There were probably a few people who questioned how much value the visit of the Earl of Wessex could bring to the Island.

The answer, now that the visit is over, is plenty.

To be sure, there is little that Prince Edward can do in practical terms, either to end the grief of the families of the victims of Hurricane Fabian, or to speed up the Island's recovery form the storm.

But the fact that he added the visit on to the end of his Caribbean trip and that he specifically sought to meet the families of the victims of the storm will have done something to bring about closure for them.

To the degree that the Royal Family has influence, it will give the families the knowledge that someone in London knows of their plight.

More broadly, the Earl's visit gives greater importance and knowledge in the UK and elsewhere of the tremendous damage that hurricanes can cause a small Island and how well it can recover.

The Earl's visit is also a reminder of the human face of Royalty.

Too often, the Royal Family seems remote and distant, and most people's knowledge of it comes through formal state occasions or reports in the tabloid newspapers of their latest mistakes.

They live their lives in the glare of publicity, but it is rare for ordinary people to see and meet them face to face.

That changed with the visit of Prince Edward, who took a genuine interest in the experiences of Bermudians who had lived through the storm. Described as ashen-faced after meeting the families of the victims of Hurricane Fabian, it is obvious that Prince Edward is a man with real feelings and a genuine empathy for those who have so tragically had their loved one taken away from them.

Then too, it was also possible to see a down to earth human being with a genuine interest in young people. During his Caribbean visit, Prince Edward also spent a good deal of time focusing on AIDS and it is to be hoped that he will do more to raise awareness about the disease which continues to afflict millions of people around the world.

But it is the families of the four people lost in Fabian, coping with their own loss, who will benefit most from the visit.

Monica Pacheco, the widow of Manuel Pacheco, said: "He was very understanding and down to earth. This isn't a meeting that we had asked for, but, yes, it was nice. He seemed to be very interested in what had happened and how we were coping."

The families now know that a member of the Royal Family knows of their plight and will not forget them.