RNLI Names Lifeboat in Honour of The Duke of Edinburgh

RNLI names lifeboat in honour of The Duke of Edinburgh The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is proud to announce a new lifeboat will be named in honour of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

The state-of-the-art Shannon class boat (ON1346) will be called Duke of Edinburgh in memory of Prince Philip, who passed away on 9 April this year, aged 99.

The RNLI is delighted to honour Prince Philip’s longstanding commitment to maritime services and lifetime of support to Her Majesty The Queen.

Her Majesty The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh have a long history with the RNLI. Her Majesty has been Patron of the lifesaving charity since 1952 and The Duke of Edinburgh became a member of the RNLI Council in 1972. Together, they visited several RNLI lifeboat stations over the years, the most recent being the opening of Cowes Lifeboat Station and the naming of its Atlantic 85 class boat in July 2012.

The announcement is being made 71 years to the day that The Duke of Edinburgh assumed command of HMS Magpie in 1950 – his very first sea-going command in the Royal Navy.

And in a further nod to that proud moment in his naval career, earlier this summer, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales attached a magpie engraved plate to the new lifeboat which will bear The Duke of Edinburgh’s name and which is currently being built at the RNLI’s All-weather Lifeboat Centre, in Poole, Dorset.

The lifeboat is due to go into service in late 2022 at Wells-next-the-Sea, just a short distance from Sandringham, the Royal Estate in Norfolk where The Duke of Edinburgh spent much of his time after stepping back from public duties in August 2017.

RNLI chief executive Mark Dowie said: ‘It’s a great honour, not just for Wells Lifeboat Station but for the RNLI as a whole.

‘We had hoped to mark The Duke of Edinburgh’s long service and support for the maritime sector by naming a lifeboat in his honour in his 100th year.

‘We heard that The Duke was pleased to learn of the plans to name a lifeboat after him and that it was going to be serving a community so close to Sandringham. Very sadly The Duke passed away before His Royal Highness could see it happen, but we are delighted to pay tribute to his legacy in this way today.’

Wells Lifeboat Operations Manager Chris Hardy said: ‘Wells Lifeboat Station is immensely proud and honoured to have its new Shannon class lifeboat named Duke of Edinburgh. We are in no doubt that our new lifeboat will continue the vital work of saving lives at sea, which we know His Royal Highness was so passionate about throughout his lifelong maritime association.’

The new lifeboat is the 53rd funded by the generosity of civil servant donations to The Lifeboat Fund as part of the Civil Service charity’s 150th anniversary appeal.

Chair of The Lifeboat Fund and Director of GCHQ, Sir Jeremy Fleming said: ‘The Lifeboat Fund is delighted to be the principal donor for the new lifeboat at Wells-next-the-Sea.

‘It’s the second lifeboat for Wells with a royal association, the first being the Royal Silver Jubilee that was on service at the station from 1936 to 1945. This one seems especially fitting.’

“Today, on what would have been our Mother’s 60th birthday, we remember her love, strength and character – qualities that made her a force for good around the world, changing countless lives for the better.

“Every day, we wish she were still with us, and our hope is that this statue will be seen forever as a symbol of her life and her legacy.

“Thank you to Ian Rank-Broadley, Pip Morrison and their teams for their outstanding work, to the friends and donors who helped make this happen, and to those around the world who keep our mother’s memory alive.”

– Prince William and Prince Harry

NEW DESIGN FOR THE SUNKEN GARDEN AT KENSINGTON PALACE

Thursday 1st July 2021

Ahead of the unveiling of the statue of Diana, Princess of Wales at Kensington Palace today, details of the newly redesigned Sunken Garden in which the statue will stand have been released.

The Sunken Garden will be the permanent home of the statue and was one of the Princess’s favourite locations. The layout and planting scheme has been designed by Pip Morrison and created by the Gardens and Estates team at Historic Royal Palaces (HRP), led by Deputy Head of Gardens and Estates, Graham Dillamore.

The new design for the garden by Pip Morrison retains the historic structures within a simplified layout of deeper flower borders and a more generous lawn around the pool to create a calmer and more reflective setting for the statue. The planting design features a number of the Princess’s favourite flowers, including forget-me-nots, as well as many other spring and summer blooms in a variety of pastel shades.

Work on the garden began in October 2019, and since then five gardeners – led by Deputy Head of Gardens and Estates at Historic Royal Palaces, Graham Dillamore – have spent a total of 1,000 hours working on planting. More than 4,000 individual flowers have been planted, including:

• over 200 roses, of five varieties including Ballerina and Blush Noisette
• 100 Forget-me-nots
• 300 tulips, of three varieties including White Triumphator and China Pink
• over 500 lavender plants
• over 100 dahlias
• 50 sweet peas

More than 400m of fine, short cut turf has also been laid.

