The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh visit Malta
Published
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are currently in Malta to mark the 60th anniversary of the country's independence and celebrate its shared heritage with the UK.
Their Royal Highnesses were officially welcomed by the President of the Republic of Malta, Myriam Spiteri Debono, and later Prime Minister Dr Robert Abela on arrival in Malta.
On the evening of their arrival a Commonwealth Reception was held to bring together Commonwealth citizens and celebrate the organisation ahead of theCommonwealth Heads ofGovernment Meeting in Samoa later this month.
The following day The Duke joined young people participating in The Duke of Edinburgh International Award and formally opened the organisation’s new headquarters in Malta.
Their Royal Highnesses commemorated the bravery of the people of Malta during the Second World War, casting a wreath into Valletta harbour which suffered relentless aerial attacks by the Luftwaffe and Italian Air Force. In 1942, at the height of the attacks, King George VI awarded the George Cross to the Maltese population in recognition of their resistance, endurance and loyalty.
During their visit to Malta, The Duke and Duchess visited Villa Guardamangia - the home of Queen Elizabeth II (then Princess Elizabeth) and Prince Philip from 1949 to 1951 whilst the Prince was serving as an officer in the Royal Navy.
The villa is currently being restored and The Duke and Duchess toured the building, guided by staff working on the heritage project.
At the National Library, Their Royal Highnesses viewed artefacts which document Malta’s changing relationship with the UK, including a letter signed by Queen Elizabeth II inaugurating the first parliament in 1964.
The Duke and Duchess will also attend an ecumenical service at the Anglican Pro-Cathedral, an institution of which Prince Philip, The late Duke of Edinburgh, was Patron.
Later, The Duchess of Edinburgh laid a posy in memory of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Her Royal Highness, who is committed to drawing attention to the issue of violence against women and girls around the world, also attended a discussion with members of Malta’s Police Force and Human Rights Directorate about supporting victims of human-trafficking and gender-based violence.
Previous visits to Malta
This is the first Royal visit to Malta since The Duke of Kent visited in November 2018.
The King, as Prince of Wales, first visited Malta in 1969. His Majesty visited again in 2015 with Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and Her Majesty The Queen as The Duchess of Cornwall, to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Valetta. The King’s most recent visit to Malta was in 2017 to mark the 75th anniversary of the island being awarded the George Cross.
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh last visited Malta together in November 2012, as the Earl and Countess of Wessex, and Her Royal Highness returned to Malta in 2018.
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