The Countess of Wessex to Visit Malawi

13th-16th March

The Countess of Wessex, Vice Patron of The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, will visit Malawi to see the work being done to end avoidable blindness and champion youth leadership.

On Tuesday 14th March Her Royal Highness will travel to the Kasungu district where she will see the activities underway as part of the Trust’s initiative to eliminate blinding trachoma. The Countess will visit an educational programme at Chisuwe Primary School and meet a family affected by trachoma in their home.

Later that day The Countess will tour Kasungu District Hospital, meeting patients undergoing surgery for trachoma and the medical staff treating them. That evening HRH will call on the President of the Republic of Malawi, Mr Peter Mutharika, at State House. Afterwards His Excellency will host a State Dinner for The Countess.

On Wednesday 15th March The Countess will visit Lilongwe’s Kamuzu Hospital to see the impact of the Trust’s work to build long term capacity in Malawi to deliver quality eye care services. These include scholarships, fellowships and training for eye specialists as well as the development of new technology. HRH will meet patients being screened for eye diseases including by the new smart-phone based retinal scanning technology, Peek Retina. HRH will continue to see how new technology is impacting on diagnostics at a Primary School, where she will see a demonstration of the PEEK School screening app.

As Vice Patron of The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust The Countess will also undertake two visits to projects run by The Queen’s Young Leaders, a Trust initiative to encourage and support exceptional young leaders in Commonwealth Countries who are changing young lives for the better.

On 15th March HRH will meet young women being supported by the ‘Girls Arise for Change’ initiative – a project set up by Queen’s Young Leader Virginia Khunguni, teaching work place skills to young women affected by violence and lack of education. The Countess will also see the ‘Loud Ink’ project in action. Set up by Queen’s Young Leader Madalo Banda, ‘Loud Ink’ provides young writers with a platform to engage in social issues through short stories.

In support of The Trust’s aim of encouraging youth leadership across the Commonwealth The Countess will also attend a reception for Malawi Young Leaders. HRH will also attend a reception on Monday 13th to celebrate Commonwealth Day.

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The Queen and The Royal Family Celebrate Commonwealth Day 2017

Monday 13th March 2017

Her Majesty The Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry, The Duke of York and The Earl of Wessex will attend the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey on Commonwealth Day – Monday 13th March.

Organised by The Royal Commonwealth Society, the Service is the largest annual inter-faith gathering in the United Kingdom. The Service will be broadcast live on BBC One and across BBC World Service, in celebration of Her Majesty’s lifetime commitment to the Commonwealth.

The Commonwealth is a vast community which embraces diversity among its 52 countries and almost 2.5 billion people, of which 60 per cent are under 30 years old.

Each year the Commonwealth adopts a theme, upon which the Commonwealth Service is based. In 2017 the theme is ‘A Peace-building Commonwealth’, reaffirming the Commonwealth Charter principle that “international peace and security, sustainable economic growth and development and the rule of law are essential to the progress and prosperity of all.”

Highlights of the Service will include performances by Australian musician, Cody Simpson, George the Poet, a British spoken word performer and social commentator of Ugandan heritage, Canadian soprano, Measha Brueggergosman and Maltese poet and writer, Dr Immanuel Misfud. The Prime Minister of Malta and Chair-in-Office of the Commonwealth; The Hon. Dr Joseph Muscat MP, and Cameroonian peace advocate; Achaleke Christian Leke, a former victim of radicalisation and violence, will give reflections.

The 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games will also feature in the Service as The Queen’s Baton, launched at Buckingham Palace earlier that day, is processed through the Abbey by Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill and escorted by Australian and UK athletes including Anna Meares OAM, Victoria Pendleton CBE and Kurt Fearnley OAM.

Guests of honour among the 2,000 strong congregation will include the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC, alongside High Commissioners, Ambassadors and dignitaries, senior politicians from across the UK and Commonwealth, faith leaders and 800 school children.

