Founded in 1870, Keble College is now one of the largest colleges at Oxford University, with over 840 students. The H B Allen Centre was built as part of Keble’s 150th Anniversary Campaign, with the aim of creating a new home for the college’s graduate community and new facilities to support inter-disciplinary research and collaboration. During the visit, the Duke will meet with representatives who were involved in the construction of the building.

The H B Allen Centre also provides workspaces for Oxford Sciences Innovation (OSI), and the Oxford Robotics Institute (ORI). During his tour of the centre, His Royal Highness will visit OSI’s Innovation Incubation space and meet some of the start-up companies working in the space, including a business which is using virtual reality to treat psychological disorders. The Duke will then meet ORI academics and view some of the robots that are being developed at the centre.

In addition to academic facilities, the H B Allen Centre also provides accommodation and living facilities for its graduate students. His Royal Highness will visit one of the building’s common rooms to meet a group of graduates who have been using the centre to hear about their experiences.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will attend a special event hosted by His Highness The Aga Khan at the Aga Khan Centre on Wednesday 2nd October. The event falls ahead of Their Royal Highnesses’ official visit to Pakistan, which will take place between Monday 14th and Friday 18th October.

Organised in cooperation with the High Commission of Pakistan, the event will showcase modern Pakistani culture and will allow the Duke and Duchess to meet a range of people from Pakistan, including community leaders, those involved in British and Pakistani business, and key figures within the diaspora community, including musicians, chefs and artists.

The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) has been working in Pakistan for over a century to improve the quality of life, promote pluralism, and enhance civil society. Through its development agencies, AKDN works with thousands of local communities and provides a broad range of services across the country, including school improvement programmes, financial inclusion, conservation projects, and healthcare facilities.

The Aga Khan Centre in London’s King’s Cross is a place for education, knowledge, cultural exchange and insight into Muslim civilisations. The centre is home to the Aga Khan Foundation, the Aga Khan University’s Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations, and the Institute of Ismail Studies.

The organisations work together to bridge the gap in understanding about Muslim cultures and to connect the public to global development issues.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will visit Birkenhead on Thursday 26th September to attend the naming ceremony of the UK’s new polar research ship, the RRS Sir David Attenborough. Before the ceremony, Their Royal Highnesses will undertake a short tour of the ship.

Owned by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and operated by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), the RRS Sir David Attenborough will enable world-leading research to be carried out in Antarctica and the Arctic over the next 25 to 30 years. Studying these remote regions plays a crucial role in allowing us to understand the changes in our planet’s oceans, marine life and climate systems. The ship will be available year-round to the UK’s research community.

On board, Their Royal Highnesses will meet a team of engineers from Cammell Laird who have been involved in the ship’s build, including young apprentices. Founded in Birkenhead in 1828, Cammell Laird specialises in ship building, repair, refit and conversion as well as providing engineering services to the energy sector.

The Duke and Duchess will then proceed to the flight deck. Accompanied by Sir David Attenborough, Their Royal Highnesses will meet scientists who will demonstrate state-of-the art equipment which is used to carry out research whilst at sea and in Antarctica. The Duke and Duchess will also meet schoolchildren involved in BAS’s ‘Polar Explorer’ programme, which encourages and supports schools to enrich their teaching of STEM subjects by educating pupils about polar science and the ship’s future expeditions.

Their Royal Highnesses will then visit the bridge where they will meet the ship’s captains, crewmembers, and hear about its ice-breaking capabilities and navigation systems.

The Duke and Duchess will disembark the ship to attend the official naming ceremony, during which Sir David Attenborough and the Duke will make a few remarks. As the ship’s sponsor, the Duchess of Cambridge will formally name the ship as a bottle of champagne is smashed against the hull. Upon the ceremony’s conclusion, Their Royal Highnesses will meet with members of the public.

Following the service, His Royal Highness will attend a reception at the Pontifical Urban College. Cardinal Newman studied at the college while preparing to become a Catholic priest.

Cardinal Newman will be the first English saint since the Forty Martyrs were canonised in 1970, and the first British saint since St John Ogilvie in 1976.

Following the announcement, the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Nichols said: “We are delighted that HRH The Prince of Wales will lead the UK delegation for the canonisation of Cardinal Newman on 13 October. Cardinal Newman’s exploration of faith, depth of personal courage, intellectual clarity and cultural sensitivity make him a deeply admired follower of Christ. His ministry, especially among the poor, is a permanent sign of the Church’s pastoral compassion and a challenge to us all today.

“As one who has been a lifelong champion of the spiritual in everyday life, to promote understanding between faiths, and who has sought to alleviate poverty and disadvantage through his charitable work, the Prince of Wales is particularly qualified to mark the canonisation, which will be such a significant and joyful moment for this country”.