The Queen, Colonel-in-Chief, Accompanied by The Duke of York,
Deputy Colonel-in-Chief, COLONEL-IN-CHIEF,
Will Present a Guidon to the Royal Lancers

St George’s Hall, Windsor Castle

Wednesday 5th April

Her Majesty The Queen, accompanied by His Royal Highness The Duke of York, will present a Guidon to The Royal Lancers at Windsor Castle.

This ceremony will take place in St George’s Hall, where Her Majesty ‘will touch’ the new Guidon, thereby presenting it to the Regiment.

After this short ceremony, The Queen and The Duke of York will meet former Colonels of the Regiment, before taking part in an official photograph. Her Majesty and His Royal Highness will then meet members of the regimental family in the Grand Reception Room before departing the State Apartments.

A Guidon is a heraldic banner carried by cavalry regiments, the equivalent of the Colours borne by regiments of line infantry. Until about a century ago Guidons and Colours were taken into battle as the distinguishing symbols and rallying points for fighting units.

The Royal Lancers are 12 Armoured Infantry Brigade’s Armoured Cavalry Regiment based in Catterick, North Yorkshire. The Regiment was formed following the amalgamation of the 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales’s) and The Queen’s Royal Lancers on the 2nd May 2015. Both of these regiments have recent and extensive operational experience, most recently with the 9th/12th Lancers being the last cavalry regiment in Afghanistan and The Queen’s Royal Lancers the last regiment to operate the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) in Afghanistan. The Lancers’ distinctive cap-badge represents their Regimental Motto, ‘Death or Glory’.

The Queen and The Duke of York attended the amalgamation parade of The Queen’s Royal Lancers and 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales’s) at Richmond Castle, North Yorkshire, on 2nd May 2015.

To get all the latest royal news delivered straight to your door, why not subscribe to Royal Life Magazine today.

Service of Thanksgiving for Lord Snowdon

Friday 7th April 2017

Her Majesty The Queen, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh and Members of the Royal Family, will attend a Service of Thanksgiving for the life and work of The Right Honourable The 1st Earl of Snowdon, GCVO.

The service will take place at 11am on Friday 7th April in St Margaret’s Church, Westminster Abbey. The Service will be conducted by The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster.

To get all the latest Royal news delivered straight to your door, subscribe to Royal Life Magazine today.

The Duchess of Cambridge Will Attend the Opening Night of 42nd Street
in Aid of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospice

4th April 2017

The Duchess of Cambridge will attend the Opening Night of the musical 42nd Street at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in aid of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospice (EACH). Her Royal Highness will meet a selection of guests ahead of the performance. An EACH service user will also present Her Royal Highness with a 42nd Street programme. Once the performance has ended The Duchess will join the cast on stage for a group photograph.

Her Royal Highness became Royal Patron of EACH in January 2012 and has supported this organisation by attending a number of official engagements since that time. This charity supports families and cares for children and young people with life-threatening conditions. Their specialist services include nursing care, symptom management support, wellbeing activities, and therapy and counselling – all meeting the individual needs of the child or young person, and the whole family.

EACH has outgrown their hospice at Quidenham in Norfolk and is currently fundraising for a new purpose-built hospice, ‘The Nook’. The new building will help to provide more families with the same facilities as those offered by EACH hospices for Cambridgeshire, Essex and Suffolk. Her Royal Highness helped to launch the appeal in 2014 and in January visited Quidenham to meet with staff and families for an update on the appeal and plans for the new hospice. Michael Linnit and Michael Grade, together with The Global Group of Companies for Gate Ventures, are supporting the EACH Nook Appeal on the Opening Night of 42nd Street.

42nd Street is the quintessential backstage musical comedy classic and includes songs such as ‘We’re In The Money’, ‘Lullaby of Broadway’, ‘Dames’, ‘I Only Have Eyes For You’, and ‘42nd Street’. The musical has played to great global acclaim for almost 40 years and its popularity serves as a legacy to Gower Champion, the legendary director and choreographer of the original Tony Award-winning production. The new West End production will be directed by the show’s author and director Mark Bramble.

