THE DUCHESS OF CORNWALL WILL CELEBRATE THE 7TH ANNIVERSARY OF BOOKS UNLOCKED & 2019 BOOKER PRIZE AT KPMG’S MAYFAIR CAFÉ

24TH OCTOBER 2019

The Duchess of Cornwall, Patron, National Literacy Trust (NLT) will attend a tea reception to mark the 7th anniversary of NLT’s Books Unlocked programme which provides free copies of Booker Prize shortlisted titles to people in prison library groups to read, discuss and keep. The tea will also celebrate the 2019 Booker Prize.

On arrival at the café HRH will be met by representatives from the NLT and The Booker Prize. HRH will then join a tea reception, which will include supporters of the NLT’s work in prisons. This will comprise prison librarians, volunteers, and Booker Prize shortlisted authors who have visited prisons through Books Unlocked, including Stephen Kelman (Pigeon English) and Rachel Seiffert (The Dark Room).

As part of the visit, HRH will meet representatives from National Prison Radio (NPR), which supports Books Unlocked, including former prisoner producers and ex-offenders mentored as part of the scheme. The event will be recorded by NPR and broadcast directly into almost 80,000 cells in prisons and young offender institutions across England and Wales in the coming week.

Booker Prize guests will also be present, including Peter Florence (Chair of Judges for the 2019 prize), author Elif Shafak (whose title 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World was shortlisted for the 2019 Prize) and Dotti Irving (Chief Executive, Four Communications).

Following the reception, the guests will take their seats as Peter Florence and Elif Shafak provide an unrivalled insight into the 2019 Booker Prize. Gaby Wood (Literary Director of The Booker Prize Foundation) will chair the conversation, inviting questions from the audience. Prison librarians will ask questions on behalf of their Books Unlocked prison reading groups, including where Shafak gets her writing inspiration, what Florence thought was unique about this year’s shortlist, and ask for writing tips and advice. The Duchess of Cornwall is expected to ask a question.

The Duchess of Cornwall is Patron of the National Literacy Trust. HRH has undertaken visits to HMP Brixton and HMP Styal in support of Books Unlocked, and has presented The Booker Prize in previous years.

The reception will be hosted by KPMG at their 19 Brooks Mews café (Mayfair, London). KPMG is a long-term supporter of the National Literacy Trust and will donate 10p from every ‘literacy latte’ sold between October – December to support Books Unlocked. KPMG is also committed to working in the criminal justice sector through its Key4Life mentoring scheme for young offenders.

About the National Literacy Trust and Books Unlocked

The National Literacy Trust is an independent charity dedicated to raising literacy levels in the UK and giving children, young people and adults from disadvantaged communities the literacy skills to succeed in life.

Books Unlocked is the National Literacy Trust’s flagship criminal justice programme and is supported by The Booker Prize Foundation. Books Unlocked uses the power of reading to help those in prisons and young offender institutions, lead productive and fulfilling lives while in custody and upon release.

Books Unlocked provides free copies of Booker Prize shortlisted and longlisted titles for participants to read, discuss and keep, and facilitates visits from the authors of these titles to prison reading groups. Books Unlocked also works with National Prison Radio to serialise audiobooks of Booker Prize titles and broadcast author interviews.

Since the programme’s launch in 2012, Books Unlocked has:

• Been delivered in 75 settings across England and Wales, including prisons, young offender institutions, schools and libraries
• Facilitated visits to prison library groups from Booker Prize shortlisted and longlisted authors, such as Roddy Doyle, Stephen Kelman, Sarah Waters, Ali Smith, AD Miller and Jim Crace
• Gifted 8,000 Booker Prize shortlisted and longlisted titles to participants

About The Booker Prize

The Booker Prize for Fiction is the leading literary award in the English speaking world and was first awarded in 1969. The Booker Prize is awarded annually to the best novel of the year written in English and published in the UK or Ireland.