The Service will conclude with a procession of Commonwealth Flags. The Queen and Members of the Royal Family will meet people involved in the Service and walk by the Commonwealth Flag Bearers upon departure. Following the Service, Prince Harry, The Duke of York and The Earl of Wessex will walk through the Dean’s Yard to attend a Reception.

Later that evening, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will be guests of the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Baroness Scotland, at the annual Reception which traditionally takes place on Commonwealth Day at Marlborough House, the home of the Commonwealth Secretariat.

Background

The Queen has been Head of the Commonwealth throughout her 65 year reign. This is an important symbolic and unifying role. As Head, Her Majesty personally reinforces the links by which the Commonwealth joins people together from around the world.

Throughout Her Majesty’s reign, the Commonwealth has grown from just seven nations to 52 members representing almost 2.5 billion people. During this time, The Queen has played a unique part as a symbol of unity and strength at the heart of the Commonwealth.

During her reign, The Queen has undertaken more than 200 visits to Commonwealth countries and visited every country of the Commonwealth (with the exception of Cameroon, which joined in 1995 and Rwanda which joined in 2009) as well as making many repeat visits.

Commonwealth Day is an opportunity to promote the Commonwealth’s shared values of peace, democracy and equality, and to celebrate the rich diversity of the Commonwealth’s 52 member countries. Across the Commonwealth, school children, communities, civil society organisations and governments will be marking the day with a wide range of events and activities.

Commonwealth Day was first celebrated in 1958. The year 2017 marks 40 years since it became a global celebration on the same day every year, the second Monday in March. On 1 January 2017, Her Majesty sent a message of congratulations to the people of Canada in the 150th anniversary year of Confederation – https://www.royal.uk/message-queen-people-canada

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Her Majesty The Queen, Head of the Commonwealth and Patron,
Commonwealth Games Federation, accompanied by
His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, and
His Royal Highness The Earl of Wessex, Vice Patron,
will Launch The Queen’s Baton Relay for the
XXI Commonwealth Games being held on the Gold Coast in 2018 

Monday 13th March 2017
Commonwealth Day

The Queen, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh and The Earl of Wessex, will Launch The Queen’s Baton Relay for the XXI Commonwealth Games being held on the Gold Coast from 4th-15th April 2018 on the Forecourt of Buckingham Palace on the morning of Commonwealth Day, Monday 13th March 2017.

Louise Martin, CBE, President, Commonwealth Games Federation, Peter Beattie, AC, Chairman, Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation and two Elder representatives of the Yugambeh people, will be presented to Her Majesty and Their Royal Highnesses inside Buckingham Palace, and shortly afterwards, the Royal and official party will make their way onto the dais on the Forecourt.

Prior to the arrival of the Royal party, The Queen’s Baton will have been brought onto the Forecourt by Kurt Fearnley, OAM, who will have travelled along The Mall from Marlborough House accompanied by the Band of the Scots Guards.

Also on the Forecourt will be young people each carrying a flag of the 70 Commonwealth nations and territories, and world-renowned Gold Coast singer and environmental champion, Cody Simpson, will perform at the ceremony, representing his home city and country.

The Band of the Scots Guards will play the National Anthems of the United Kingdom and Australia and shortly afterwards, the Elders will deliver an ‘invitation’ to all first nations people of the Commonwealth to unite together to celebrate the Games.

The Queen’s Message will be brought onto the dais and Her Majesty will be invited to place it into the Baton which is then automatically sealed. The Queen then presents the Baton to Anna Meares, OAM, the most decorated female track cyclist of all time, who will then start the Baton Relay by running to the Centre Gate before passing it to cyclist Victoria Pendleton, CBE, to run it around the Queen Victoria Memorial (QVM). The Baton will exit the QVM area and be taken down The Mall with a third Baton-bearer.

