The Earl and Countess of Wessex are to play an integral role in the upcoming State Visit of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands when they visit the United Kingdom later this month.
Edward and Sophie will act as hosts to the King and Queen for much of their second day in the UK.
Their Majesties will be in the country for a State Visit as the guests of The Queen from 23rd October to 24th October 2018.
On the second day of their trip, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima will have an early start as they attend a breakfast given by the Lord Mayor and the City of London Corporation at Mansion House.
Edward & Sophie will accompany Their Majesties to this engagement, before joining them on a tour of a UK-Netherlands Innovation Showcase which will also be held at Mansion House.
The Department for International Trade will host the showcase alongside Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Europe. The event will provide interactive demonstrations of cutting-edge technology from UK and Dutch tech start-ups.
Following on from breakfast and the showcase, the Earl & Countess of Wessex will join The King and Queen at HMS Belfast, where the Dutch vessel HNLMS ZEELAND, currently in the UK for training purposes, will be moored alongside.
The Duke of Kent will also join the royals at the event where Their Majesties will meet with representatives and veterans from both the UK and Netherlands Armed Forces, before watching an on-the-water capability demonstration.
According to a spokesperson, the demonstration will “showcase the 45 years of cooperation between the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps and the Royal Marines.”
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima will then travel to south London with the Earl and Countess to see Pop Brixton – a community project.
Housed in shipping containers, Pop Brixton has converted disused land in the area into a creative space for local, independent businesses and social enterprises. The King & Queen and Earl & Countess will hear about the vision behind the project from its founders, before touring the space and seeing the on-site community farm and fridge.
The King and Queen will then bid farewell to Edward and Sophie as they depart for No. 10 Downing Street to meet the Prime Minister.
