The Royal Week 19-25 November 2022

Saturday 19 November

At Ascot Racecourse, The Queen Consort attended the races and met members of Ebony Horse Club who were given the opportunity to go to the Royal Box to watch the third race of the day.

Her Majesty has been involved in the club since 2008, which is a charity and community riding centre in Brixton, where riding and horsemanship are used as tools to develop and improve key life skills.

In the Falkland Islands, The Princess Royal attended the Mount Pleasant Community Open day, touring civilian and military stands and meeting military personnel from Regiments and corps of which she is Colonel.

Following this, Her Royal Highness, accompanied by Sir Tim Laurence, visited Goose Green for the Falklands Islands Multicultural Day.

En route to Goose Green Her Royal Highness visited the Col H Jones and 2 Para Memorials and the Argentine Military Cemetery near Darwin. Later, The Princess also visited San Carlos to pay respects at the Blue Beach military cemetery.

Sunday 20 November

The Princess Royal and Admiral Sir Tim Laurence visited Bleaker Island nature reserve.

In the afternoon they visited some of the battlefield sites of the 1982 Conflict, including Mount Harriet and Two Sisters.

Monday 21 November

The King of Spain visited The King at Clarence House.

The Princess Royal celebrated Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands, being granted city status by unveiling a plaque.

Her Royal Highness also planted a tree for The Queen’s Green Canopy in the 1982 Memorial Wood.

Tuesday 22 November

It was the first day of the South African State Visit, starting with the ceremonial welcome at Horse Guards Parade, where the Guard of Honour gave a Royal Salute before being inspected by the President.

Ahead of the welcoming ceremony, The Prince and Princess of Wales welcomed The President, on behalf of the King, at the Corinthia Hotel.

There was then the traditional carriage procession down the Mall to Buckingham Palace.

In the afternoon, the President viewed an exhibition in the Picture Gallery of items from the Royal Collection relating to South Africa. 

In the evening The King, accompanied by The Queen Consort and Members of the Royal Family, held a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace for The President. His Majesty and The President both made speeches at the start of the banquet. 

You can read more about the South African State Visit here:

In the Falkland Islands, The Princess Royal visited the HMS SHEFFIELD Memorial on Sea Lion Island and later visited the Sea Lion Island National Nature Reserve and Bluff Cove.

Wednesday 23 November

On the second day of the State Visit, The President, accompanied by The Earl of Wessex, visited the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, which showcased the longstanding scientific and conservation partnerships between South Africa and the UK.

The President and The Earl of Wessex then visited the Francis Crick Institute, a biomedical research centre that works across academia, medicine and industry to understand the biology behind health and disease.

The Institute collaborates on projects with the University of KwaZulu- Natal, and The President and The Earl viewed technology used across Africa to diagnose infections, including Covid-19, as well as meeting South African scientists and students. 

Later at Buckingham Palace, The King formally bid farewell to the President.

In the evening The President, joined by The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, attended a Banquet at the Guildhall given by the Lord Mayor and City of London Corporation. 

The King undertook a number of engagements in London, starting at The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, visited the Society and heard more about their work to support, educate, and develop both aspiring and practising barrister Members.

His Majesty then visited the Grade I listed North Wing of St Bartholomew’s Hospital to recognise the success of Barts Heritage for their Sharing Historic Barts project.

On the final visit of the day, The King visited The Goldsmiths’ Centre where he was introduced to young people on The Goldsmiths’ Centre’s Foundation and Goldsmiths’ Company Apprenticeship programmes.

His Majesty also send a message to the Governor of New South Wales expressing his concerns on the ongoing devastation caused by flooding.

I would be most grateful if you would pass on my thanks and admiration to those who have once again come to the rescue and to those already providing invaluable assistance in the recovery process.

Thursday 24 November

Members of the Order of Merit gathered at Buckingham Palace where The King, who is Sovereign of the Order, invested six new members.

His Majesty later held an Audience with the Governor of South Australia, Her Excellency Frances Adamson.

The King also sent a message of condolence to the President of Indonesia following the earthquake in Cianjur, West Java:

I particularly wanted to send my most heartfelt thoughts and condolences to all those who have been affected.

The Queen Consort delivered hundreds of Paddington Bears and cuddly toys to Barnardo's children's services, at a special teddy bears picnic at one of the charity's nursery's in Bow, London.

The bears had all been left in tribute to Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth at Royal Residences and the Royal Parks.

Her Majesty joined children supported by Bow Nursery and Barnardo’s staff for the picnic, alongside key characters from the world of Paddington for some marmalade sandwiches.

The Duke of Cornwall made his first official visit to Cornwall since taking on his new role, where he met organisations who are supporting the local community and staff working for the Duchy of Cornwall.

His Royal Highness visited Newquay Orchard, a seven-acre urban greenspace located on Duchy land which provides environmental education, employability training and community events.

At ‘An Lowarth’ (Cornish for Garden), The Prince joined some of the Orchard’s 120+ volunteers, who come to the site to learn new skills, make new friends and improve their physical and mental health.

The Earl of Wessex, Honorary Air Commodore, visited RAF Waddington.

The Countess of Wessex visited ZSL London Zoo, where she joined children who are supported by the Community Children’s Nursing team, for some festive-themed activities for the Zoo’s ring-tailed lemurs.

The seasonal activities took place as part of ZSL’s Community Access Scheme, which aims brings more people closer to wildlife and learn about their conservation work.

During the visit, Her Royal Highness also visited the recently restored Snowdon Aviary, which was first designed in the 1960s by the late Earl of Snowdon, and was visited by Queen Elizabeth in 1967. Her late Majesty The Queen was ZSL’s Patron from 1953 until her death in September.

The Duke of Gloucester, Patron of the Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust,  attended the Nuffield Farming Conference at Cardiff City Hall.

Friday 25 November

The Princess Royal, Colonel in Chief of the Intelligence Corps, took the salute at a Passing Out Parade at Chicksands, Bedfordshire.