The 2019 Booker Prize was jointly awarded to Margaret Atwood (The Testaments) and Bernardine Evaristo (Girl, Woman, Other). For a full history of the prize, including previous winners, shortlisted authors and judges, visit: www.thebookerprizes.com

THE DUCHESS OF CORNWALL WILL VISIT BATH

Tuesday 22nd October 2019

The Duchess of Cornwall, President of the Royal Osteoporosis Society and Patron of Versus Arthritis, will open the new Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases (RNHRD) and Brownsword Therapies Centre, at the Royal United Hospitals Bath (RUH).

Her Royal Highness will subsequently join a reception to mark the 20th anniversary of the Forever Friends Appeal, the charity for the RUH.

Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases (RNHRD)

In 2015, RNHRD became part of the Royal United Hospitals Bath (RUH). Over the past four years work has been undertaken to bring staff and services from the RNHRD and the RUH together on one site. The Trust has worked closely with staff, patients and others to identify and provide the best new home for services moving from the RNHRD’s Mineral Water Hospital site in Bath. Known locally as the ‘Min’, the RNHRD building housed rheumatology, rheumatology therapies, fatigue and chronic pain services, as well as diagnostic and research teams and support staff.

In autumn 2019 the phased move of rheumatology, rheumatology therapies and fatigue staff and services to the new purpose built RNHRD and Brownsword Therapies Centre began. All other RNHRD services will make the move to the main RUH site in Bath later this year.

Brownsword Therapies Centre

This new, purpose built centre is an outpatient centre providing treatment, care and education for patients to recover from episodes of illness or injury, or to manage their long-term condition.

Designed in conjunction with patients and staff, the new building includes a large hydrotherapy pool, group rooms, education rooms, a specialist gym and rehabilitation equipment, therapeutic outdoor areas and a biologics treatment space. The new centre has been specially designed to make use of natural light as well as garden areas and art to create a nurturing environment for all who use the building.

The centre is the new home for many of the services currently provided at the Min, including:

• Rheumatology
• Rheumatology Therapies
• The Bath Centre for Fatigue Services
• Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Service
• Complex Cancer Late Effects Rehabilitation Service

Art and heritage play a significant role in the new centre, with historic paintings from the Min site joining modern artworks that have been specially commissioned, including a geographical timeline tracing the route of Bath’s hot springs, decorated glass panels depicting local landscapes and hydrotherapy designs, heritage wallpaper and contemporary images interpreting present-day practice.

The new centre will see around 25,000 patients a year.

Forever Friends Appeal

The Forever Friends Appeal is the fundraising charity for the RUH. The Appeal funds projects that make a real difference to the lives of hundreds of thousands of patients cared for by the RUH each year, including for the new RNHRD and Therapies Centre.

Fundraisers and donors make it possible for the appeal to help pay for additional equipment, research and innovations, as well as finishing touches and ‘extras’ that complement the existing high quality care at the hospitals. Since June 1999, more than £20 million has been raised by the charity.

The Duchess of Cornwall

Her Royal Highness was Patron of the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases (RNHRD) between 2006 and 2016, at the old Mineral Water Hospital site.

The Duchess has visited the RUH twice previously: in 2010 to open the Cardiac centre and in 2012 to open a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (Dyson Centre for Neonatal Care).

Catch up on The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall’s most recent engagements in the latest issue of Royal Life.

THE DUCHESS OF CORNWALL WILL UNDERTAKE ENGAGEMENTS IN SUSSEX

Thursday 17th October 2019

Engagement 1

The Duchess of Cornwall will open the new Dream Centre at Chailey Heritage Foundation. The multi-purpose centre features a sports hall, stage, immersive sensory zone and specialist rebound therapy facilities. With its versatility and 21st century innovations, the new centre will provide young people with complex disabilities the opportunity to participate in engaging activities.

On arrival at Chailey Heritage Foundation Her Royal Highness will be greeted by many of the children who use the facilities.

