The Duke of Cambridge visits Finland
Published
The two-day visit coincides with the country’s 100th anniversary of independence.
The Duke of Cambridge arrived in Finland today for a two-day tour of Helsinki. This is The Duke’s first official visit to Finland – which coincides in the year of the country’s 100th anniversary of independence.
During the visit, The Duke is due to meet some of Finland’s young community leaders, mental health campaigners and entrepreneurs in the tech industry.
His Royal Highness was first welcomed to Finland by the President of the Republic, Sauli Niinistö.
After a meeting with the President, The Duke headed over to one of Helsinki's ice rinks to see the work of Icehearts – a child welfare charity.
Icehearts has won several awards in Finland for helping young boys from disadvantaged backgrounds feel less excluded. Now in 10 cities across the country, boys can join different sports team, make good friends and work on their game.
Later in the afternoon, The Duke attended a reception by Her Majesty's Ambassador to Finland – where HRH made a speech.
To end the first day of #RoyalVisitFinland The Duke attended a dinner hosted by President of the Republic.
On Day Two of The Duke's visit to Finland His Royal Highness visited Slush, a student-driven annual event celebrating entrepreneurship, the startup community and talent within the technology industry.
Later that morning, The Duke visited visit a local school to see the ways in which the Finnish education system is putting student welfare and mental wellbeing at the top of its agenda.
Prior to a luncheon at City Hall celebrating Helsinki's young leaders, The Duke, accompanied by the Mayor of Helsinki Mr. Jan Vapaavuori, then visited Esplanade Park's Christmas market.
His Royal Highness will have the opportunity to visit some traditional Finnish stalls, and will meet residents gathered in the park.
Finally, The Duke attended a briefing hosted by the Finnish Air Force at Helsinki Airport, to learn more about its missions, operating environment and tailored pilot training.
Stay tuned on this page and on our Twitter and Instagram for live updates from tomorrow’s #RoyalVisitFinland.
