The Royal Week 22–28 January 2022

Saturday 22 January

The Duchess of Gloucester attended a special celebratory Evensong at St Paul’s Cathedral to mark the conclusion of the Cathedral Music Trust’s Diamond Fund for Choristers campaign, of which Her Royal Highness was Patron.

During the service it was announced that The Duchess would become Patron of the Cathedral Music Trust, a charity that raises funds to ensure that the unique heritage of the UK’s cathedral choirs is accessible to young people from all backgrounds. 

Monday 24 January

Ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day later in the week, The Prince of Wales, Holocaust Memorial Day Trust Patron, and The Duchess of Cornwall met the seven Holocaust survivors who have had their portraits painted, to hear their incredible stories of survival and resilience ahead of the opening of the exhibition.

Tuesday 25 January

At Windsor Castle, The Duke of Cambridge held an Investiture Ceremony where he awarded Honours to deserving people from across the country – including 102-year-old magician Henry Lewis and the actor David Suchet.

The Duchess of Cornwall hosted a reception at Clarence House to mark 50 years of Refuge and celebrate the vital work they do to support women and children facing domestic abuse, by offering them a safe haven and specialist help.

“I would like to thank you all for what you have done over the past half-century and beg you to carry on your vital work to ensure that the next 50 years will see, hopefully, the end of domestic abuse forever.” – The Duchess of Cornwall

With just over 180 days until the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, The Earl of Wessex – who is Vice-Patron of the Games – went to Birmingham to meet the team organising the event and hear about the latest progress.

The Princess Royal was in Gloucestershire, where she visited Racing Welfare, Chamwell Centre Charity and local business Kohler Mira, who are celebrating their centenary.

Her Royal Highness is Patron of Racing Welfare, a charity that works to support the workforce of British horseracing.

Following a tour of their facilities, The Princess officially opened the Chamwell centre, which is working to transform the lives of children and adults with disabilities across Gloucestershire.

Wednesday 26 January

In Oxford, The Duchess of Cornwall joined author Philip Pullman for a tour of the Bodleian Library, which is the largest library system in the UK and home to over 13 million objects.

Her Royal Highness also officially opened a new wing at the University of Oxford’s Botnar Institute for Musculoskeletal Sciences, a world leading centre research for a range of conditions, including osteoporosis.

The Duchess has been President of the Royal Osteoporosis Society since 2001, and became involved with the charity in 1997 following the deaths of her mother and grandmother as a result of the disease.

The Duchess of Cambridge visited Shout’s headquarters, to mark the mental health text service reaching over one million conversations with those in need. During her visit, Her Royal Highness met clinical supervisors, volunteers and fundraisers to thank them for their invaluable efforts to ensure that vital mental health support is available across the UK at any time of day or night.

Shout is the UK's only 24/7 text messaging support service, offering free and confidential help for anyone who is struggling to cope. Since its launch in May 2019, Shout has taken over 1,000,000 conversations with people who are anxious, stressed, depressed, suicidal or overwhelmed and who need immediate support.

The service, which was researched, developed and launched with a founding grant from The Royal Foundation as a legacy of the Heads Together campaign, provides round the clock support from clinical supervisors and over 2,500 trained volunteers to ensure no one has to face their problems alone.

As Patron of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity, The Princess Royal attended a partnerships project seminar, before visiting the Riding for the Disabled group at Peter Ashley Activities Centre.

Her Royal Highness has been President of the RDA since 1985, having been Patron since 1971. Through fun activities like riding and carriage driving, the charity provides therapy, fitness, skills development and opportunities for children and adults with disabilities. 

The Countess of Wessex joined a Women's Alliance for Security Leadership Meeting via video link.

Thursday 27 January

To mark Holocaust Memorial Day, portraits of seven Holocaust survivors, commissioned by The Prince of Wales, went on public display at The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace. These remarkable portraits of Helen, Lily, Manfred, Arek, Anita, Rachel and Zigi of will act as a lasting memorial to those who lost their lives and whose stories will never be told. A documentary was also broadcast on BBC Two, showing the process of the portraits' creation.

The portraits will form part of the Royal Collection and will be on display in London until 13 February 2022 before going on display at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh between 17 March and 6 June 2022.

The Duke of Cambridge, President of BAFTA, visited their headquarters to mark their re-opening.

His Royal Highness learnt how the newly refurbished building will help to significantly increase the support BAFTA provides to young people building careers in the film, games and television industries.

The new BAFTA headquarters will support over 80,000 people to develop careers in the creative arts industry and provide opportunities to expand BAFTA’s learning programmes throughout the UK and globally.

Located on Piccadilly in London, the BAFTA headquarters were opened in 1976 by The Queen and both The Duke of Edinburgh and The Princess Royal have previously served as BAFTA Presidents.

A complete list of engagements undertaken by The Royal Family can be found in the Court Circular