On entering the hall HRH will watch children playing a game of table cricket, before meeting supporters, fundraisers and teachers. HRH will watch a short film ‘Amazing Grace’ about the Charity’s founder, Grace Kimmins before viewing a short performance by pupils of Chailey Heritage School ‘Cirque du Chailey.’

Following the performance Her Royal Highness will meet children on the stage and unveil a plaque to officially open The Dream Centre before singing the visitors’ book.

Outside in the courtyard HRH will plant a tree in memory of her mother who volunteered at the Foundation. HRH will meet more young people and staff members.

HRH last visited Chailey Heritage Foundation in 2013. HRH’s mother Rosalind Shand volunteered at the charity for 20 years.

Chailey Heritage Foundation provides education, care and transition services for young people aged 0-25 with complex physical disabilities and health needs. It encompasses Chailey Heritage School, Chailey Heritage Residential, providing full time residential accommodation and short breaks, and Chailey Heritage Futures, a residential transition provision for young adults, alongside a Life Skills Centre and day provision for disabled young adults from the community, and most recently, Chailey Heritage Pathways, a brand new service providing highly trained specialist care at home or in the community.

They share their site and work in partnership with Chailey Clinical Services, part of Sussex Community NHS Trust. This enables children to benefit from totally integrated multi-disciplinary support. They currently have 90 pupils in the school, half of whom are accessing their residential services, 24 young adults residing in Futures transition service and 136 young adults using the Life Skills Centre. Their facilities are used by young people from all over the UK.

For 116 years, Chailey Heritage Foundation has supported children and young people with disabilities. In 1903, Dame Grace Kimmins took over a disused Parish Workhouse in East Sussex, making it a home for seven disabled boys from East London who had Rickets, Tuberculous of the bones or were disabled due to an accident.

During this time, it has transformed itself with new buildings, new skills, specially designed technology, and innovative approaches to education and care for children and young people with very complex disabilities and health needs.

Transforming the 1958 Dame Grace Kimmins Memorial Hall, now the Dream Centre was essential to create a stimulating space for learning and social activities suitable for wheelchair users and their families.

The Dream Centre Appeal began in Autumn 2016 with the launch of a £3.1m fundraising initiative to raise the funds required to replace their ageing and dilapidated 1950’s Assembly Hall with a modern, purpose built indoor sports and activity centre that will allow the young people, all of whom use wheelchairs, to play indoor sport, take part in drama and musical performances, develop their balance through rebound therapy, learn to drive powered wheelchair, and broaden their horizons through a state of the art 4D immersive experience zone. Work began on the centre in April 2019 and was completed by July 2019.

• Sports, games, and exercise
• Rebound Therapy
• Performance & Celebration

Engagement 2

The Duchess of Cornwall, President, will visit Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft to view their Typography exhibition ‘Kitching in Ditchling’ and meet artists and craftspeople in the William & Margaret Rowling Gallery before seeing their new exhibition Disruption, Devotion + Distributism. HRH will then meet school children using their Clore Learning Space.

On arrival Her Royal Highness will be met by Ms Stephanie Fuller, Director & CEO of the museum and Mrs KilBride, Chair of the Friends. HRH will then tour the William + Margaret Rowling Gallery and view the current typography exhibition (Kitching in Ditchling: The London Series) and meet Adam Richards, the Architect who designed the museum, which went through a major redevelopment in 2014.

HRH will then view the ‘Disruption, Devotion + Distributism’ exhibition in the Main Gallery which is due to open on the 19th October. During the tour of the exhibition, which includes never before seen work by Eric Gill, HRH will meet the Curator, Donna Steele and the museum’s Board of Directors.

HRH will then meet children from Ditchling (St Margaret’s) CE Primary School who will be engaged in a drawing activity. The children will be sketching items from the museum’s collection that speak to the history of the village, including a Copper Tea Kettle, awarded during the annual Ditchling Gooseberry and Redcurrant show.