Pip Morrison, who designed the new layout of the garden, said: “This has been a very special project to work on, as the Sunken Garden was a favourite place of Diana, Princess of Wales. We have worked carefully to ensure that the new layout and planting scheme compliments the statue, providing a calming place for people who visit Kensington Palace to remember the Princess.”

Graham Dillamore, Deputy Head of Gardens and Estates at Historic Royal Palaces, said: “While she was in residence at Kensington Palace, Diana, Princess of Wales regularly admired the changing floral displays in the Sunken Garden and would always stop to talk with me and the other gardeners who cared for it.

“Over three decades later, I’m honoured to have been part of the team preparing the garden for the installation of this statue. We’ve incorporated a number of the Princess’s favourite flowers into the design, and I hope that visitors to the palace and gardens will enjoy its peaceful setting, and take a moment to reflect on the life and legacy of the Princess.”

The Sunken Garden was created in 1908 at the instigation of King Edward VII, in an area of the palace gardens previously occupied by potting sheds and greenhouses. The layout of the garden takes inspiration from the 17th-century Dutch-style Pond Garden at Hampton Court Palace.

To mark the 20th anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 2017, the garden was temporarily renamed ‘The White Garden’ and planted with flowers in white and soft pastel colours, which took inspiration from items from the Princess’s wardrobe then on display in the palace.

Designed to be viewed from the Cradle Walk, the garden and statue of Diana, Princess of Wales will be free to view during Historic Royal Palaces’ opening hours.

THE PRINCE OF WALES AND THE DUCHESS OF CORNWALL VISIT THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE 

Thursday 10th June

The Prince of Wales, President of The Royal Ballet and Patron of the Royal Opera House, and The Duchess of Cornwall attend a performance by The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House to celebrate the return of the arts and entertainment post lockdown.

On arrival, Their Royal Highnesses will be greeted by Alex Beard, Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House and Sir Simon Robey, Interim Chairman of the Royal Opera House. 

Their Royal Highnesses will privately watch Balanchine and Robbins, a performance which celebrates the American choreographers George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. 

After the performance, The Prince and The Duchess will join a reception to meet with performers and Royal Opera House staff. 

Their Royal Highnesses will enjoy a performance celebrating the rich history of American ballet in works by George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. The programme includes two classic works by Balanchine; Apollo and Tchaikovsky Pas De Deux and Dances at a Gathering by Jerome Robbins. 

Further details here. (Live stream available.) 

The Royal Ballet 

Under the directorship of Kevin O’Hare, The Royal Ballet unites tradition and innovation in world-class performances and is a driving force in the development of ballet as an art form. Based at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, it brings together today’s most dynamic and versatile dancers with a world-class orchestra and leading choreographers, composers, conductors, directors and creative teams to share awe-inspiring theatrical experiences with diverse audiences worldwide. 

The Royal Opera House 

Home to The Royal Ballet, The Royal Opera and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, the Royal Opera House brings together the world’s most extraordinary artists in live, streamed and broadcast events and performances that thrill, move and excite; that transport people to other worlds. Royal Opera House’s theatres are in London’s Covent Garden but their work is accessed and experienced across the UK and globally through touring partnerships, cinema programmes, free outdoor screenings, radio, TV and live-streaming. 

Since closing their doors due to the global pandemic in March 2020, the Royal Opera House have continued to bring together the world’s most extraordinary artists and curated the #OurHouseToYourHouse programme, made up of nine live concerts (six for opera, two for ballet and two galas), 38 streamed productions and a suite of online content that has been viewed over 15 million times in 183 countries, together with a suite of cultural highlights in partnership with the BBC, Sky Arts and Netflix and a host of online home learning opportunities wherever you are in the country. 

Royal Opera House are hugely excited to welcome people back to theatres, showcasing the very best of art forms and bringing the joy of live performance back to audiences. 

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall 

The Prince of Wales has been President of the Royal Ballet since 2003 and Patron of the Royal Opera House since 2009. 

Last year, The Prince of Wales joined Classic FM presenter Alan Titchmarsh for a radio programme highlighting his love of music and the arts, as well as his concern about the effect of the current health crisis on the lives and livelihoods of live performers and arts bodies. 

During the show, The Prince remarked: 

“I have no doubt when we are finally allowed to enjoy concerts and theatrical performances once again, our brilliant orchestral players, singers and dancers will be ready to thrill us all, their talents possibly shining all the brighter because of their enforced silence and absence. I’m sure they know how deeply they touch people’s lives so this entire programme is dedicated to them as a tribute to the sheer joy and solace they bring us all.” 

