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Prince & Princess of Wales

Prince William to visit the West Midlands

The Duke of Cambridge is travelling to the West Midlands on Tuesday 18th September for a day of engagements in Birmingham and surrounding areas.

During his visit to the region, Prince William will visit a university, a children’s hospice and will unveil a new statue.

His Royal Highness will start the day in the UK’s second most populous city – Birmingham. Here, the 36-year-old royal will visit the University of Birmingham, where he will attend the inaugural National SkillForce Prince William Award Graduation Ceremony.

This ceremony will celebrate the successful first year of the Prince William Award – a scheme that aims to help young people build their character, resilience and confidence.

During the presentation, HRH will present the awards, before delivering a speech and meeting some of the scheme’s newest graduates.

The second-in-line to the throne will then visit Acorns Children’s Hospice in Selly Oak, who provide specialist care for life limited and life threatened children and their families.

The Duke is visiting the hospice to coincide with its 30th anniversary. Back in 1988, the charity was first opened by William’s mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.

In the past year, Acorns has provided care for more than 870 children and over 1,000 families.

Prince William will meet some of the families who use the hospice’s specialist facilities, which include a multisensory room and hydrotherapy pool.

Finally, the Duke will travel to the nearby town of Stourbridge to the Mary Stevens Park where he will unveil a new statue of Major Frank Foley CMG.

Major Foley was an MI6 officer who served in both World Wars and saved over 10,000 people from persecution in Germany during the 1920s and 1930s.

Major Foley’s cover as a Passport Control Officer at the British Consulate in Berlin enabled him to provide visas to those who feared persecution under Nazi racial laws and ultimately saved their lives. As a result of this act, Foley was recognised as one of the Righteous Among the Nations.

The new statue will commemorate Major Foley’s life and achievements. During the event, the Duke will meet representatives of the Holocaust Educational Trust and Ian Austin MP who have worked together to spearhead this campaign to honour the war hero.