HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN WILL VISIT WATERGATE HOUSE TO MARK THE CENTENARY OF GCHQ

Thursday 14th February 2019

Her Majesty The Queen will visit Watergate House on 14th February 2019 to mark the centenary of GCHQ, the UK’s Intelligence, Security and Cyber Agency.

The Queen’s visit to Watergate House – the Agency’s first home as the ‘Government Code and Cypher School’ and a former top secret location – will be the first public event marking the centenary of GCHQ.

During the visit, Her Majesty will encounter two generations of women in the world of cyber security, meeting Ruth Bourne, a Bletchley Park codebreaking veteran and Legion d’Honneur recipient, alongside the winners of CyberFirst, a GCHQ competition for girls aged 12 to 13 to help ensure women are better represented in the cyber workforce of tomorrow. Also present will be the grandchildren of Alastair Denniston, the first head of GC&CS in 1919. To celebrate the centenary, The Queen will also view a series of historical artefacts spanning GCHQ’s history.

The Queen will meet staff members from across GCHQ, as well as individuals from BGF (Business Growth Fund) whose new UK head office is currently based at Watergate House.

On departure, Her Majesty will unveil a commemorative plaque to mark Watergate House as GCHQ’s first home and to commemorate 100 years since its formation and the important role it has played in post First World War history.

After the success of signals intelligence used during World War I, GCHQ was formed in 1919, under the original name of the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS). The cover name of GCHQ was given in 1939 to better disguise its secret work before the headquarters moved to Cheltenham in 1950.

Today as one of Britain’s three intelligence agencies, GCHQ tackles the most serious cyber, terrorist, criminal, and state threats. Alongside the National Cyber Security Centre, part of GCHQ, its aim is to make the UK a safe place to live and do business online.

Her Majesty The Queen has previously visited GCHQ on a number of occasions, most recently in 2017 for the opening of the organisation’s new National Cyber Security Centre in London. Her Majesty has also visited GCHQ’s Cheltenham headquarters on three previous occasions in 2008, 2004 and 1995.

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THE QUEEN WILL ATTEND A SERVICE TO CELEBRATE 100 YEARS OF THE ROYAL ARMY CHAPLAINS’ DEPARTMENT’S ‘ROYAL’ PREFIX

FRIDAY 22ND FEBRUARY 2019

Her Majesty The Queen, Patron, The Royal Army Chaplains’ Department, will attend a service to celebrate the centenary of the granting by King George V of the prefix ‘Royal’ to the department, at The Guards’ Chapel, Wellington Barracks on Friday 22nd February, 2019.

The Queen will join the Chaplain-General and current and former chaplains to recognise the sacrifice made and service given by Army Chaplains in conflicts past and present and reflect on the enduring need for chaplaincy to support soldiers on active duty. The service will include readings from chaplains’ diaries and will culminate in an Act of Dedication when all serving Army Chaplains will be invited to reaffirm their commitment and rededicate themselves in service. In an act of global unity Army Chaplains on operations around the world will pause in prayer to join the rededication.

Following the service, Her Majesty will view three paintings, specially commissioned to commemorate the 100th anniversary, and meet the artist, Mr Harry Parker who served with the Rifles in Iraq and Afghanistan, losing both his legs in active duty in 2009. The Queen will also meet current Padres and former Chaplains-General as well as soldiers who have either helped chaplains in their daily duties or who have benefited from the support and care of chaplains in barracks or on operations.

Army Chaplains minister to soldiers and their families in times of war and peace, providing spiritual support, pastoral care and moral guidance to all, irrespective of religion or beliefs. They accompany troops and can lead and manage but do not command. Chaplains wear uniforms of the British Army but are non-combatants.

The Army Chaplains’ Department was formed in 1796 under the first Chaplain-General, the Reverend John Gamble. On 22nd February 1919, The Queen’s grandfather, King George V, bestowed their Royal title in recognition of its outstanding service and sacrifice during the First World War. 179 British Army chaplains died in WW1 and three were awarded Victoria Cross Medals.

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THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE BECOMES ROYAL PATRON OF HOMELESS CHARITY THE PASSAGE

The Duke of Cambridge has today become Royal Patron of The Passage, which is the UK’s largest resource centre for homeless and insecurely housed people. Established in 1980, The Passage has since helped over 130,000 people in crisis through its resource centre, homelessness prevention projects and two innovative accommodation services.

