The Duke of Cambridge, President, will attend a reception for The Royal Marsden Trust

Thursday 14th June 2018

The Duke of Cambridge, President, will attend a reception for The Royal Marsden Trust at Buckingham Palace on Thursday 14th June 2018.

The Royal Marsden opened its doors in 1851 as the world’s first hospital dedicated to cancer diagnosis, treatment, research and education. Today, together with its academic partner, The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), The Royal Marsden is the largest and most comprehensive cancer centre in Europe treating and seeing over 50,000 NHS and private patients every year, as well as a centre of excellence with an international reputation for ground-breaking research and pioneering the very latest in cancer treatments and technologies.

Major Tech Companies Join Taskforce to Combat Cyberbullying

One of the world’s fastest growing and influential social media firms musical.ly, and the mobile network, Three, have become the latest members of The Duke of Cambridge’s taskforce to combat cyberbullying.

Two years ago, The Duke of Cambridge brought together a collaboration of the most influential names in media, gaming, social media and internet provision, alongside charities, parents and children, to try and find new ways of reducing the impact of cyberbullying.

Moved by the stories he was hearing from parents and children whose lives had been deeply affected, sometimes tragically, by cyberbullying, His Royal Highness and The Royal Foundation have been driving an agenda to change behaviour and provide young people and parents with more support.

Chaired by tech entrepreneur Brent Hoberman CBE, the Taskforce members include: The Anti-Bullying Alliance; Apple; BT; The Diana Award; EE; Facebook; Google; Internet Matters; NSPCC; O2; Sky; Snapchat; Supercell; TalkTalk; Twitter; Virgin Media and Vodafone.

Last year the Taskforce launched a national action plan, putting the UK at the global forefront of trying to tackle the issue. The action plan included:

• A national, youth-led code of conduct for the internet (Stop Speak Support) and supporting campaign
• Facebook and Snapchat trialling the provision of emotional support for users reporting bullying on their platforms
• A major new commitment for social media and gaming firms to adhere to new guidelines, which put young people’s safety online at the heart of product design
• Taskforce members building a universal strategy for information, ensuring all online resources for support and help – whether aimed at young people or parents – are high quality, reliable and have common themes

Chair of the Taskforce, Brent Hoberman CBE said:

“We are delighted that Three and musical.ly are joining the Taskforce. As key players in the digital lives of young people, it’s great that they are joining other industry and charity leaders to help ensure the Cyberbullying Taskforce has the maximum positive impact for as many young people as possible.”

Alex Zhu, co-founder of musical.ly said:

“We are honoured to be a part of the Taskforce’s efforts and excited for the opportunity to collaborate with other industry leaders similarly committed to taking action against cyberbullying. At musical.ly, we are committed to fostering a safe and welcoming environment for our users. We’ve added numerous protective measures over even the past few months alone, and we look forward to working together with others in the Taskforce to address this industry-wide challenge and improve the online experiences we each provide.”

Dave Dyson, CEO at Three UK, said:

“Cyberbullying is an issue that can have potentially devastating effects particularly on younger people in terms of their confidence, happiness and wellbeing. We believe that joining the Cyberbullying Taskforce is a vital step in demonstrating our support in helping to tackle it. We hope to help continue to increase awareness of all the great work they have achieved and want to use our position as a major UK mobile network to help combat this very current problem for society today.”

The two new members were confirmed at the latest meeting of the Taskforce, which took place on Tuesday, at Founders Factory in West London.

 The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will visit Northern Ireland and Ireland 

12th – 15th June 2018 

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will visit Northern Ireland and Ireland from 12th – 15th June. 

In Northern Ireland, Their Royal Highnesses will undertake a range of engagements, including visiting Omagh as part of commemorations on the twentieth anniversary of the Omagh bomb. The Prince’s programme will start on Tuesday in Belfast with a visit to the Carlisle Memorial Church where His Royal Highness will meet members of the local community; watch a performance by The Ulster Orchestra; and meet dancers from the nearby Indian Community Centre. The Prince will also visit Ulster University’s Coleraine Campus to help celebrate its 50th anniversary.