The Duchess of Cornwall shares His Royal Highness’ love of ballet and is Patron of Elmhurst Ballet School herself and is also a keen dancer. 

Last year, The Duchess joined a video call with Dame Darcey Bussell, President of the Royal Academy of Dance and Angela Rippon, Silver Swans Ambassador. The Duchess discussed the Royal Academy of Dance’s, of which The Duchess is Vice Patron, Silver Swans programme, RAD’s specially designed ballet classes for over 55s and described how ballet is: 

“…something that will make you feel better. It gives you a certain amount of confidence in yourself. It’s just a bit of discipline there, which I think we all need in our lives.” The Duchess went on to say, “I love dance in any form.” 

In November 2019, during Their Royal Highness New Zealand Tour, The Duchess attended an Active Ageing event during which The Duchess watched a demonstration class led by Silver Swans Licensee, Celia Bosman. The Duchess discussed with the dancers how experiencing ballet as an older learner has improved their wellbeing, and the many benefits of ballet for all ages. 

Their Royal Highnesses take a great interest in the arts and is passionate about how it can benefit others. The Prince and The Duchess regularly attend theatre and opera performances and classical concerts, as well as visit exhibitions and galleries, sometimes as public events to support charities and sometimes privately. 

The Queen’s Official Birthday 2021

The Queen will view a military parade in the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle to mark Her Majesty’s Official Birthday, on Saturday 12th June. The parade will be held by the Household Division, and The Queen’s Colour of F Company Scots Guards will be trooped. His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent, Colonel, Scots Guards, will accompany The Queen.

The parade will be led by the Foot Guards, who will be joined in the Quadrangle by The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery and the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment. Music will be played by a Massed Band of the Household Division, which will include 1st Battalion Scots Guards Pipes and Drums.

Here comes the Sovereign’s Escort on their way into Windsor to rehearse for the Queen’s Birthday Parade on Saturday. #windsor #TroopingtheColour pic.twitter.com/VlQAru8uvT

— HH Cavalry Museum (@HCavMuseum) June 9, 2021

Upon The Queen and The Duke of Kent’s arrival in the Quadrangle, Her Majesty and His Royal Highness will be greeted by a Royal Salute, and the National Anthem. The parade will commence with the Musical Troop as the Band plays. The Colour will then be trooped through the ranks, and the parade will conclude with a second Royal Salute.

The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery will then fire a 41 Gun Royal Salute, to mark Her Majesty’s Official Birthday, from the East Lawn at Windsor Castle.

View coverage from previous years in the following issues of Royal Life:

THE DUCHESS OF CORNWALL WILL VISIT THE GARDEN MUSEUM AND OPEN THE BRITISH FLOWERS WEEK FESTIVAL, LONDON 

THURSDAY 10TH JUNE 2021

The Duchess of Cornwall will visit the Garden Museum to open the annual British Flowers Week festival in collaboration with New Covent Garden Flower Market. Her Royal Highness will tour the floral installations which are designed around the theme ‘Healing’. The displays will showcase the unique seasonal quality of British flowers, plants and foliage. 

Her Royal Highness will then visit the museum’s new exhibition, Constance Spry and Fashion for Flowers, curated by Royal florist Shane Connolly. 

Her Royal Highness will be greeted by The Deputy Lieutenant, Ms Rosi Prescott at the Garden Museum and Shane Connolly (who holds The Prince of Wales’s Royal Warrant). 

Her Royal Highness will then be greeted by Christopher Woodward (Director of the Garden Museum) and Mark Fane (Chairman). Her Royal Highness will be escorted by Shane Connolly around 10 floral installations that make up the British Flowers Week festival. During the tour The Duchess will have the opportunity to meet the florists alongside their displays. 

HRH will also meet representatives from Covent Garden Flower Market. Shane Connolly will then say a few words about British Flowers Week before presenting HRH with a bouquet with rosemary in as a sign of remembrance, acknowledging that today would have been the birthday of The Duke of Edinburgh. 

HRH will then proceed to the gallery to view the exhibition Constance Spry and the Fashion for Flowers before meeting two representatives from Floral Angels of which Her Royal Highness is Patron. Floral Angels is a charity that recycles donated flowers from events and arranges them for use in hospices, women’s refuges and care homes throughout London. 

Her Royal Highness will also visit the Clore Learning Space and meet pupils from Notre Dame Girls School and their Head of Science, Lorna Carroll, taking part in a Plant Science Learning session lead by Samia Qureshi, Garden Museum Science Learning Officer. Her Royal Highness will have opportunity to take part in an experiment herself. 

