An accompanying photograph showed Sophie cuddling a puppy during a visit to the Guide Dogs National Centre in Leamington Spa last year. 

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