On Wednesday, His Royal Highness will visit Omagh Hospital and will then be joined by Her Royal Highness for a visit to the Gortin area, before visiting the town of Omagh to meet those affected by the bomb, members of the emergency services and residents of the town. 

Made at the request of the British Government, Their Royal Highnesses’ visit to Ireland will highlight the essential partnership and friendship between the two Nations, as well as the deep connections between their people. This is the fourth visit Their Royal Highnesses have made to Ireland in as many years, and offers a further opportunity to celebrate the enduring nature of the relationship. 

Their Royal Highnesses will begin the two-day visit to Ireland in Cork where they will be greeted with a civic reception at City Hall, hosted by the Lord Mayor. The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will jointly visit the English Market in Cork City, which was previously visited by Her Majesty The Queen in 2011. The Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) Simon Coveney will accompany Their Royal Highnesses in Cork and join them for a dinner to celebrate connections between the UK and Ireland. 

On Thursday, The Prince of Wales will also visit University College Cork, where His Royal Highness will meet students and faculty and view cultural and historic treasures from the University’s collection. The Prince will later visit the National Maritime College of Ireland and go on board an Irish Navy Service vessel to showcase the close maritime links between the two nations and to celebrate the flourishing strategic defence relationship. The Duchess of Cornwall will visit a local refuge, which serves women and children who have suffered domestic violence, a cause that 

Her Royal Highness has worked to highlight in the UK and overseas. The Duchess will also visit the Irish National Guide Dogs Training Centre. 

On Friday, Their Royal Highnesses will travel to County Kerry to visit Derrynane House, the ancestral home of 19th century Irish Statesman Daniel O’Connell; and watch a performance at Siamse Tire Irish National Folk Theatre. Later, The Prince and The Duchess will attend a garden party at Killarney House where Their Royal Highnesses will be presented with the Order of Innisfallen, which recognises outstanding contributions to the local economy by people from outside Kerry. 

GARTER DAY – WINDSOR CASTLE

MONDAY 18TH JUNE 2018

A service for the Most Noble Order of the Garter will be held in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, on Monday 18th June 2018. The installation of the new Garter Knights will take place during this service. Following the service, The Queen and Members of the Royal Family will depart by carriages for their return journey to the Castle.

Earlier in the day there will be a private Investiture in the Garter Throne Room in Windsor Castle where a Lady Companion, Dame Mary Fagan, and a Knight Companion, The Viscount Brookeborough, will be invested with the Order’s insignia by Her Majesty.

There are currently two vacancies within the Order, after taking into account the two appointments earlier in 2018. The most recent two vacancies have arisen due to the death of The Right Honourable Sir Ninian Stephen (d. 29 October 2017) and Sir William Gladstone (d. 29 March 2018).

The Order of the Garter is the oldest and most senior Order of Chivalry in Britain, established by King Edward III nearly 700 years ago. The Order includes The Queen, who is Sovereign of the Garter, several senior Members of the Royal Family, and twenty-four knights or ladies chosen in recognition of their work. Knights of the Garter are chosen personally by the Sovereign to honour those who have held public office, who have contributed in a particular way to national life or who have served the Sovereign personally.

Learn more about the Most Noble Order of the Garter in issue 17 of Royal Life magazine or subscribe to see highlights of the day’s events in the next issue of Royal Life.

The Duke of Cambridge visit to Jordan, Israel, and the Occupied Palestinian Territories

His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge will visit Jordan, Israel, and the Occupied Palestinian Territories from Sunday 24th June until Thursday 28th June at the request of Her Majesty’s Government. The visit will be The Duke’s first to the region.

In Jordan, His Royal Highness will be able to build on the strong links that exist not only between the two countries, but also between their respective Royal families who have visited each other many times over the years. In Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the visit will be the first official tour on behalf of the Government by a Member of The Royal Family.