HRH will then meet staff and volunteers in the Cart Lodge before departure.

The Duchess of Cornwall has been President of Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft since 2006 and last visited on 26th March 2014. HRH also went to school in the village.

Throughout the 20th century Ditchling attracted artists and craft workers of national repute including Eric Gill, Hilary Pepler, Desmond Chute and Joseph Cribb. This museum provides the opportunity to see the works in the place where they were made.

In 1985, when they were 78 and 76 years old respectively, Joanna and Hilary Bourne bought the former school in the village of Ditchling and opened Ditchling Museum. The sisters had spent their childhood in the village and mixed with the children of many of the artists whose work would eventually be included in the museum’s collection.

In 2013 Sir Nicholas Serota, Director of Tate, formally opened Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft after a major £2.3m refurbishment.

Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft has a frequently changing programme of exhibitions and displays alongside a growing permanent collection.

Current Exhibitions

Kitching in Ditchling: Inspired by the bold typography of Hilary Pepler, contemporary letterpress maestro Alan Kitching presents Kitching in Ditchling: Further details to be given on the day to the media.

Disruption, Devotion + Distributism: Further details to be given on the day to the media.

Catch up on The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall’s most recent engagements in the latest issue of Royal Life.

THE DUCHESS OF CORNWALL WILL UNDERTAKE LITERACY ENGAGEMENTS IN LONDON

Tuesday 15th October 2019 – Wednesday 16th October 2019

The Duchess of Cornwall will be undertaking a number of engagements encompassing Her Royal Highness’s passion for the world of literacy. An avid reader herself, The Duchess believes it is vital to support children and adults alike to develop an interest in reading and writing. Her Royal Highness promotes this ethos through various patronages, including the Royal Society of Literature, The National Literacy Trust, Book Trust, The Wicked Young Writers Award, Beanstalk and First Story.

Furthermore, The Duchess of Cornwall has presented The Booker Prize for Fiction six times, and hosted the prize-giving for The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition in her role as Vice-Patron of The Royal Commonwealth Society. Her Royal Highness has also supported BBC Radio 2’s 500 Words competition since 2015 and has been an Honorary Judge since 2016.

TUESDAY 15TH OCTOBER

Engagement 1

The Duchess of Cornwall will host a tea for the Booker Prize Foundation, where Her Royal Highness will meet the 2019 Booker Prize Winner.

The Booker Prize Foundation became a registered charity in 2002. It is responsible for the award of The Booker Prize for Fiction and the International Booker Prize. Crankstart, the charitable foundation of Sir Michael Moritz KBE and his wife, Harriet Heyman, is the new supporter of The Booker Prize and The International Booker Prize.

First awarded in 1969, The Booker Prize is recognised as the leading literary award in the English-speaking world bringing recognition, reward and readership to outstanding fiction. This year’s winner will be announced on Monday 14th October at London’s Guildhall. The shortlisted titles and authors are: Margaret Atwood for The Testaments; Lucy Ellmann for Ducks, Newburyport; Bernardine Evaristo for Girl, Woman, Other; Chigozie Obioma for An Orchestra of Minorities; Salman Rushdie for Quichotte; and Elif Shafak for 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World.

The Duchess of Cornwall presented the Man Booker Prize, as it was formerly known, for the sixth time last year and in July 2018, Her Royal Highness hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace to mark 50 years of the Prize.

In previous years, The Duchess has presented the award to Eleanor Catton in 2013 for her book The Luminaries; to Richard Flanagan in 2014 for his book The Narrow Road to The Deep North; to Marlon James in 2015 for A Brief History of Seven Killings; to Paul Beatty in 2016 for The Sellout; to George Saunders for Lincoln in the Bardo in 2017; and to Anna Burns for Milkman in 2018.