The Baton will next be seen at the Commonwealth Day Service in Westminster Abbey and the first stop on The Queen’s Baton Relay following the ceremonies in London will be Sierra Leone. The Baton will travel to all nations and territories of the Commonwealth, before eventually arriving at the Opening Ceremony of the XXI Commonwealth Games on 4th April, 2018.

For further information about the journey that The Queen’s Baton will take, view: https://www.gc2018.com/qbr#

Background

The Queen’s Baton Relay is a Games tradition that celebrates the Commonwealth’s diversity, inspires community pride and excites people about the world-class festival of sports and culture to come.

Since the Cardiff 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games (as the Games were known at the time) The Queen’s Baton has carried a message from Her Majesty calling the Commonwealth’s athletes to come together in peaceful and friendly competition.

The GC2018 Relay will be the longest and most accessible in history, travelling through the entire Commonwealth for 388 days and 230,000 kilometres.

The Baton will visit all Commonwealth nations and territories of Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and Oceania for 288 days before it arrives in Australia.

The Queen’s Baton Relay will share the excitement of the Games with millions of people around the world, shining a light on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia and the world-class sporting action to come.

The Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games will be staged from 4-15 April 2018.

More than 6,600 athletes and team officials from 70 Commonwealth nations and territories will come to Australia to share in the excitement of the Games.

GC2018 will be the largest event to be staged in Australia this decade.

GC2018 will feature the largest integrated sports program in Commonwealth Games history, comprising 18 sports and seven para-sports.

Australia will host the world’s greatest athletes at GC2018, including Olympic champions, world-class sporting greats and up-and-coming sports stars.

More than 3000 international media will attend GC2018 and broadcast to a global audience of more than 1.5 billion.

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Ben, thank you. I think you’ve said it all – about what incredible work SkillForce does, why character education for young people matters and what this award is aiming to achieve.  I hope you can all see from Ben’s overview why, as Royal Patron, I am so passionate about SkillForce and so proud to be here today to launch this awards programme that bears my name.

I believe that an individual’s academic success, wellbeing and mental health depends not only on traditional qualifications, but on nurturing non-academic attributes like self-confidence, discipline and determination.  It is not enough that someone is good at English and Maths if they cannot withstand the pressures that life throws up.

The ability for a child to develop character, courage and resilience to overcome setbacks is something about which I care deeply.  Over the years I have seen, time and again, how the development of personal skills puts a young person in better stead for education, future employment and for life.

The Prince William Award aims to do just this – to develop children’s personal skills and equip children with resilience.  It is why I am so pleased than this idea – many years in development – is finally seeing fruition. The Prince William Award dares six to fourteen year olds to be their best selves – to gain habits at an early stage of their life that will equip them for the rest of their childhood and adult lives.

The scheme is the first of its kind to target younger children from the age of six. It includes both practical and reflective learning – combining outdoor activities, like the command tasks I took part in today, with classroom based review; and crucially, it is delivered using the knowledge, skills and expertise of some of the most positive role models in our society – former Service personnel, who exemplify the virtues of courage and determination.

As Ben explained, The Prince William Award has been developed in consultation with academics and education experts and has been tried and tested in 37 pilot schools, where teachers have noted significant improvements in pupils’ confidence, communication and their ability to work with others.   The scheme will move beyond the pilot stage to launch across the country this September.

I want to take this opportunity to thank Standard Life and the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues for their generous support of the award and thank all of you here today for helping us to launch this “national first”.

Finally, thank you to the Pioneers at Bishopstone Church of England Primary School; to the Explorers at Llanfoist Fawr Primary School and to the Trailblazers at Caldicot. You are some of the very first young people in the country to take part in the Prince William Award.  Many Congratulations.

And in honour of this, I am delighted to present a commemorative trophy to each school for attending today.   Diolch yn fawr.

2017 UK-India Year of Culture Launches with Large-Scale
Projection onto Buckingham Palace Façade

To mark the start of the UK-India Year of Culture, the British Council and Indian High Commission are delighted to have commissioned a unique artwork which was projected across the entire front façade of Buckingham Palace. The image was of India’s national bird, the peacock, and visible from all approaches to the Palace from 6pm on Monday night.