The Duke of Edinburgh will visit 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards at Lille Barracks

Thursday 30th March 2017

The Duke of Edinburgh, Colonel, Grenadier Guards, will visit 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards at Lille Barracks, Aldershot, on Thursday 30th March 2017.

The Grenadier Guards are an elite British Army infantry regiment. World renowned for their tunics and bearskins as well as their capability on operations, they are one of the oldest regiments in the Army with a proud history of service in times of war and peace – be it on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan or guarding the Royal palaces. The 1st Battalion consists of three Rifle companies, and Support Company which consists of an anti-tank platoon, a mortar platoon, a reconnaissance platoon and a sniper platoon.

The Duke of Edinburgh takes a lively interest in the Regiment’s activities. During the visit, HRH will receive a Battalion briefing and watch the final of an inter-company football competition, the Manchester Cup. HRH will meet soldiers in the Sergeants’ Mess and stay for lunch in the Officers’ Mess.

The Duke of Edinburgh has been Colonel of the Regiment since 1975. HRH has visited the Battalion on many occasions, including UK based exercises and on operations.

Throughout 2017, the 1st Battalion is on 48hrs notice to move as the Spearhead Battle Group for NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force. Known as the VJTF(L), this 14 nation Task Force is designed to enhance NATO’s responsiveness as agreed at the 2014 NATO Summit in Cardiff. If activated, the VJTF(L) will be able to move at short notice, following the warnings and indicators of potential threats, to act as a potential deterrent to further escalation. The UK is the lead nation for the delivery of the VJTF(L) throughout 2017.

1st Battalion Grenadier Guards has Latvian and Albanian Rifle Companies, as well as a Dutch Royal Marine Squadron under command for its VJTF(L) tasks. The Spearhead Battle Group is deliberately made up of light infantry and has a diverse multinational flavour in order to support rapid intervention into potential NATO theatres of operations. To achieve this 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards has trained extensively, deploying to Kenya in June and July, to Germany in September and to Latvia with its multinational Companies in October. The Battalion has greatly enjoyed developing these relationships and making this unprecedented level of interoperability work.

The Duchess of Cambridge Attends Launch of Maternal Mental Health Films Ahead of Mother’s Day with Best Beginnings and Heads Together

Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, London

Thursday 23rd March, 2017

The Duchess of Cambridge has attended the launch of a series of educational films created by Best Beginnings, a Charity Partner of the Heads Together campaign, to raise awareness of maternal mental health challenges and start conversations about the wellbeing of parents and their children.

The Duchess spoke about the importance of maternal mental health at the launch of the ‘Out of the Blue’ film series, which was attended by health campaigners, academics and professionals and tok place at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, just a few days before Mother’s Day.

As part of the Heads Together campaign, which she leads with The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry, The Duchess of Cambridge watched one of Best Beginnings films and heard a speech from their Chief Executive Alison Baum, before saying a few words and introducing Jessica and Jon, a couple who shared the conversation that helped them through post-natal depression.

The Duchess then joined a parent support group similar to those featured in the ‘Out of the Blue’ series, to talk with mums and dads about how becoming a parent affected their mental health and how open and honest conversations with family, friends or other trusted people helped them get through the tough times.

The event took place exactly one month before the Virgin Money 2017 London Marathon, for which Heads Together is the Official Charity of the Year and is hoping to make it a ‘mental health marathon’.

The ‘Out of the Blue’ film series was created by Best Beginnings to promote mental health for parents and their children. The series explores a range of mental health conditions from low mood and anxiety to more severe forms of depression through stories told by real mothers across the country. The films are also aimed to help fathers, and the wider circle of family and friends to better understand mental health issues and show how to support mothers more effectively. ‘Out of the Blue’ speaks to partners across the country to help them understand how to manage the lows and how to talk about their own mental health when facing the impact of the enormous life change of becoming parent for the first or subsequent times.

You can find out more by clicking here.

A speech by The Duchess of Cambridge at the Best Beginnings
“Out of the Blue” film series launch

Before I begin, I know you would all want to join me in sending our thoughts and prayers to all those sadly affected by yesterday’s terrible attack in Westminster.  We will be thinking of all the families, as we discuss the important issues we’re here to talk about.