The complex challenges in the region are of course well known. The non-political nature of His Royal Highness’s role – in common with all Royal visits overseas –allows a spotlight to be brought to bear on the people of the region: their cultures, their young people, their aspirations, and their experiences. In cities with storied histories that are never far from the headlines, The Duke’s goal will be to meet as many people from as many walks of life as possible – and to use the spotlight that his visit will bring to celebrate their hopes for the future. During the visit, The Duke will meet young entrepreneurs, view vibrant tech and media sectors, witness historic cultures being protected and interpreted for the 21st century, and meet people from a wide variety of backgrounds – including refugees – with a particular focus on young people.

The Duke will also meet with senior political and religious leaders in all three places, as well as a wide range of people drawn from across business, civil society, the arts and media and other sectors at receptions organised by the UK’s three missions.

Turning to the detail of the programme, His Royal Highness will depart the UK on RAF Voyager on the morning of Sunday 24th, arriving in Amman, Jordan to an official welcome at Marka airport. He will be greeted by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al-Hussein Bin Abdullah II. The Duke is very pleased that this visit will allow him to begin a relationship with the Crown Prince Hussein that will be important in the decades to come. Their Royal Highnesses will then visit Fablab, an initiative of the Crown Prince Foundation that seeks to equip young entrepreneurs with the technology they need to realise their ambitions.

That evening The Duke will meet people from across Jordanian society and deliver a speech at a Queen’s Birthday Party at the residence of Her Majesty’s Ambassador, before departing for a private dinner with the Crown Prince Hussein at Beit al Urden, the King’s private residence, where The Duke is honoured to stay overnight.

The morning of the 25th will begin with a visit to the spectacular archaeological site at Jerash, a first century Roman city that is one of the largest Roman remains anywhere in the Mediterranean region, and one of Jordan’s greatest tourist attractions. It is, by the way, the site where the young Catherine Middleton is pictured standing on a pile of stones with her father and young sister when the Middleton family lived in Jordan. The site will host a celebration for young people benefiting from the Makani programme supported by UNICEF. Makani is a nationwide charity that works with young people from deprived backgrounds, but especially those from refugee communities. As you know, there has been unrest in the Middle East for decades, most recently in Syria, and consequently the country of Jordan is hosting over 655,000 refugees – a staggering act of generosity and humanitarianism for a country with a population of 9.5 million. Jordan has a range of programmes to help refugees to integrate and to find work and shelter, and Makani is one of the leading organisations in this field. Through interacting with young people brought together by Makani from across communities in Jordan, The Duke will hear about the lives, challenges and hopes of these young people.

His Royal Highness will then travel to the north of the country to visit a new base for the Quick Reaction Force (QRF), which has been formed with British military support. The Duke will witness the QRF practicing pre-deployment drills and will also meet British officers on attachment to the Jordanian armed forces. The UK and Jordanian Government cooperate closely on security, and this meeting will pay tribute to this.

The Duke will then visit the Dar Na’mah Centre – a project of the Princess Taghrid Institute (PTI). The institute is a charity set up by Princess Taghrid to support women of all ages to develop their own livelihoods and thereby support their families and communities. His Royal Highness will meet with women who have built the centre, try some of their traditional food, and watch them make crafts. He will also meet with a group of young orphaned women who have been supported by PTI to develop skills and complete their educations.

That afternoon The Duke will get to meet with a number of young Jordanians and Syrian refugees who are developing skills to compete in the modern economy when he visits Al Quds College back in Amman. Among the students His Royal Highness will meet will be those who are enrolled in the media school there, training in film and music production as part of the College’s partnership with Middlesex University. It is an incredibly vibrant place that will give The Duke a sense of the optimism and ambition of Jordan’s young people.

The Duke will complete his visit to Jordan back at Marka airport where he will meet with crew involved in the Jordanian Air Ambulance, and will be able to look over their helicopters. His Royal Highness will then depart for Israel and the next leg of the trip.

His Royal Highness will arrive in Israel at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, before travelling to Jerusalem’s historic King David Hotel, where he will stay for the remainder of the trip.