WEDNESDAY 16TH OCTOBER

Engagement 2

The Duchess of Cornwall will attend a reception for the ‘Poetry Together’ initiative followed by a tea party. At the event, hosted by Gyles Brandreth, schoolchildren and older people will perform poetry they have learnt by heart.

In 2019, the inaugural Poetry Together campaign was launched by Gyles Brandreth and Dukes Education. This initiative encourages schools to link with care homes – bringing young people and old people together to learn a poem by heart and perform it over tea.

The initiative, led by broadcaster and poetry-lover Gyles Brandreth, in partnership with Dukes Education, a family of schools and education organisations based in the UK, is inspired by research that shows learning poetry by heart has wonderful effects on the brain for people of all ages.

So far, 200 schools and elderly groups have signed up to participate, from every corner of the UK. Children and older people from as far and wide as Aberdeen, Caerphilly, Cornwall, Londonderry, Liverpool, Sussex, Bristol, Blackpool and many more areas, have been practising their poems all year.

The campaign comes to a head in the fortnight from October 3rd – National Poetry Day. Over these two weeks, schools all over the UK will visit care homes and vice versa to recite their poems together and share tea and cake.

To celebrate, Gyles Brandreth has invited some of the Poetry Together groups to come together for a special tea party on 16th October, at Eaton Square Upper School in London. Around five groups will have the chance to recite their poems for The Duchess of Cornwall.

The initiative is supported by The Silver Line, of which Her Royal Highness is Patron, Dame Judi Dench and the former Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen.

‘Poetry By Heart’ – BBC Radio 4 Programme 2018

Last year, Her Royal Highness took part in an interview with Gyles Brandreth for a BBC Radio 4 programme, broadcast in the run-up to National Poetry Day. The programme ‘Poetry By Heart’ highlighted the value of poetry and how learning poetry by heart has many benefits, including helping to keep the mind active as we get older. The Duchess herself read from memory a few lines from Matilda by Hilaire Belloc, a poem that she learnt as a girl. Listen to the interview here.

Engagement 3

The Duchess of Cornwall will host a tea to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Waterstones Children’s Laureate.

The Waterstones Children’s Laureate is awarded once every two years to an eminent writer or illustrator of children’s books to celebrate outstanding achievement in their field.

The current Waterstones Children’s Laureate is Cressida Cowell, author-illustrator of the How to Train Your Dragon and The Wizards of Once book series, and the author of the Emily Brown picture books, illustrated by Neal Layton. She has sold over 11 million books worldwide in 38 languages.

Authors and illustrators, who have previously held the role of Children’s Laureate, are also expected to attend, including Jacqueline Wilson, Anthony Browne, Julia Donaldson, Malorie Blackman, Chris Riddell and Cressida Cowell.

The following authors and illustrators have been Children Laureates:

• Quentin Blake (Mister Magnolia): conceived the idea for the House of Illustration, the world’s first centre dedicated to the art of illustration
• Anne Fine (Madame Doubtfire) – toured and campaigned to promote the importance of children’s reading
• Sir Michael Morpurgo (War Horse) – asserted that literature comes before literacy, encouraging children to discover the secret pleasure of reading and find their own voice
• Jacqueline Wilson (The Story of Tracy Beaker) – developed the book Great Books to Read Aloud
• Michael Rosen (We’re Going on a Bear Hunt) – developed Perform-a-poem website to encourage children to enjoy poetry
• Anthony Browne (Gorilla, Willy the Wimp) – promoted the importance of picture books and children’s illustration and support the development of visual literacy
• Julia Donaldson (The Gruffalo) – developed an anthology, Poems to Perform and helped primary school children become more confident and expressive readers
• Malorie Blackman (Noughts and Crosses) – set up the first ever Young Adult Literature Convention (YALC)
• Chris Riddell (Fortunately the Milk) – published a daily Laureate Log to create visual resources for all and celebrate the joy of drawing and reading for pleasure
• Lauren Child (Charlie and Lola) – launched ‘Staring into Space’ her initiative to get children thinking creatively.