I would like to thank Best Beginnings for inviting me here to introduce the ‘Out of The Blue’ series.  This collection of films highlights how vital it is to be open about our mental health especially in the early years of parenthood.

Personally, becoming a mother has been such a rewarding and wonderful experience.  However, at times it has also been a huge challenge- even for me who has support at home that most mothers do not.

Nothing can really prepare you for you the sheer overwhelming experience of what it means to become a mother.  It is full of complex emotions of joy, exhaustion, love, and worry, all mixed together.  Your fundamental identity changes overnight.  You go from thinking of yourself as primarily an individual, to suddenly being a mother, first and foremost.

And yet there is no rule book, no right or wrong – you just have to make it up and do the very best you can to care for your family.  For many mothers, myself included, this can, at times lead to lack of confidence and feelings of ignorance.

Sadly, for some mothers, this experience can be made so much harder due to challenges with their own mental health.  Two in ten women will suffer mental health issues that can occur during pregnancy and in the year after birth, often clouding their moments of joy with a real sense of darkness and isolation.  Many of these women also suffer in silence, overwhelmed by negative feelings, but also afraid to admit to the struggles they are facing due to the fear or shame of what others might think if they “aren’t coping”.

Some of this fear is about the pressure to be a perfect parent; pretending we’re all coping perfectly and loving every minute of it.  It’s right to talk about motherhood as a wonderful thing, but we also need to talk about its stresses and strains.  It’s ok not to find it easy.  Asking for help should not be seen as a sign of weakness.

If any of us caught a fever during pregnancy, we would seek advice and support from a doctor.  Getting help with our mental health is no different – our children need us to look after ourselves and get the support we need.

Conversations are crucial for mental wellbeing and they should be part of everyday family life.  Talking about a problem with a friend or another trusted person can be the beginning of getting better.

This week, as we look forward to Mother’s Day, I would love to see everyone celebrate and value the fundamental importance that mothers play in family life.

Mothers take on an overwhelming responsibility of caring for their families.  Their role is vital in providing unconditional love, care, and support at home, particularly in the early years of a child’s development. We therefore should do everything we can to support and value their hard work.

The work of Best Beginnings is vital.  By providing tools and resources to help parents establish their own confidence and their own self-awareness, Best Beginnings enables mothers and fathers to do the best they can for their families.

The Out of the Blue films you are about to see are also an amazing example to all parents, that starting conversations and asking for support is a real source of strength.  They have been created with real parents, talking honestly and openly about their own experiences of parenthood.

I am now delighted to introduce two brave parents who have contributed to the films, Jessica and John Warne.

Thank you.

Message to Acting Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service Craig Mackey

Thursday 23rd March

Following the shocking events in Westminster, Prince Philip and I are sorry that we will not be able to open the New Scotland Yard building as planned today, for very understandable reasons. I look forward to visiting at a later date. 

My thoughts, prayers, and deepest sympathy are with all those who have been affected by yesterday’s awful violence.

I know I speak for everyone in expressing my enduring thanks and admiration for the members of the Metropolitan Police Service and all who work so selflessly to help and protect others.

ELIZABETH R. 

Prince Harry Will Attend the Landmine Free World 2025 Reception
on International Mine Awareness Day

The Orangery, Kensington Palace

Tuesday 4th April

The world’s two leading landmine charities, Mines Advisory Group (MAG) and The HALO Trust, will hold a reception on International Mine Awareness Day in order to galvanise support for their goal of a world free of landmines by 2025. Prince Harry will attend the reception and make a keynote speech at the event. The International Development Secretary, Priti Patel, will also speak at the reception.

This year marks the twentieth anniversary since the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty in Ottawa was signed. Many of those involved in the landmark campaign of 1997 will attend this reception, along with other senior representatives of governments who support international mine action.

Prince Harry’s mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, was closely involved in the work that led to the signing of the landmark treaty; visiting Angola and Bosnia to raise awareness of the issue, and working behind-the-scenes to make the treaty a reality. In the year marking the twentieth anniversary of The Princess’ death, Prince Harry is pleased to have this moment to recognise the significant contribution his mother made in this field, the progress which has been made by MAG, HALO, the UK Government and other organisations, and the opportunity to continue raising awareness of making the world landmine-free by 2025.