The Duke first visited The Passage as a child in 1993 with his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, and has made additional visits at various points over the last twenty-five years. Speaking at The Passage in 2016, The Duke said:

“The visits I made as a child to this place left a deep and lasting impression upon me – about how important it is to ensure that everyone in our society, especially the poorest, are treated with respect, dignity and kindness, and are given the opportunities to fulfil their potential in life.”

The Duke is a longstanding supporter of organisations working to combat homelessness, and has also been Patron of Centrepoint, who work to help homeless young people, since 2005.

Mick Clarke, Chief Executive of The Passage said:

“During His Royal Highness’ visits to The Passage, it has been very clear that he has a deep concern for those affected by homelessness and a real interest in our work. For His Royal Highness to further express his support for The Passage’s work by becoming our Royal Patron is a tremendous honour, and a testament to how much he genuinely cares about this issue.”

DESIGNS FOR THE DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE’S RHS ‘BACK TO NATURE’ GARDEN UNVEILED

The Duchess of Cambridge, Andrée Davies and Adam White (of Davies White Landscape Architects), and the RHS are proud to reveal plans for their ‘Back to Nature Garden’. The woodland wilderness garden aims to get people back to nature, and highlight the benefits of the natural world on our mental and physical wellbeing.

To inspire families to get outside and explore nature together, the garden will have a natural woodland feel and contain lots of unique design features. The garden’s centrepiece will be a high platform tree house, clad in stag horn oak that is inspired by a bird or animal nest. It will provide a wonderful place to retreat and look out through the trees. The garden will also feature a swing seat, rustic den and a campfire to encourage creative play and discovery for all generations.

The design includes many natural elements that aim to stimulate active play, promoting the benefits of laying the foundations of physical health from a young age. Tree stumps, stepping stones and a hollow log will test and improve children’s balance, strength and co-ordination.

To inspire families to get outside and explore nature together, The Duchess of Cambridge’s #RHSChelsea garden will have a natural woodland feel and contain a:

🌳 Treehouse
💧 Waterfall and stream
🍂 Rustic den
⛺️ Campfire
🍄 Stepping stones pic.twitter.com/WeLiU9bs6K

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) February 10, 2019

It is proven that nature is good for wellbeing, so the garden is aiming to inspire interaction with the natural environment through its multisensory, green and blue plant scheme. The garden will be filled with incredible edibles, plants for craft activities, forest scents and a diverse range of plants, shrubs and trees of different heights and textures. A waterfall and stream will provide another sensory opportunity for children to paddle in and play imaginatively.

The garden hopes to trigger memories of time spent in nature, and encourage others to go out and create new experiences in the great outdoors.

The full plans for the garden will be showcased on Monday 11th February at the RHS Press Conference.

THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE WILL VISIT TWO PROJECTS THAT SUPPORT MEN’S MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING

Paddington and Westminster, London

Thursday 14th February, 2019

The Duke of Cambridge will visit two programmes that support men with their mental health and wellbeing on Thursday, 14th February 2019.

His Royal Highness will first visit Pall Mall Barbers, Paddington Central, who are members of the Lions Barber Collective. The collective is an international group of top barbers who have come together to raise awareness for the prevention of suicide and provide training for barbers, called BarbersTalk.

Barbers are being trained to recognise signs of depression and mental health issues, listen to clients and advise them on the best places to go for support. The barber’s chair has proven to be an effective place for men to feel comfortable and to open up.

During the visit His Royal Highness will meet Richard Marshall, the Managing Director of Pall Mall Barbers, and Tom Chapman, the founder of the Lions Barber Collective. Tom was inspired to use his work as a barber to raise awareness and support mental health following the suicide of a close friend in 2014. The Duke will also meet barbers who have been trained as part of the programme and clients they have helped.

On his second visit, The Duke will visit a session called ‘Future Dads’ that was set up by the charity Future Men. This programme runs in locations across London aiming to build stronger families by providing practical guidance, advice and support, especially for young and hard to reach fathers, and to develop their confidence in their role as dads.

Christopher Muwanguzi, CEO of the charity, will introduce The Duke to a group taking part in a session discussing the importance of self-care when becoming a father, and will learn more about the practical sessions the men take part in.

His Royal Highness will also meet a group of men with their children who have completed the course to discuss the impact of the programme and how they have found the reality of the transition to fatherhood.

Both visits further The Duke of Cambridge’s work with HeadsTogether and his ambition to encourage greater openness around mental health.

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THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE WILL VISIT THE PASSAGE

London

Wednesday 13th February, 2019

The Duke of Cambridge will visit homelessness charity The Passage to join volunteers at their resource centre in a lunch shift, and to hear how integral volunteering and community support is for the organisation and their clients.