Guests arriving for a special reception hosted by Her Majesty The Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, will have see the image as they enter the gates of the Palace.

The 2017 UK-India Year of Culture will celebrate the deep cultural ties of the two countries, and the reception at Buckingham Palace will mark the start of a year-long programme of events and exhibitions which will take place in both countries – details of which will be announced on Tuesday 28 February. These events are being organised by the British Council, together with the Indian High Commission in London, UK institutions and their Indian counterparts, with the aim to connect and inspire people to celebrate the long-standing relationship and vibrant cultural history.

Her Majesty was accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and other Members of the Royal Family at last night’s reception.

The projection has been designed by Studio Carrom, the Bangalore and London-based design studio, who have created an eye-catching image of a peacock with its tail fanned across the façade. Within the feathers, dancing figures can be seen. The peacock is India’s national bird and an iconic motif representing both India and performance. This image is also reminiscent of Indian fireworks, a symbol of celebration and festivities.

Alan Gemmell OBE, British Council Director India: “It isn’t every day that you have the opportunity to project an image onto the façade of Buckingham Palace. The peacock, both regal and dramatic, is the perfect metaphor for a year of incredible cultural events connecting UK and India. By using traditional motifs in a cool and contemporary way, Carrom have come up with a stunning image for one of the world’s most iconic facades. We hope it will delight Londoners and make them curious to find out more.”

Studio Carrom: “We wanted to ensure people knew this was about India, but which would also surprise and intrigue people, encouraging them to follow the UK/India Year of Culture. It needed to be cool and contemporary as well as referencing India’s rich cultural heritage. We were drawn to the idea of performance and dance as it encompasses different people and traditions that make India such a diverse and unique country.”

This documentary, produced in collaboration with Historic Royal Palaces and presented by Brenda Emmanus, looks at some of Diana’s most celebrated and exquisite dresses, brought together for a new exhibition of her clothes at Kensington Palace in February.

Brenda visits the Conservation Studio at Hampton Court Palace as the dresses are prepared for display, and she hears from historians, cultural commentators and the designers who dressed Diana, including Elizabeth Emmanuel, Victor Edelstein and David Sassoon.

New fashion exhibition and temporary garden celebrating the life of Diana, Princess of Wales to open at Kensington Palace in 2017

Diana: Her Fashion Story – Opens 24 February 2017
The White Garden at Kensington Palace – In place for Spring/Summer 2017

From her first public appearances in 1981, Diana, Princess of Wales, captivated the world’s attention as a princess, as a trendsetter and as a patron and advocate of charities. Twenty years on from her death, a new exhibition and temporary garden celebrating her life will be opened at Kensington Palace, her home for over 15 years.

Opening in February, the exhibition ‘Diana: Her Fashion Story’ will trace the evolution of the Princess’s style, from the demure, romantic outfits of her first public appearances, to the glamour, elegance and confidence of her later life. From her earliest royal engagements, everything Diana wore was closely scrutinised, and the exhibition will explore how she navigated her unique position in the public eye: learning to use her image to engage and inspire people, and to champion the causes she cared about.

Replacing the popular ‘Fashion Rules’ exhibition in Kensington Palace’s Pigott Galleries, ‘Diana: Her Fashion Story’ will display exquisite and celebrated outfits from throughout the Princess’s public life. The exhibition will bring together an extraordinary collection of garments, ranging from the glamorous evening gowns worn on engagements in the 1980s, to the chic Catherine Walker suits that made up Diana’s ‘working wardrobe’ in the 1990s. The Princess’s relationship with her favourite designers will be explored through a display of some of their original fashion sketches, created for her during the design process.