Catch up on The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall’s most recent engagements in the latest issue of Royal Life.

THEIR ROYAL HIGHNESSES THE PRINCE OF WALES AND THE DUCHESS OF CORNWALL WILL VISIT NEW ZEALAND, TUVALU & THE SOLOMON ISLANDS

17th November – 25th November 2019

Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will undertake an official visit to New Zealand between Sunday 17th and Saturday 23rd November at the invitation of the New Zealand Government. This will be Their Royal Highnesses third official joint tour to New Zealand.

On his return from New Zealand, The Prince will visit Tuvalu and the Solomon Islands to celebrate the Monarchy’s relationship with these Commonwealth Realms.

Their Royal Highnesses will arrive in Auckland, New Zealand on Sunday 17th November. During their visit, The Prince and The Duchess will visit programmes and organisations working in areas they are committed to supporting. The Prince will focus on young people and youth opportunity, as well as environmental issues – with particular emphasis on tackling plastic waste. The Duchess will continue her focus on key themes including domestic violence and literacy.

During their time in Auckland, Their Royal Highnesses will receive an official welcome at Government House and meet with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. The Prince and The Duchess will then visit a number of community-based projects working to address social issues and create youth opportunity.

From Auckland, Their Royal Highnesses will travel to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds to receive an official welcome and to honour the relationship between The Crown and the Māori people. The Prince has visited the Treaty Grounds on previous visits to New Zealand, most recently in 1994.

Their Royal Highnesses will also travel to Christchurch where they will see first-hand the resilience and regeneration of the city since the 2011 earthquake. The Prince and The Duchess will also see how the community has rallied to support the families affected by the two Mosque attacks in the city in March.

The Prince of Wales will then visit Kaikōura to learn about the profound effect the 2016 earthquake had on the town, especially on the road and rail connections.

At the end of the tour of New Zealand, The Duchess will return to the UK. The Prince will travel on to Tuvalu where he will receive an official welcome and attend a reception. His Royal Highness’ programme will focus on environmental issues and how local communities are responding to climate change. The Prince will also meet with young people to hear about the positive contributions they are making to the climate change debate.

His Royal Highness will conclude the tour with a visit to the Solomon Islands. This will be The Prince of Wales’ first visit to the Solomon Islands. His Royal Highness will attend a public engagement, which will focus on ocean preservation and climate change. The Prince will also spend time learning about sustainable fisheries management in the Pacific Ocean.

Catch up on The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall’s most recent engagements in the latest issue of Royal Life.

THE QUEEN AND THE DUCHESS OF CORNWALL WILL ATTEND A SERVICE MARKING THE 750TH ANNIVERSARY OF WESTMINSTER ABBEY

Tuesday 15th October 2019

Her Majesty The Queen, accompanied by Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall, will attend a service at Westminster Abbey to mark 750 years since Edward the Confessor’s original church was rebuilt under the reign of King Henry III. The new Gothic abbey was consecrated on 13th October 1269.

THE DUKE OF SUSSEX WILL VISIT NOTTINGHAM FOR ENGAGEMENTS TO MARK WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY

Thursday 10th October 2019

On Thursday 10th October, World Mental Health Day, The Duke of Sussex will return to Nottingham to visit two community initiatives in St Ann’s, Nottingham, which aim to improve the opportunities for young people and support them from becoming involved in youth violence and crime through a combination of early intervention, mentorship, and training: EPIC Partners mentoring at Nottingham Academy, and Community Recording Studio (CRS).

HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN WILL VISIT HAIG HOUSING TRUST TO OPEN THEIR NEW VETERAN HOUSING DEVELOPMENT

Friday 11th October 2019

Her Majesty The Queen, Patron, will visit Haig Housing Trust to officially open their new housing development in Morden for armed forces veterans and the ex-service community on Friday 11th October 2019.