Prince Harry has previously visited minefields in both Angola and Mozambique, meeting amputees, and witnessing the devastating impact landmines have on some of the poorest people in mine-affected communities.

In the last two decades nearly 30 countries have been declared mine-free; however the issue is still not confined to the past. More than 60 million people still live with the daily fear of unexploded munitions, and this joint call by MAG and The HALO Trust signals that action is still required to deliver on the promises made twenty years ago to eradicate landmines.

The Chief Executive of MAG, Jane Cocking, and The HALO Trust Chief Executive, James Cowan, will speak before introducing Prince Harry and Secretary of State for International Development, Priti Patel, who will both address guests at the reception.

For more information on MAG and The HALO Trust please visit: www.maginternational.org and www.halotrust.org.

Prince Harry Attends a Ceremony to Celebrate the Bicentenary of Relations Between the United Kingdom and Nepal

Embassy of Nepal

20th March 2017

Prince Harry has today attended a Ceremony at the Embassy of Nepal to mark the conclusion of celebrations for the bicentenary of bilateral relations between the United Kingdom and Nepal, by the Nepali calendar.

Prince Harry made a speech at the ceremony and unveiled a photograph of Gurka Victoria Cross recipients. His Royal Highness met with Gurkha families and watched Nepali cultural performances, including a traditional Khukuri dance by brigade of Gurkhas.

In December 1815, the Treaty of Segauli established formal relations between the United Kingdom and Nepal. It was ratified in March 1816, and superseded in 1923 by a treaty of “perpetual peace and friendship”. British Gurkha soldiers are a fully integrated part of the British Armed Forces and in March 2015, the United Kingdom and Nepal governments commemorated 200 years since the first Gurkhas were recruited into the British Army. Over 160,000 Gurkhas were enlisted in the Gurkha Brigade and other units of the Indian Army during the First and Second World Wars. British Gurkha servicemen from Nepal have won 13 Victoria Crosses, the highest British award for gallantry.

Prince Harry visited Nepal in March 2016 and travelled to Kathmandu, Bardia and the Pokhara area. During the tour, Prince Harry saw how the 2015 earthquake had affected the country during visits to Patan Durbar Square, the Golden Temple and a municipal camp for families displaced by the earthquake. Prince Harry also visited the Gurkha headquarters in Pokhara, Kanti Children’s Hospital and officially opened the Nepal Girl Summit that works to promote gender equality.

A speech delivered by Prince Harry at the Nepal Bicentennial Reception, London

Minister Joshi Thank you for the introduction. And thank you Ambassador Subedi for inviting me here to be with all of you today.

I am delighted to join you on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen, to bring to a close our year of joint celebrations, marking 200 years of friendship and cooperation between Nepal and the United Kingdom.

The Queen has asked me to pass on her best wishes to you all.

I had the pleasure of visiting Nepal exactly a year ago. I experienced first-hand the true meaning of Nepal’s slogan “I am in Nepal Now”.

The warmth of the welcome and hospitality from everyone I met, particularly from Mrs Mangali Tamang and her family, who I stayed with in Lorani, is something that I will never forget.

I will also never forget the views from Lorani across the Annapurna mountain range or the beautiful wildernesses of Bardia National Park.

The conservation efforts in Bardia are an example to the rest of the world of how the conservation battle can be won, through empowering communities to live and feed off the park – not from the park. Nepal is a truly captivating county and one which I hope more people will visit to experience for themselves.

My visit came almost a year after the devastating earthquake which had rocked the country and brought with it so much destruction.

I was very pleased to see how effective the disaster response measures, supported by the British Government and others, had been in getting support to those who needed it very quickly.

Reconstruction and building back more resiliently from such a disaster can take a long time. But I saw first-hand the unbreakable spirit and resilience of the Nepali people as they set about it – I hope you and they can continue to draw comfort from the fact the British people stand with you on that journey.

Another area in which our countries share a common aim is the commitment to empowering girls and young women to fulfil their potential.

I was delighted to have the opportunity of joining President Bhandari for the opening of the joint Girl’s Summit.

I have been encouraged to hear that so much has been done over the past year to raise awareness about child marriage and gender-based violence. I look forward to keeping up with Nepal’s progressive work to empower women and girls, the example you set is one that others will draw inspiration from.