After helping to prepare and serve lunch, His Royal Highness will hear more about The Passage’s ‘Home for Good’ programme, which aims to reduce the incidence of former rough sleepers failing in their tenancies and becoming homeless again. Home for Good uses structured befriending and community support to reduce social isolation, build resilience and thereby prevent a return to the streets. The programme recognises that homelessness can be a traumatic experience for many people and The Passage ethos is to empower clients to move on from their homelessness by helping them to settle in their new home. Each Home for Good Volunteer uses their local knowledge and social skills to help the client they are matched with to put down roots and make connections in their community. Home for Good is the only project of its kind in London; it accepts referrals not only from The Passage’s other services, but from any organisation working with former rough sleepers. Volunteers come from all backgrounds and fields which encourages social mixing outside of the homeless community.

Established in 1980, The Passage provides resources which encourage, inspire and challenge homeless people to make lasting and long-term changes to their lives. The organisation runs the UK’s largest resource centre for homeless and insecurely housed people, outreach services, a number of homelessness prevention projects and three innovative accommodation services. Since its inception, The Passage has helped over 130,000 people in crisis.

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THE DUKE OF SUSSEX TO ATTEND RECEPTION IN AID OF TRY FOR CHANGE AND THE JONNY WILKINSON FOUNDATION

Kensington Palace Pavilion

Wednesday 13th February, 2019

On Wednesday 13th February The Duke of Sussex will attend a reception and take part in a Q&A session with England Rugby union co-captain Dylan Hartley, in aid of England Rugby’s Try for Change programme and the Jonny Wilkinson Foundation.

His Royal Highness will meet representatives from Try for Change at the reception as well as ex England international rugby players and World Cup winners Jonny Wilkinson, Lawrence Dallaglio and Jason Leonard. The Duke will also speak to England Rugby head coach Eddie Jones and the England Rugby union squad before taking part in a Q&A session with Dylan Hartley, discussing their passion for rugby and the impact Try for Change projects have been having.

As Patron of the Rugby Football Union (RFU), His Royal Highness is keen to support the organisation’s efforts to make rugby more inclusive across society, and in doing so, use the sport to help tackle a number of significant social challenges around educational and social inclusion, mental and physical wellbeing, unemployment and community cohesion.

Try for Change is an England Rugby programme that uses the power of rugby as a force for good to improve and support the lives of disadvantaged young people in England and across the world. Try for Change works with Sport Relief, a campaign of Comic Relief, to raise funds for projects that use rugby and its core values for positive change.

The Jonny Wilkinson Foundation encourages social participation within communities to tackle mental health concerns together, in order to inspire individuals, influence prejudice and promote awareness and understanding. The foundation provides practical help and support as well as supporting institutions that, through their work, enable individuals to face huge challenges without struggling alone.

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will visit Morocco

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will visit Morocco from Saturday 23rd February to Monday 25th February 2019. This visit is at the request of Her Majesty’s Government.

Full details of the visit will be announced in due course.

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THE DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE TO ATTEND THE ROYAL FOUNDATION’S ‘MENTAL HEALTH IN EDUCATION’ CONFERENCE

Mercers’ Hall, London

Wednesday 13th February, 2019

The Duchess of Cambridge will attend The Royal Foundation’s ‘Mental Health in Education’ conference on Wednesday 13th February.

The conference will bring together delegates from across the mental health and education sectors to explore and discuss the benefits of collaborative working and what more can be done to tackle mental health issues in schools.

The event, hosted by broadcaster and presenter Kate Silverton, will see a full day of speakers, panel discussions and breakout sessions. Her Royal Highness will listen to a number of sessions, including one on the benefits of integrating mental health modules into teacher training courses, and another on the role of school leaders in creating a culture of wellbeing in schools.

During her visit, The Duchess of Cambridge will meet Head Teachers from a number of schools that are currently piloting The Royal Foundation’s ‘Mentally Healthy Schools’ programme. Launched by The Duchess of Cambridge in 2018, ‘Mentally Healthy Schools’ is a website giving primary schools free access to hundreds of the highest quality mental health resources, helping teachers better support their pupils’ mental health. It is one of the legacy programmes from the Heads Together campaign and is being delivered in partnership with The Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, Place2Be and Young Minds.

Her Royal Highness will then join a meeting with teachers and specialists from the sector to further discuss the potential impact of consistent mental health teacher training, as well as the challenges facing its implementation.

This event forms part of The Duchess’ continuing work at The Royal Foundation, where much of Her Royal Highness’s focus is on supporting and promoting the mental health of children and young people.

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