Exhibition highlights will include the pale pink Emanuel blouse worn for Diana’s engagement portrait by Lord Snowdon in 1981, and Victor Edelstein’s iconic ink blue velvet gown, famously worn at the White House when the Princess danced with John Travolta. A blue tartan Emanuel suit, worn for an official visit to Venice in the 1980s, will go on display in public for the first time. The suit, a rare survival of the Princess’s daywear, was only recently rediscovered and acquired by Historic Royal Palaces – the charity responsible for Kensington Palace – at auction.

Whilst in residence at Kensington Palace, the Princess admired the changing floral displays in the historic Sunken Garden and would often stop to talk to the gardeners who care for it. In 2017, the gardeners at Kensington will dedicate the new planting in the garden to Diana, creating a temporary White Garden.

Complementing the palace’s exhibition, ‘Diana: Her Fashion Story’, the garden will be planted with flowers and foliage inspired by memories of the Princess’s life, image and style. Spring planting will include an elegant palette of tulips and scented narcisii through a carpet of forget-me-nots. In the summer, pots of classic English white roses will surround the reflective pool in the centre of the garden and the planting will become more exuberant, with glowing ornamental grasses weaving through Cosmos daisies and billows of graceful Gaura. The garden will be installed for Spring and Summer 2017.

Eleri Lynn, curator of ‘Diana: Her Fashion Story’, said,

‘Diana, Princess of Wales, was one of the most photographed women in the world, and every fashion choice she made was closely scrutinised. Our exhibition explores the story of a young woman who had to quickly learn the rules of royal and diplomatic dressing, who in the process put the spotlight on the British fashion industry and designers.

We see her growing in confidence throughout her life, increasingly taking control of how she was represented, and intelligently communicating through her clothes. This is a story many women around the world can relate to, and we hope many visitors will join us next year, to get a closer look at some of Diana’s most iconic outfits, on display in her former home.’

Sean Harkin, Gardens Team Leader, Kensington Palace, said,

‘It’s a great privilege for myself and my team to care every day for the beautiful gardens of Kensington Palace, and we’re looking forward to creating a White Garden next year which celebrates the life of one the palace’s most famous residents: Diana, Princess of Wales. We hope to capture the energy and spirit which made her such a popular figure around the world.’

Diana: Her Fashion Story is generously sponsored by The Estée Lauder Companies, Inc.

To purchase tickets, click here.

For details on BBC documentary Diana: Designing a Princess, click here.

Kensington Palace: Prince Harry to visit Big White Wall
London 

Monday 27th February, 2017

Prince Harry will visit the digital mental health service Big White Wall at their London office on Monday 27th February.

The online service offers immediate access to both peer and professional support from specially trained clinicians to its members who are dealing with issues related to their mental health. Big White Wall is one of the CONTACT coalition, the military charity partner of Their Royal Highnesses’ Head’s Together Campaign.

Whilst anyone aged 16 and over can access the service, Big White Wall sees a large number of ex-service personnel, their families and the families of those still serving seek help online for issues including anxiety, depression, stress, anger or early stage alcoholism. Since 2010, with support from the Ministry of Defence, Help for Heroes and NHS England, Big White Wall has supported thousands of these individuals in the UK.

All Big White Wall members have anonymous access to a supportive community of peers, clinically moderated forums, self-help materials and a range of online group courses. Big White Wall also offers one-to-one therapy online via text, audio and video, 16 hours a day, seven days a week. The service is available to 31% of the UK population via local NHS contracts. It is also widely commissioned by UK universities, public and private sector employers.

Prince Harry will be taken through Big White Wall’s online services with a live demonstration at the London office. His Royal Highness will then meet the service’s clinicians who deliver Big White Wall’s services, and hear more in particular about their work supporting serving or ex-service personnel with their mental health.

For more information on Big White Wall, please visit www.bigwhitewall.com

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 Prince Harry gives a speech at the Heads Together Training Day, Newcastle

 Tuesday 21st February, 2017

Thank you Jayne-Anne for that introduction and thank you so much to everyone in this room for your enthusiasm for the Heads Together campaign. Especially those of you wearing your headbands.