The Duke’s first engagement in Israel, on the morning of the 26th, will see him visit Yad Vashem – Israel’s official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust. You will recall that The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited Stutthof concentration camp last year, as well as the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin – so this visit will be immensely poignant. His Royal Highness will receive a short tour of the museum before meeting with a survivor of the Holocaust and the Kindertransport who will share their personal experiences with him. He will then walk to Yad Vashem’s Hall of Remembrance where he will lay a wreath in memory of those who died, and will leave a personal message in the visitor’s book before departing. The Duke will be accompanied by the British Chief Rabbi during the ceremony.

The Duke will then travel to the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu where he will be welcomed to Israel by the Prime Minister and his wife. He will then have a meeting with President Reuven Rivlin at his residence.

The Duke will then travel to the historic city of Jaffa where he will meet with young people involved in the work of two organisations focused on co-existence between the young people of different religious and ethnic communities – the Equaliser and the Peres Centre for Peace. He will arrive at a football event hosted by the two charities and will have a chance to spend time with children and teenagers involved in several of their projects, including one focused on empowering young women.

His Royal Highness will then travel to central Tel Aviv for an event that will be announced during the visit.

That evening The Duke will speak at a reception at the residence of Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Israel before returning to Jerusalem.

The next morning of the 27th will begin back in Tel Aviv, with a visit that we are really looking forward to, but will not be announcing in advance. The second engagement will be at the Beit Ha’ir Museum in the newly renovated Old City Hall of Tel Aviv. The museum is designed to be an open house for artists, writers and scholars. On arrival, The Duke will attend a tech innovation demo where he will meet four start-up companies and hear the story behind their products. The Duke will then attend a civil society reception, meeting groups of young people engaged in the fields of youth activism, social impact and the environment. From here, the programme will shift to its next leg – the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The Duke will travel to Ramallah where he will meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The meeting will take place at the President’s office.

The rest of the afternoon’s programme in the West Bank will include events that focus on the issues facing refugee communities; opportunities to celebrate Palestinian culture, music and food; and a chance to meet a number of young Palestinians. Full details will be announced during the visit.

That evening The Duke will give his final speech of the tour when he attends a reception at the residence of the Consul General in Jerusalem.

The next day’s programme in the Occupied Palestinian Territories will begin with a short briefing on the history and geography of Jerusalem’s Old City from a viewing point at the Mount of Olives. From here His Royal Highness will travel a short distance to the Church of St Mary Magdalene where he will pay his respects at the tomb of his great-grandmother, Princess Alice. Both The Duke of Edinburgh and The Prince of Wales have made previous visits here. The rest of the programme for the day will be announced at a later date, but will allow His Royal Highness to understand and pay respect to the religions and history of the region.

The historic nature of this tour is of course important and The Duke considers it a great privilege to be undertaking the first ever official Royal tour of Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories and to be able to help further strengthen the friendship between Jordan and the United Kingdom. More importantly, however, The Duke is looking forward to building a real and enduring relationship with the people of the region. In particular he is pleased that his programme will allow him to meet a number of people from his own generation and young Jordanians, Israelis, and Palestinians. His Royal Highness is looking forward to learning about their unique perspectives, but also their shared ambitions and hopes for the future.

THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE WILL VISIT LIVERPOOL

The International Business Festival and James’ Place

Tuesday 19th June, 2018

The Duke of Cambridge will visit Liverpool on Tuesday 19th June. The Duke will first visit the International Business Festival at the Exhibition Centre Liverpool. As the biggest business festival in the world, the International Business Festival is hosted every two years in its home city of Liverpool, aiming to inspire, inform and connect businesses from across the UK and the world, enabling them to make connections and realise their potential.

The Duke, who is Patron of the International Business Festival 2018, will meet delegates and discuss the importance of the business sector and how it can be a force for good. His Royal Highness will visit the exhibits and zones, seeing the best of British and international innovation as well as meeting the next generation of young entrepreneurs and business leaders, before delivering a speech to delegates.