After this, will be given a posy by Samia Qureishi’s daughter, prepared by Shane Connolly. 

Her Royal Highness provided a video message last year to mark Flower Week. 

Her Royal Highness last visited British Flowers Week in the Garden Museum in June 2018 when she opened the exhibition. The Museum reopened to the public, post-COVID, on Monday 17th May. 

British Flowers Week 

Founded by New Covent Garden Market in 2013, British Flowers Week is an annual, national celebration of the wealth and variety of British cut flowers, plants and foliage. The week aims to: 

• Showcase great British-grown flowers, plants and foliage through great British floristry and talent in floral design 
• Raise awareness of which British flowers are in season when 
• Encourage the public to buy more British flowers 

In 2018 New Covent Garden Market partnered with the Garden Museum on what is now the annual British Flowers Week exhibition. The exhibition is an opportunity for five of the finest floral designers in Britain to showcase their creativity through site specific pieces on a theme, creating innovative installations using environmentally sustainable methods (and no floral foam), transforming the Garden Museum into an immersive floral wonderland filled with the scents and colours of beautiful British-grown blooms. 

The 2020 exhibition had to be postponed due to the pandemic, and therefore this is the first exhibition for two years. 

Garden Museum 

The Garden Museum is the UK’s only museum dedicated to the art, history and design of British gardens. House in the medieval/Victorian deconsecrated church where Britain’s first great gardeners, the John Tradescants, are buried, and were founded in 1977 by Mr and Mrs John and Rosemary Nicholson. The Prince of Wales is the Patron of the museum. 

Education is at the heart of the Garden Museum. The museum runs Food Learning and Science Learning programmes for children and adults. The Clore Learning Space classroom is used for school groups, to study plant biology using microscopes and plants grown in the museum’s gardens. The Learning Studio kitchen is used by children and adults to make meals from scratch, as well as study nutrition and the origins of the food on our plate. 

The Museum attracts over 70,000 visitors per year to its exhibitions and award-winning Café. 

Constance Spry and the Fashion for Flowers 

This summer the Garden Museum is celebrating the doyenne of flowers, the 20th century’s most influential floral decorator, Constance Spry. Guest curated by floral designer and writer Shane Connolly, this new exhibition explores Spry’s exceptional life, achievements and legacy, with exclusive access to her archive at the RHS Lindley Library. 

For this exhibition the Garden Museum has gained exclusive access to Spry’s personal archives, which were deposited at the RHS Lindley Library after her death and have not been displayed publicly since. The exhibition features 100 never before seen photographs, documents and personal items from these archives, a precious record of an extraordinary life. 

THE PRINCE OF WALES WILL JOIN CYCLISTS TO KICKSTART THE BRITISH ASIAN TRUST’S ‘PALACES ON WHEELS’ SPONSORED BIKE RIDE 

Thursday 10th June 2021 

The Prince of Wales, Royal Founding Patron, will join representatives of the British Asian Trust before they embark on the charity’s ‘Palaces on Wheels’ cycling event.

At Highgrove, the starting point for the British Asian Trust’s ‘Palaces on Wheels’ cycling event, The Prince of Wales will hear from cyclists about their previous fundraising activities. The pathway lined with Indian dhol drummers, The Prince will then join participants on bicycle for a short distance to kick-start the event. 

The British Asian Trust’s ‘Palaces on Wheels’ cycling event will cover 420km / 250 miles over the course of four days, stopping at a number of Royal Residences along the way. Beginning at Highgrove on Thursday, cyclists will travel through the Cotswolds towards Windsor Castle, onto London to Buckingham Palace, from the Tower of London to Cambridge with riders celebrating the end of the cycle at Sandringham on Sunday. Over the past 4 years, the group of cyclists have taken part in multiple fundraising rides, including in Sri Lanka, India, Tanzania and Cambodia. Follow the ‘Palaces on Wheels’ ride on Instagram @palacesonwheels2021 and Twitter @theBATPoW. 

The Prince of Wales founded the British Asian Trust in 2007, alongside a group of pre-eminent British Asian business leaders. The charity works to reduce poverty and disadvantage for communities in South Asia. This includes work in areas of anti-trafficking, education, livelihoods, mental health and conservation. 

At The Prince’s request in April 2021, the Trust launched the Oxygen for India Emergency Appeal to raise funds for oxygen concentrators, which will be rapidly deployed to the hospitals and Covid-19 patients in India who need it most. His Royal Highness shared an official message to announce the appeal. 

