THE KING AND QUEEN WILL HOST A RECEPTION AT WINDSOR CASTLE TO CELEBRATE THE WORK OF SHAKESPEARE IN THE 400TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR OF THE FIRST FOLIO
Tuesday 18th July 2023
The King and Queen, accompanied by the Duchess of Edinburgh and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, will host a reception in the state rooms at Windsor Castle to celebrate the work of William Shakespeare, on the 400th anniversary of the publication of the first Shakespeare Folio.
As Prince of Wales, His Majesty became President of the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1991.
The First Folio, published in 1623, contains 36 plays, 18 of which would have been lost without its publication. A copy of the First Folio is held in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle and will be on display during the reception.
On arrival in the Waterloo Chamber, Their Majesties, with the Duchess of Edinburgh and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, will take their seats for a short performance given by actors and musicians from the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). The focus of the performance will be The World’s Volume: A Celebration of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s First Folio.
Actors including Dame Harriet Walter, Sir Simon Russell Beale, and Ray Fearon will perform extracts from the plays that would have been lost including Macbeth, Julius Caesar, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, Antony & Cleopatra, and The Tempest.
After the performance, Their Majesties and Their Royal Highnesses will meet the actors and musicians in the Grand Reception Room, as well as other members of the Royal Shakespeare Company including new co-artistic directors Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey.
Their Majesties and Their Royal Highnesses will then join a larger reception in St George’s Hall.
