normally only enjoyed by The Queen.

Although the Lord High Commissioner has no formal role in proceedings at the assembly, he attends as The Queen’s representative – he will not be able to vote as part of the meetings.

Many members of the Royal Family have acted as Lord High Commissioner at one stage or another during The Queen’s reign. Her Majesty herself personally attended in 2002 as well as in 1969 and from her own family has been represented by Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Princess Anne and the Duke of Gloucester.

The Queen made the appointment in December and the notice appeared in the London Gazette today. This is the first time the Earl of Wessex has represented Her Majesty.PHOTOS: The Sad Phenomenon Of Birds Feeding On Plastic They Mistake For Food

Photographer Chris Jordan took pictures of dead albatrosses on the Midway Atoll, a remote cluster of islands more than 2000 miles from the nearest continent.

The photos reveal a gruesome reality -- the insides of the decaying birds were filled with plastic trash. Despite being on an island far from industrial areas, the albatrosses are finding plastic bits floating in the Pacific Ocean which they eat and feed to their chicks.