Find out more about the British Asian Trust: https://www.britishasiantrust.org/ 

 THE DUCHESS OF CORNWALL VISITS ‘ON POINT: ROYAL ACADEMY OF DANCE AT 100’ AT THE V&A 

Wednesday 9th June 2021 

The Duchess of Cornwall, Vice-Patron of the Royal Academy of Dance, will visit, ‘On Point: Royal Academy of Dance At 100’ the Academy’s Centenary Display at the V&A.

On arrival, The Duchess of Cornwall will be greeted by, Colonel Jane Davis, Vice Lord-Lieutenant, who will introduce Dr Tristram Hunt, Director of the V&A and Nicholas Coleridge, Chair of the V&A. 

The Duchess will proceed to the Raphael Court where Her Royal Highness will view the Raphael Cartoons, lent to the V&A from the Royal Collection by Her Majesty The Queen and learn of recent research and work. 

The Duchess will move on to the display ‘On Point: Royal Academy of Dance at 100’. In the gallery, Her Royal Highness will meet Luke Rittner, Chief Executive of the Royal Academy of Dance, who shall present, Dame Darcey Bussell, President of the Royal Academy of Dance, Guy Perricone, Chairman of the Royal Academy of Dance, and display curators, Jane Pritchard, Curator of Dance, Theatre and Performance at the V&A, and Eleanor Fitzpatrick, Archives and Records Manager at the Royal Academy of Dance alongside Ottilie McKinley, a RAD student. 

Her Royal Highness will hear about and tour the space before meeting Dame Monica Mason, Vice-President of the Royal Academy of Dance, Aud Jebsen, Arts Philanthropist and Lady Anya Sainsbury, former dancer and Arts philanthropist. 

The Duchess will be invited to sign the Guest Book for the Royal Academy of Dance at the conclusion of the visit. 

Today HRH The Duchess of Cornwall visited our centenary display On Point: Royal Academy of Dance at 100 at the @V_and_A, in her first official engagement with us since becoming Vice-Patron.

The display is open until 1 May 2022. Read more: https://t.co/Z9XLeGiFiS @ClarenceHouse

— Royal Academy of Dance (@RADheadquarters) June 9, 2021

Royal Academy of Dance 

The visit will be The Duchess’ first official engagement as Vice Patron of the RAD. 

Her Royal Highness acquired the title last year and in taking on the role, The Duchess joined Her Majesty The Queen, who has been Patron of the Royal Academy of Dance since 1953. To mark the occasion, Her Royal Highness joined a video call with Dame Darcey Bussell, President of the Royal Academy of Dance and Angela Rippon, Silver Swans Ambassador. The Duchess discussed the Silver Swans programme, RAD’s specially designed ballet classes for over 55s and described how ballet is, ‘something that will make you feel better. It gives you a certain amount of confidence in yourself. It’s just a bit of discipline there, which I think we all need in our lives.’ The Duchess went on to say ‘I love dance in any form.’ 

In February 2018, The Duchess visited the Royal Academy of Dance and met older students taking part in a Silver Swans ballet class. 

The Duchess of Cornwall is visiting the @V_and_A today to view a display celebrating the centenary of the Royal Academy of Dance.

HRH is Vice Patron of @RADheadquarters, and this is her first official engagement for the Academy since taking up the role last year. pic.twitter.com/F14hHBlaqu

— The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall (@ClarenceHouse) June 9, 2021

On Point: Royal Academy of Dance at 100 

This project is a partnership and the display has been curated between V&A and RAD. 

The free display at the V&A in London, celebrates 100 years of the RAD and tells the story of how it shaped the future of dance training, the famous faces who lead the way, and how it continues to bring the joy of dance to the lives of people across the world. The RAD is home to one of the largest dance collections in Europe, and this is the first time in its history it has given access to its archive on this scale. 

The display presents costumes, designs, photographs and more from the RAD’s archive and the V&A’s Theatre & Performance Collection, exploring the RAD’s story from its foundation to its influence on ballet and dance internationally. It highlights the role of successive presidents, including Nureyev’s first performance in Britain in partnership with Dame Margot Fonteyn. 

Original ballet costumes and accessories worn by RAD founders and presidents are on display, along with 60 original objects and over 80 supporting archival images. Other items include busts and sculptures, sketches and drawings, as well as letters, posters, programmes, audio-visual footage and some original photographs 

The Victoria and Albert Museum 

The Victoria and Albert Museum, London (V&A) is the world’s leading museum of art, design and performance with collections unrivalled in their scope and diversity, spanning 5000 years of human creativity. It was established in 1852 to make works of art available to all and to inspire British designers and manufacturers. Today, its purpose is to champion creative industry, inspire the next generation, and spark everyone’s imagination.