A RESPITE holiday home in North Waltham got a royal seal of approval.

Sophie, The Countess of Wessex visited Sebastian’s Action Trust’s respite holiday house, The Bluebells, last Wednesday.

The 50-year-old, who is the wife of Prince Edward, The Queen's youngest son, was given a visit around the home by the founder of Sebastian’s Action Trust, Jane Gates OBE, and spoke to families who have seriously-ill children that use the facilities.

The Mayor and Mayoress of Basing-stoke and Deane, Councillor Roger Gardiner and wife Tricia, and North West Hampshire MP Sir George Young also toured the facility with the countess.

Following the tour, the countess, who has two children, unveiled a plaque in the leisure room of the home to mark her visit.

She praised families and staff at the charity, saying: “Thank you so much. It has been a lovely afternoon and I have enjoyed every single minute of it and what you do here is truly special and there are hundreds of families who really couldn’t do without you so please keep up the work.”

Before she left, families presented her with a special birthday cake to mark her 50th birthday on January 20.

Mrs Gates told The Gazette: “It was a lovely family orientated occasion and it was a huge deal for everybody to meet the countess who showed so much interest in the families and what Sebastian’s Action Trust is able to do to support families in need.

“She was completely charming, very natural, engaging and she was very keen to find out as much as possible during her visit. It was an honour for us all to meet her on our first royal visit.”

Mother-of-two Felicity Etherington, who lives in Bliss Close, Brighton Hill, met the countess during her visit.

Her four-year-old daughter Mabel was born with Williams Syndrome, a genetic syndrome which causes medical problems such as cardiovascular disease, development delays, and learning disabilities.

Felicity, 34, told The Gazette: “It has been an amazing and really lovely day. We had a cup of tea and cake with the countess and she was really lovely and chatty.

“It is absolutely brilliant here and we are so lucky to have this. It is for the whole family and they do events such as mum sleepovers, dad days and it is a really nice place to come to.”