THE CHRISTENING OF PRINCE LOUIS

ST. JAMES’S PALACE

Monday 9th July, 2018

The christening of Prince Louis will take place today, Monday 9th July, at the Chapel Royal, St. James’s Palace.

Prince Louis will be christened by The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby.

The service will begin at 1600hrs and will last approximately 40 minutes.

Guests and Godparents

The following guests will today attend the christening of Prince Louis at The Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace:

–    The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall
–    The Duke and Duchess of Sussex
–    Mr. and Mrs. Michael Middleton, Mr. and Mrs. James Matthews, and Mr. James Middleton
–    The godparents of Prince Louis and their spouses

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have asked the following people to be godparents to Prince Louis, all of whom are friends or family of Their Royal Highnesses:

–    Mr. Nicholas van Cutsem
–    Mr. Guy Pelly
–    Mr. Harry Aubrey-Fletcher
–    The Lady Laura Meade
–    Mrs. Robert Carter
–    Miss Lucy Middleton

Prince Louis will wear the handmade replica of the Royal Christening Robe, made by Angela Kelly, Dressmaker to The Queen.

The Lily Font and water from the River Jordan will be used during the baptism.

Following the service, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will give a private tea at Clarence House. Guests will be served slices of christening cake, which is a tier taken from The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding cake.

The Royal Christening Robe
The Royal Christening Robe, of fine Honiton lace lined with white satin, was made in 1841 for the christening of Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter, Victoria, Princess Royal.

The original gown was subsequently worn for all Royal christenings, including The Queen, her children and her grandchildren, until the youngest of The Queen’s eight grandchildren, James, Viscount Severn.

The Queen commissioned Angela Kelly to make a hand-made replica of the Royal Christening Robe in order to preserve the original. James, Viscount Severn, was the first member of the Royal Family to wear this replica gown at his christening at the private chapel at Windsor Castle on 19th April 2008.

The Lily Font
The Lily Font is a silver baptismal font which was commissioned by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1840 after the birth of their first child, Victoria, Princess Royal. It was first used at The Princess Royal’s christening in 1841 and has been a feature of Royal christenings since then.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s Wedding Cake
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding cake, designed by Fiona Cairns, was made from 17 individual fruit cakes and had eight tiers. The cake was decorated with cream and white icing using the Joseph Lambeth technique. There were up to 900 individually iced flowers and leaves of 17 different varieties decorated on the cake. A garland design around the middle of the cake matched the architectural garlands decorated around the top of the Picture Gallery in Buckingham Palace, the room in which the cake was displayed during the wedding.

Official Photographer

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have asked Matt Holyoak to be the official photographer at the christening of Prince Louis. Mr. Holyoak will take the official photographs at Clarence House following the service in The Chapel Royal.

Matt Holyoak has established himself as one of the world’s leading portrait photographers.  His love of portraiture started at art college, where he studied to be a fine artist, specialising in contemporary portrait painting and drawing.  He then discovered his passion for photography and perfected his craft working in still life, fashion and portraiture. Matt has had a number of his pieces of work acquired by The National Portrait Gallery for their permanent collection, and has donated photographic prints to many exhibitions across the world.

In 2017, Matt Holyoak photographed Her Majesty The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh to mark their 70th wedding anniversary.

State Visit by The King and Queen of The Netherlands

Their Majesties The King and Queen of the Netherlands have accepted an invitation from The Queen to pay a State Visit to the United Kingdom from 23rd to 24th October 2018.

The King and Queen of the Netherlands will stay at Buckingham Palace.

The Queen has hosted two previous State Visits from the Netherlands during her reign: the last State Visit from the Netherlands was by Her Majesty Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus of the Netherlands in November 1982. In April 1972, Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard paid a State Visit to the United Kingdom.

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh paid a State Visit to Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands in March 1958.

THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF SUSSEX WILL VISIT THE NELSON MANDELA CENTENARY EXHIBITION

Southbank Centre, London

Tuesday 17th July, 2018

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will visit the Nelson Mandela Centenary Exhibition at Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall.

This exhibition explores the life and times of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (1918 – 2013) and marks the centenary of his birth. It provides insight into Mandela’s journey from young freedom fighter to becoming the inspiration for an international movement against South Africa’s violent and oppressive apartheid system. The exhibition is jointly curated by the Apartheid Museum in South Africa, the British Anti-Apartheid Movement Archives, and the Southbank Centre.

The exhibition is based around six themes (Character, Comrade, Leader, Prisoner, Negotiator, Statesman), and is made up of information and photo panels, along with films and archive items from different periods of Nelson Mandela’s life. Their Royal Highnesses will tour the exhibition and at each themed panel will meet people associated with the exhibition and with Mandela’s work including Andrew Mlangeni, who stood as an accused on charges of sabotage against the then apartheid government during the Rivonia Trials in 1938, and spent 26 years imprisoned on Robben Island. Thembi Tambo, the South Africa High Commissioner to the UK and daughter of anti-apartheid politician Oliver Tambo, who was a close colleague of Mandela’s, will also be present.

Their Royal Highnesses will listen to speeches by Lord Peter Hain, Chair of The Nelson Mandela Centenary Committee, and Elaine Bedell, Chief Executive of Southbank Centre, before joining those present in celebrating the official opening of the exhibition that will launch two days ahead of Southbank Centre’s Africa Utopia festival (19th – 22nd July). The Nelson Mandela Centenary Exhibition will run at Southbank Centre from 17th July to 19th August.

The Duke of Cambridge will attend ceremony marking centenary of the Battle of Amiens

Wednesday 8th August, 2018

The Duke of Cambridge will attend a ceremony marking the centenary of the Battle of Amiens on Wednesday 8th August. The ceremony will be held at Amiens Cathedral in Amiens, France. The visit is being undertaken at the request of Her Majesty’s Government.

