The full details of the State Visit to Malta by The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have been released. Highlights of the three-day visit, from November 26th to November 28th, include a reception for the people of the island and a glittering State Dinner.
The visit is being made to coincide with the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting which will take place in Malta in November. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are also travelling to the island for CHOGM and in support of The Queen.
Prince Charles and Camilla are expected in Malta shortly before The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, who will arrive at Malta’s airport and be met by the country’s Prime Minister, Joseph Muscat. The Queen and Prince Philip will then travel to St George’s Square in Valletta for a ceremonial welcome led by Malta’s President, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca. The royal visitors will then make their way to the famous San Anton’s Palace which will be their home for the duration of the stay.
On the same afternoon, the Prince of Wales will take part in the CHOGM Business Forum while the Duchess of Cornwall has an engagement at Mdina Glass in Ta’Qali in the centre of the island. Later they will join The Queen, and the Duke of Edinburgh to host a reception in the flower lined gardens on San Anton for the people of Malta.
The second day of the trip sees the official opening of CHOGM and The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will all be present as this meeting gets under way. The Queen and Prince Charles will go on to host a reception, again at San Anton, for new Commonwealth Heads of Government following the official opening.
Prince Philip, meanwhile, will attend a lunch for the Duke of Edinburgh International Awards at the Casino Maltese having first attended a service at St Paul’s Cathedral in Valletta. The Duchess of Cornwall will head to the south-east of the island to attend a literacy event at St Thomas More College Primary School in Zejtun. Camilla will then move on to Kalkara for a drumhead service at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Capuccini Naval Cemetery.
The afternoon of the second day will also see the Prince of Wales take part in an engagement with a subject very close to his heart – environmental matters. Prince Charles is due to the Maritime Museum, Vittoriosa for a viewing of an exhibition of the work of finalists in the Prince of Wales’s Commonwealth Environmental Photography Awards. Charles will also take part in a discussion with young people.
That evening he will join his mother, father and wife at the traditional CHOGM dinner that will take place in Attard.
The final day of the State Visit will see The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visit a heritage project in Kalkara where they will also see displays of Maltese culture. And perhaps some of the unique images of the trip will follow the royal couple – who lived on the island in the early years of their marriage – take a boat trip across Valletta Harbour.
The final engagement for The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh is at Marsa Racecourse where they will present prizes before taking their leave of the island – the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will already have left by then as their departure is scheduled for earlier that morning.
This trip is fourth State Visit to Malta by The Queen and her fifth visit since the start of her reign.
And you can read full coverage of the three-day event here at Royal Central.