What you have just heard from Jayne-Anne and from Paul and Iain is exactly what this campaign is all about.

You’ve just heard one of the country’s leading business figures speak openly about facing a difficult moment in her life; you’ve heard her talk about realising that she needed to ask for help from a colleague and to ask for the time to get her life back on track; and you’ve seen her celebrate the fact that her own experiences with a mental health challenge have made her a better leader today.

You’ve also heard from Iain and Paul about the lessons they took from being at the centre of a terrible tragedy; you’ve seen from them the importance of admitting that coping with tragedy and trauma requires help from others; and you heard them stand up and admit that the people we might turn to in an emergency are not superhuman.

Jayne-Anne, Paul and Iain may seem to have very different stories.

At their core, though, they share one invaluable lesson – a lesson that is at the very heart of the Heads Together campaign: none of us can get through a mental health difficulties without being willing to have a conversation and being able to admit that we might need some help.

William, Catherine and I started this campaign because we saw that fear of judgement, stigma, and outdated prejudice meant that too many people stayed quiet about their mental health challenges.

And we saw that this fear of even talking about a problem often meant that issues could quickly escalate out of hand. How is it that for most, the first time mental health is talked about is when they’re already suffering?

Stigma cannot and must not be the reason we shy away from equipping ourselves and our families for the day that a dark cloud may appear.

I have seen the threat that this fear and stigma poses in my work with veterans and my former Army friends. Guys and girls in the armed services often need to think they are invincible. I know first-hand from my time as an Apache pilot that you do not want anyone to question your ability to cope with pressure and stress.

When you are called on to assist with a rescue mission in a dangerous situation, you want everyone to know you won’t be fazed by the challenge. Questioning can bring about doubt, when you know the training will kick in. We all consider ourselves at the top of our game and strive for perfection. We all want to be as professional as humanly possible.

What I’ve learned through my work with the Army’s Personnel Recovery Unit, is that this need to be seen as tough and invincible can follow you home from the battlefield.

And when the truth is – no one is invincible and anyone who is repeatedly exposed to tress and trauma will need help with their mental health, this pride can become very dangerous.

I have met too many people who waited too long to start having that conversation. I have met people who disconnected from their spouses and children rather than admit that they needed to speak to someone.

I have sat with a man who struggled to admit he needed help even as he could not stop shaking and blinking as he fought post-traumatic stress.

I have met people who considered taking their own lives rather than admit to anything that might make them look weak in the eyes of others.

This is why we want to change the way we talk about mental health.

It’s the reason I try never to use the ‘D’ in ‘PTSD’ because I don’t think it’s helpful to label people unnecessarily with a ‘disorder’ – and I’ve seen with my own eyes some of the worst cases recover.

It’s the reason we want to work with all of you to have conversations at work, with your friends, with your family to confront any notion that a mental health challenge needs to be kept quiet.

For me it’s as simple as this: if you have a persistent painful issue with your knee, you wouldn’t hesitate to speak to your friends about it or to go to the doctor to get it checked it out. You do that because you know if a problem is left unaddressed it could get worse, not better. And you don’t hesitate to speak about it because you know there is no shame in a bad knee!

Our mental fitness is no different. If you feel stressed or like a cloud is hanging over you, you cannot know how to fix that feeling unless you start speaking about it.

It is hard admitting something is wrong, especially when you can’t explain it. Not knowing what depression feels like, not knowing what the cure for anxiety is.

What I really want to say is that if you do have the courage to speak about it you really can make things better – trust me. Mental health challenges are not a life sentence. I have seen people go from their lowest point –physically shaking, or unwilling to leave the house, or even with suicidal thoughts – to a place of real optimism and resilience in a relatively short space of time.

Recovery really is possible. But it can’t happen if we aren’t willing to have that conversation. I can assure you, not talking about it will make it worse, and talking about it will equip you for the days ahead.

So please, when you go back to your desks speak to your colleagues about how you cope with stress.