Further details will be advised.

HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN, COLONEL-IN-CHIEF, WILL PRESENT A NEW STANDARD TO THE ROYAL SCOTS DRAGOON GUARDS (CARABINIERS AND GREYS) 

LEUCHARS STATION, FIFE

Thursday, 5th July, 2018

Her Majesty The Queen, Colonel-in-Chief, will present a New Standard to the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys) at Leuchars Station, Fife on Thursday 5th July.

On the Parade Ground, Her Majesty will be met by His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent, Deputy Colonel-in-Chief, before inspecting the Parade from the State Review Range Rover. Prayers and Consecration of the New Standard will follow the Parade inspection before Her Majesty presents the New Standard. Her Majesty will make a speech before a Royal Salute, the National Anthem, Three Cheers and Regiment March Past.

Following the Parade, The Queen will view a display of equipment and vehicles and meet families.  Afterwards, there will be a Reception and private luncheon.  Her Majesty will sign the Visitors’ Book and receive a gift and posy before departing. The Queen will depart the Station by car, through Leuchars, following the Pipes and Drums of the Regiment.

The Queen and other Members of the Royal Family will attend events to mark the 100th anniversary of the Royal Air Force

Tuesday 10th July 2018

Her Majesty The Queen, accompanied by The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke of Cambridge, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, The Duke of York, The Earl and Countess of Wessex, The Princess Royal and other Members of the Royal Family, will attend a service at Westminster Abbey to mark the centenary of the Royal Air Force.

The Royal Air Force – the world’s first independent air force – was founded on 1 April 1918, independent of the British Army and Royal Navy.

For one hundred years the RAF has defended the skies of Britain, preventing conflicts, delivering aid and combating cyber threats while working in partnership with other Services, from Operation Ruman – the UK’s humanitarian assistance operation in the aftermath of hurricane Irma which hit the Caribbean in September 2017, to the RAF’s Quick Reaction Alert Typhoon Aircraft, providing a UK air defence capability 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Today the RAF is engaged on some 13 missions across 26 countries and is heavily committed on operations both at home and abroad.

To mark its centenary year, special events, activities and other initiatives at local, regional and national levels will run from April to the end of September 2018. The centrepiece of RAF100 will take place on 10 July, with a service in Westminster Abbey, followed by a parade in The Mall and spectacular flypast over Buckingham Palace.

SOVEREIGN GRANT REPORT 2017-18

The Royal Household today published its annual financial statement, The Sovereign Grant Report. For the financial year 2017-18, the Sovereign Grant amounted to £76.1m. For the first time, it included a dedicated amount – £30.4m – to fund the Reservicing of Buckingham Palace, a major 10 year overhaul of essential building services including electrical wiring, pipework, boilers and generators.

The Sovereign Grant was supplemented by additional income of £17.3m, generated from sources including facilities management charges and property rental. Official expenditure met by the Sovereign Grant in 2017-18 amounted to £47.4m. The excess of the Sovereign Grant and other income over expenditure of £28.7m was transferred to the Sovereign Grant Reserve. This includes £26.3m to meet future commitments for the Reservicing Programme.

Other highlights of the 2017-18 Report include:

• An increase of 16% in income generated to supplement the Sovereign Grant.
• A 7% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a 2% fall in energy consumption, as part of a broader commitment to environmental sustainability.
• Details of Reservicing Programme activity in 2017-18 and forthcoming plans for 2018-19 – including High Priority Works (replacement of boilers and generators) and the decant of the East Wing of the Palace.
• Official duties: in 2017-18 The Queen undertook 154 official engagements, while some 3000 engagements were carried out by the Royal Family as a whole.

Reflecting on the year 2017-18, the Keeper of the Privy Purse, Sir Michael Stevens, said:

“For the first time since the reign of Queen Victoria, there are three generations of the royal family at work together in support of The Queen. Each generation brings its own style and personality. What everyone shares is a desire for the monarchy to reflect and serve all parts of our country and the wider Commonwealth.”

Commenting on the Reservicing of Buckingham Palace, Sir Michael added:-

“The programme addresses the urgent need to overhaul the Palace’s essential services – some of which have not been updated since the 1950s. These important works will help avert the very real danger of a catastrophic building failure such as a flood or fire. During the first year of Reservicing, we removed the oldest and highest-risk electrical cabling. We set up a programme office and appointed key roles including the architect, design team and surveyors. We also commissioned a 3D survey of the building which has given us an unprecedented level of detail about the Palace.”

To download the full report visit https://www.royal.uk/financial-reports-2017-18

HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN, HONORARY AIR COMMODORE, WILL ATTEND A PARADE AND RECEPTION FOR No. 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron RAUXAF AT THE PALACE OF HOLYROODHOUSE, EDINBURGH

Tuesday 3rd July, 2018

As part of RAF100 year, 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron RauxAF has been honoured with the Freedom of The City of Edinburgh, to be exercised by marching down the Royal Mile to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, where they will mount a Parade on the Forecourt on Tuesday 3rd July 2018. Her Majesty The Queen, Honorary Air Commodore, will then give a Reception for the squadron.

HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN WILL ATTEND THE CEREMONY OF THE KEYS AT THE PALACE OF HOLYROODHOUSE, EDINBURGH

MONDAY, 2ND JULY, 2018

Her Majesty The Queen will attend the Ceremony of the Keys at the Palace of Holyroodhouse on Monday, 2nd July, 2018. The Guard of Honour will be Balaklava Company, The Argyll and Sunderland Highlanders, 5^th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (5 SCOTS). Pipes and Drums will be provided by The Highlanders, 4^th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (4 SCOTS) and music by The Band of The Royal Regiment of Scotland.