SUPPORT OUR JOURNALISM: Please consider donating to keep our website running and free for all - thank you!

State & Ceremonial

Royal Family set for series of overseas engagements

Members of the Royal Family including The Earl and Countess of Wessex, Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Princess Royal are set for several weeks of overseas engagements between them towards the end of January and into February as the Royal Family return from their festive break early next year.

The Countess of Wessex will travel to France in early February.

The Countess of Wessex will travel to France in early February.

The Earl of Wessex is the first to go. He will be travelling to Switzerland on 27th January to attend the Inferno Downhill Ski Competition in Murren. His Royal Highness is travelling as Honorary Member of the Kandahar Ski Club. He will return after 29th.

Similarly, Prince Edward’s wife – The Countess of Wessex – will be travelling to France on 4th February as Patron of the Combined Winter Sports Association to attend the Ski Championships in Meribel. She will stay there until 7th February.

On 30th January, the Duke of Gloucester will travel to Germany to inspect the 24 Regiment Disbandment Parade at Catterick Barracks in Bielefeld as Deputy Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Logistic Corps. The Duke holds a number of honorary military appointments like many members of the Royal Family.

The Duke’s wife, the Duchess of Gloucester, is set to travel to San Diego in California on 31st January, as Honorary President of the Lawn Tennis Association, to attend the Davis Cup.

The Princess Royal is also set to spend the longest amount of time overseas so far. She will travel to Russia for 4th February in order to attend the 2014 Winter Olympics as President of the British Olympic Association. Princess Anne will stay in Russia until 14th February.

The Princess Royal is set to spend the longest amount of time overseas.

The Princess Royal is set to spend the longest amount of time overseas.

Members of the Royal Family typically begin engagements early on in the New Year whilst Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh have a break at Sandringham House where The Queen and the Royal Family gather for Christmas.

The Queen usually returns shortly after Accession Day in February whilst the Duke of Edinburgh often stays on slightly longer. Her Majesty usually spends accession day (the day her father died and she became Queen) privately at Sandringham.

photo credits: UK in France and ed_needs_a_bicycle via photopin cc