During my time in Nepal, I was able to visit some of the communities from which the Gurkhas are drawn; I now better understand what has shaped the character of this extraordinary group of men, borne out of the values which the people of Nepal hold so dear.

Last week, I joined my Father in presenting operational service medals to officers and men from 2nd Battalion of the Royal Gurkha Rifles, some of whom are with us here today.

My father spoke of how important his 40 year association to the Gurkhas is to him. Even though my association hasn’t been quite as long, I also draw a great deal of pride and joy from my association with the Gurkhas.

Your courage, selfless dedication and professionalism are legendary; but your warmth and hospitality in welcoming me as a fellow soldier and friend means a great deal to me personally – even though certain people took great enjoyment from watching me sweat in freezing temperatures in Afghanistan while trying to get through a very spicy Goat Curry; some of you are probably here.

But you know, I am not alone in this admiration and gratitude. The Gurkha 200 Pageant was attended by Her Majesty The Queen; a mark of the high esteem with which the Gurkhas are held in this country.

This warmth was also demonstrated by the public fundraising campaign which followed the earthquake in 2015. It is no exaggeration to say that the people of Nepal and the Gurkhas in particular, hold a very special place in the heart of the British public and in my family.

I will close by saying thank you to everyone for joining us today to celebrate our 200 year-long friendship between the United Kingdom and Nepal, and we look forward to our continued close bond of friendship for centuries to come, and now that my tika has finally faded it’s probably about time to go back!

Dhanyabad.

The Duke of Cambridge Will Open a New Remembrance Centre
at the National Memorial Arboretum

29th March 2017

The Duke of Cambridge will meet veterans, volunteers and schoolchildren at the official opening of a new Remembrance Centre at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.

At the Remembrance Centre, The Duke will visit the interactive Landscapes of Life exhibition, where he will meet local schoolchildren. His Royal Highness will then unveil a commemorative plaque and meet veterans from each of the Services in Heroes’ Square. His Royal Highness is Patron of the National Memorial Arboretum Appeal, which has funded the construction of this new Remembrance Centre.

The opening of the Remembrance Centre follows a major fundraising campaign supported by numerous individuals and organisations, including Staffordshire County Council, the Heritage Lottery Fund and The Royal British Legion. The event will also be a chance to thank Major General Patrick Cordingley, Chair of the Appeal, and the project team for all their work.

The National Memorial Arboretum, part of The Royal British Legion, is the UK’s year-round centre of Remembrance; a place which honours the fallen, recognises service and sacrifice, and fosters pride in the UK. It is a living and lasting memorial. There are more than 330 dedicated memorials across the 150 acre site.

The Duchess of Cambridge Will Attend the Portrait Gala 2017
Nation Portrait Gallery, London

Tuesday 28th March

The Duchess of Cambridge, will attend the 2017 Portrait Gala, held at the National Portrait Gallery in London. Her Royal Highness will view the newest exhibitions during the reception, and meet a selection of guests, many of whom will have contributed to this important event, before attending the Gala dinner.

The Duchess, who has been Patron of the Gallery since 2012, will view two exhibitions; Howard Hodgkin: Absent Friends, and Gillian Wearing and Claude Cahun: Behind the mask, another mask, where Her Royal Highness will be hosted by Gillian Wearing, who will explain the significance of the works featured.

To mark the Gala, and help raise funds during the evening, a range of artwork has been especially created, including 10 unique masks by the likes of Dame Vivienne Westwood and Philip Treacy, and 100 postcard sized works of art for a Mystery Portrait Postcard Sale. Her Royal Highness will have the opportunity to view both of these special collections during the evening.

This is the second Gala that The Duchess has attended and, as in previous years, the funds raised will directly support the National Portrait Gallery’s work in delivering inspirational exhibitions and displays, offering unique learning opportunities and undertaking world class research.

The 2017 Gala is fundraising for Coming Home, a project that will make it possible for portraits of iconic individuals to return to places that are special to them for a loan period of over three years. Coming Home will enable sitters such as Sir Walter Raleigh to return to Dorset, the Brontë sisters to Yorkshire and David Beckham to Essex.

For more information on the National Portrait Gallery please click here.