Since it launched in 2014, the International Business Festival has welcomed more than 30,000 visitors from over 100 different countries worldwide. It is held over nine days across three weeks, and the Festival’s programme focuses on nine high-growth sectors – from manufacturing and life sciences to creative industries.

The Duke will then officially open James’ Place, a new centre for men experiencing suicidal crisis in Liverpool. James’ Place has been founded by Clare Milford Haven and Nick Wentworth-Stanley, after they tragically lost their twenty-one-year-old son, James, to suicide. Established by the James Wentworth-Stanley Memorial Fund, the centre will be the first of its kind in the UK, helping to save lives and addressing high male suicide rates by providing face-to-face therapeutic support for men in their time of need.

Opening to service users in late July, James’ Place will be run from a house in the heart of Liverpool’s historic Georgian Quarter. The building has been renovated to provide a private, welcoming and normalised environment for men experiencing suicidal thoughts, in a space designed to make them feel at home and at ease. The Duke will tour the centre and meet the people who have made James’ Place a reality, from professional therapists and local community partners, to fundraisers and building managers, as well as James’ family. His Royal Highness will hear about the journey of James’ Place, from its origins, to Clare and Nick’s future vision of opening further centres across the country.

Her Majesty The Queen and Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex will visit Cheshire

Thursday 14th June

Her Majesty The Queen, accompanied by Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex, will visit Cheshire for a day of engagements to include opening the Mersey Gateway Bridge and Storyhouse in Chester.

The Queen and The Duchess will arrive in the county at Runcorn Station by Royal Train and will depart by car for the Mersey Gateway Bridge. On arrival they will be introduced to architects, planners and community representatives. The Queen and The Duchess will view the bridge and then watch a performance by local school children called ‘Bringing Communities Together: Halton’s river crossings over the ages.’ Upon conclusion The Queen will unveil a plaque to mark the opening of the bridge.

The Queen and The Duchess of Sussex will then depart by car for Storyhouse in Chester, where they will be taken on a tour of the building to visit the children’s library, stopping to meet a Syrian settlement group engaged in craft work. The Royal party will watch a performance by ‘Fallen Angels’, a dance theatre company for people in recovery from addiction, before moving to the theatre to see a medley of songs from Storyhouse’s latest production, ‘A Little Night Music.’ On the ground floor they will see schoolchildren from local primary schools perform songs alongside actors from ‘Swallows and Amazons.’ Her Majesty will unveil a plague to mark the official opening of Storyhouse. The Queen and The Duchess will then walk to Chester Town Hall where they will attend a lunch as guests of Chester City Council, which will mark the conclusion of their visit to Cheshire.

THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE WILL ATTEND THE OFFICIAL HANDOVER OF THE DEFENCE AND NATIONAL REHABILITATION CENTRE TO THE NATION

The Stanford Hall Estate, Nottinghamshire

Thursday 21st June, 2018

The Duke of Cambridge, Patron of the appeal to create the new Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre (DNRC), will attend the official handover of the newly built Defence centre to the nation. The centre, which has been purpose-built on the Stanford Hall Estate, will provide world-class rehabilitation facilities for members of the Armed Forces who have suffered major trauma or injury during their service, and will be a 21st Century successor to Headley Court. A national civilian facility is also planned for the same site.

The DNRC, was the idea of The Sixth Duke of Westminster, who led the £300m fundraising drive with a personal gift of £70m. The Seventh Duke of Westminster, on behalf of his father who died in 2016, will formally hand over the gift of the DNRC to The Prime Minister who will accept on behalf of the nation. This event will recognise and celebrate the handover of the Defence establishment to the nation – marking the endeavour that has gone into making it happen.

The Duke of Cambridge was Patron of the DNRC appeal. During the handover ceremony, The Duke of Cambridge will make a speech, read the winning entry of the DNRC’s ‘A Poem to Remember’ national poetry competition, and unveil a statue of Major General Sir Robert Jones, acknowledged as the founder of modern orthopaedic surgery and rehabilitation. He will then have the chance to meet some of those involved in building the DNRC during a short reception.

