In his role as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Prince William will spend a week in Scotland from Friday 21st May to Thursday 27th May.
The Duchess of Cambridge will join The Duke in Scotland from Monday 24th May and together they will visit Edinburgh and Fife, in addition to embarking on their first official joint trip to Orkney. Their Royal Highnesses look forward to meeting a wide variety of people across the country, as well as charities and organisations who are doing incredible work on issues such as the environment, mental health, homelessness and addiction.
Appointed to the role of Lord High Commissioner by Her Majesty The Queen, The Duke will undertake ceremonial duties including speeches at the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. As with every element of life over the past year, The Church has had to change and adapt the way they support their congregations. The Duke will spend a day hearing how charities associated with The Church of Scotland have come together over the past year to provide for their local communities in spite of physical distance.
The Duke and Duchess will host several events during the week to thank individuals that have gone above and beyond to support their communities over the last year including NHS staff, frontline workers, emergency responders, volunteers, and the military. The Duke will invite emergency responders to watch the Scottish Cup Final with him at a rooftop bar and as Joint Patrons of NHS Charities Together, The Duke and Duchess will host NHS staff from Scotland at a unique drive-in cinema to watch a special screening of Disney’s Cruella at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
Ahead of COP26, which will be taking place in Glasgow later this year, The Duke and Duchess will visit innovative projects that are aiming to positively change the dial on climate change. This includes racing an Extreme E electric vehicle at the iconic Knockhill Racing Circuit, a visit to Orkney’s European Marine Energy Centre, and hearing how Fields in Trust protect green spaces for communities across the UK. Fields in Trust was supported by The Duke of Edinburgh for 64 years, who passed the role of President to The Duke of Cambridge in 2013.
Twenty years since they met at university, The Duke and Duchess will take a trip down memory lane and return to St Andrews University to meet with current students, and hear how they have coped and supported each other during a difficult year. They will also join young carers from the local Fife area for a session of land yachting on the beach.
A spokesperson for Kensington Palace said: “The Duke is honoured to be fulfilling the role of Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland this year. Both he and The Duchess are very much looking forward to spending time in Scotland, hearing from a wide range of people on the issues they care about, and celebrating individuals who have gone above and beyond to support their communities over the past year”.
