Her Royal Highness, The Countess of Wessex joined selected guests to hear the announcement at a special event held at St James's Palace.
As Global Ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, Her Royal Highness has visited several Orbis programmes in recent years, including a visit to the Flying Eye Hospital in Bangladesh in 2017. She has also travelled to Qatar on a number of occasions to discuss issues affecting global eye health and what can be done to support people struggling with vision loss.
Her Royal Highness also joined by His Excellency Sheikh Thani Al Thani, who attended on behalf of the Emir of the State of Qatar and the Qatar Fund for Development.