The handover ceremony will take place in the main courtyard within the Integrated Treatment Zone (ITZ), the centre of the new Defence facility. The event will be attended by approximately 300 people including senior figures from Government and Defence, donors and supporters, members of the Grosvenor family, representatives from the Midlands and the Health authorities, members of the building and construction teams who have helped to make it happen, and a cross section of the local community.

About the DNRC:

The Defence facility is a 95% new build centre of clinical excellence. Its designs have been informed by close working with Headley Court, the Surgeon General, and patient groups. It specifically draws on the expertise in Defence medicine developed at Headley Court over its nearly 70 years of operation and will enable that to flourish and grow in a bespoke and state of the art new clinical facility.

The Defence facility will be treating patients by the end of 2018 – operated by the Defence Medical Services and its expert team. The current Defence medical capability – DMRC Headley Court in Surrey – will transfer to the new, purpose-built facility at the DNRC. Personnel will start to transition during the summer and the new facility will be operating by the end of the year.

The complementary ‘National’ facility (to treat civilians and planned to be built on the same site and share facilities with the Defence facility) is currently being explored and decisions are expected in 2018. Construction of the National facility could be conceivable from 2020 onwards.

The DNRC is on the Stanford Hall Estate, near Rempstone in Nottinghamshire (just outside Loughborough).

THE QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY PARADE (TROOPING THE COLOUR)

Saturday 9th June 2018

Her Majesty The Queen, accompanied by Members of The Royal Family, will be present at the Birthday Parade on Horse Guards Parade at which 1st Battalion The Coldstream Guards will be trooped.

Her Majesty will then drive in a carriage back to Buckingham Palace at the head of The Queen’s Guard, after which The Queen, accompanied by Members of The Royal Family, will watch a fly-past of aircrafts by the Royal Air Force.

The Trooping of the Colour has marked the official birthday of the British Sovereign for over 260 years.

Over 1400 parading soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians take part in the event each to mark The Queen’s official birthday The parade moves from Buckingham Palace and down The Mall to Horse Guard’s Parade, alongside Members of the Royal Family on horseback and in carriages. Once The Queen has arrived at Horse Guard’s Parade, she is greeted by a Royal salute and carries out an inspection of the troops.

The display closes with an RAF fly-past, watched by Members of the Royal Family from the Buckingham Palace balcony.

THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE WILL VISIT THE ISLE OF MAN

Wednesday 6th June, 2018

The Duke of Cambridge will visit the Isle of Man on Wednesday 6th June. His Royal Highness will meet support staff and volunteers at The Isle of Man Tourist Trophy 2018, attend a reception for guests from across the island, and visit the Joey Dunlop Foundation.

The Isle of Man TT Races is an annual Motorcycle race meeting that takes place on the Isle of Man in June. It first ran in 1907 and is one of the oldest continuous motorsport events in the world. His Royal Highness will arrive at the TT Grandstand and watch the final stages of the TT Supersport Race 2 before attending a reception in the Government House Tent. Guests will include representatives from across the Isle of Man, including TT staff and volunteers, civic dignitaries and local businesses.

The meeting features nine races including a Superbike Race (for modified 1000cc bikes), the TT Zero for electric bikes, a Lightweight Race (featuring SuperTwin bikes) and two Sidecar Races. Wednesday’s Races, subject to weather, will feature the second Supersport TT Race, the TT Zero Race and the Lightweight TT Race. The Races are run in a time trial format on closed public roads, with riders competing around the TT Mountain Course circuit which is 37¾ miles long. The Duke will view a number of races before meeting race officials and support staff and volunteers involved in the running of the event.

The Duke will continue on to the Joey Dunlop Foundation. Established in 2001, the charity creates specialist accommodation for visitors to the Isle of Man with a disability. Braddan Bridge House, located in Douglas, the island’s capital, consists of apartments which accommodate the needs of all guests. The charity is named after William Joseph ‘Joey’ Dunlop, the popular world champion motorcycle racer. His Royal Highness will meet staff and guests staying in the accommodation and hear how they support guests with disabilities throughout the year.