When you go home tonight, maybe tell your kids that sometimes you struggle with your emotions and that it is ok to talk about it.  Or instead, maybe pick up the phone to a friend who you suspect may be finding it hard to admit that something isn’t right.

If we are all willing to have these conversations, we will end the stigma around mental health once and for all. That’s what Heads Together is trying to achieve – removing the stigma to pave the way for better access to services that can help.

And that’s why I am so glad to have all of your help for this important mission.

Thank You

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The Queen to launch 2017 UK-India Year of Culture 

 ROYAL COMMUNICATIONS: OPERATIONAL NOTE

Monday 27th February 2017

Her Majesty The Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and other Members of the Royal Family, will host a reception to mark the launch of the UK-India Year of Culture 2017.

The 2017 UK-India Year of Culture will celebrate the deep cultural ties and the 70th anniversary of India’s Independence through a year-long programme of events and exhibitions which will take place in both countries. The events are being organised by the British Council, together with the Indian High Commission in London, UK institutions and their Indian counterparts, with the aim of connecting and inspiring people to celebrate the long-standing relationship and vibrant cultural history.

The reception will bring together the best of British and Indian culture and creativity, represented through a range of high profile guests with an interest in both countries. The attendees include guests from the fields of performing arts, fashion, food, literature and sport such as Kunal Nayyar, Neha Kapur, Ayesha Dharker, Kapil Dev, Rio Ferdinand, Anoushka Shankar and Joe Wright.

A highlight of the evening will include a special Indian themed menu of canapes prepared by Royal Chefs working alongside chefs from Veeraswamy, the UK’s oldest Indian Restaurant. There will also be a display from the Royal Collection including items from previous Royal Visits to India, and Indian gifts and manuscripts from the Royal Library.

Earlier in the day, the Band of the Grenadier Guards will a play a selection of Indian themed music during the Changing of the Guard Ceremony, including soundtracks from the movie “Slumdog Millionaire”.

The Queen and The Royal Family have a personal connection with India and have visited several times. Her Majesty’s first State Visit to India, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, was in 1961, as the guests of Dr Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India. The first engagement was to Raj Ghat, the spot where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated, where The Queen left a tribute of a wreath of 500 roses and planted a tree. At the State Banquet that evening, Her Majesty said: “To all in India I bring a greeting of goodwill and affection from the British people. I hope that our visit will demonstrate to the world the respect and friendship which exists between Britain and India, and indeed all the countries which are joined together in the free partnership of the Commonwealth. 

Before leaving India, Her Majesty reflected on the visit: My husband and I will take with us the most vivid impressions of places, events, and people. Of events there were so many that they form a kaleidoscope of infinite colour and variety. Most of all we were thrilled by the wonderful welcome which was given to us wherever we went but such great and friendly crowds.” 

Since then, Her Majesty and His Royal Highness have paid two further State Visits to India (in 1983 and 1997) and received three incoming State Visits to the UK from India (1963, 1990 and 2009). In 2009, at the State Banquet given for the then President of India Smt. Pratibha Patil in Windsor Castle, Her Majesty said that the “warmth and hospitality of the Indian people, and the richness and diversity of India itself have been an inspiration” [to her and her family]. The Queen also reflected on the UK’s and India’s “long shared history, which today is a source of great strength in building a new partnership fit for this new century“.

The most recent visit to India was by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2016 (To read more about the Cambridges visit to India in 2016, why not get a copy of Issue 23 of Royal Life).

British Council 

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. They create friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries. Using the UK’s cultural resources, the British Council makes a positive contribution to the countries they work with – changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust.

2017 UK/India Year of Culture 

In 2017, the UK and India will celebrate a major bilateral year of cultural exchange. India and the UK have a long and rich history. UK/India 2017 will enrich relationships at all levels of society, their institutions and government, building a shared future for generations to come. For more information on UK/India 2017 please visit www.britishcouncil.in and www.hcilondon.in

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