All the Queen's President's

In honor of President's Day in the United States, here is a look at the Queen's interactions with the 12 American presidents who have served during her reign from Truman to Obama.


Harry S. Truman
1945-1953

Princess Elizabeth in the motorcade with President Truman

     The Queen met President Harry S Truman in 1951 when she was Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh. She and the Duke of Edinburgh had been on a Canadian tour and made a stop in Washington – their first visit to the States – before returning home to Britain. Truman was besotted by Elizabeth, and after greeting her and Philip at the airport, he remarked to the press, “When I was a little boy, I read about a fairy princess, and there she is!” Elizabeth was taken by the President’s natural manner, and in her response, proclaimed that “free men everywhere look towards the United States with affection and with warmth.” In retirement, Truman praised the Queen for her first televised Christmas broadcast for its references to “unthinking people” who prefer throwing away all traditions, and this was what Truman called a “lovely statement.”

Dwight D. Eisenhower
1953-1961

President Dwight Eisenhower

     Dwight D. Eisenhower was the Queen’s second U.S. president, but the first one she met as a reigning monarch. She had gotten to know him as an army general through her parents while he was the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during World War II. Now in 1957, she was his guest during a six day tour of the United States, which was designed to help repair the “Special Relationship” between America and Britain, which had been damaged by the 1956 Suez Crisis. During this tour, the Queen and Prince Philip stayed in the White House, attended a college football “match” between the University of Maryland and the University of North Carolina, spontaneously visited a supermarket, and marked the 350^th anniversary of the first permanent British settlement in America, Jamestown. 

     They were greeted by large cheering crowds wherever they went, including New York City, where over a million people turned out to see them and the President drive up Manhattan Island from Battery Park to the Waldorf-Astoria. At the end of the tour, British Prime Minister Harold MacMillan wrote in his diary that the Queen had “buried George III for good and all.”

     Later, Elizabeth II (as Queen of Canada) and President Eisenhower traveled aboard the royal yacht Britannia along the St. Lawrence Seaway to inaugurate it in 1959, and Eisenhower paid a visit to the Queen at Balmoral, which he described as “perfect in every respect.” 

John F. Kennedy
1961-1963

The Queen and Prince Philip with the Kennedy's at Buckingham Palace

     President John F. Kennedy had been in office for four months when he met the Queen at the end of a European tour, which included a highly-successful visit to France and an American-Soviet conference in Vienna, where he had been given a rough time by Nikita Khrushchev.

     Elizabeth II and Prince Philip hosted President Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy for a dinner at Buckingham Palace – the first for an American president since Woodrow Wilson had been entertained by George V in 1918. It was a private occasion, but nonetheless displayed the royal treatment for the President and the First Lady. The Queen was noted for responding to Mrs. Kennedy's complaint about the pressures of visiting Canada by saying, "One gets crafty after a while and learns how to save oneself."

     This would be only visit between the Queen and President Kennedy before his assassination in 1963. In the following year, she dedicated the Kennedy Memorial at Runnymede in the presence of his family.

Lyndon B. Johnson
1963-1969

President Johnson  never got to meet the Queen, but Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon did pay a visit to the White House in 1965.

     Kennedy’s successor, Lyndon B. Johnson, was the only American president to not meet Elizabeth II in the course of her reign. His only chance to do so was during the state funeral of Sir Winston Churchill in January 1965, but he was suffering from a bronchial condition and his physicians advised against the trip – even though Johnson had secured special concessions such as permission to remaining seated while others were standing and getting private audience with the Queen apart from the other dignitaries. Later that year, LBJ would receive a visit in the United States from the Queen’s sister, Princess Margaret and her husband, Antony Armstrong-Jones, Earl of Snowdon.

Richard M. Nixon
1969-1974

The Nixon's with Queen Elizabeth and British Prime Minister Edward Heath

     Richard M. Nixon became President in 1969, and in that year the Queen hosted an informal lunch for the new leader of the free world. In the fall of 1970, she joined Nixon and Prime Minister Edward Heath for lunch at the summer residence for British prime ministers at Chequers, England. However, the President’s real connection with the royal family came about during the previous summer, when Prince Charles and Princess Anne visited Washington for what amounted to a two-day state visit (during which he attempted to set up a relationship between Charles and Nixon’s elder daughter, Tricia).

Gerald R. Ford
1974-1977

The Queen and President Ford share a dance in celebration of America's Bicentennial

     In 1974, President Nixon resigned in disgrace as a result of the Watergate Scandal, and was succeeded by Gerald R. Ford, who set about attempting to heal a nation that had been fraught by the scandal and the conflict in Vietnam. Part of this healing manifested itself in the Bicentennial celebrations of American independence in 1976, and the Queen and Prince Philip actively took part in them during a six day visit in July.

     Among the highlights of the tour was a white-tie Bicentennial dinner that was held in their honor by President Ford and First Lady Betty Ford in a large tent within the Rose Garden on the grounds of the White House. Public television broadcasted the event, which was attended by 224 guests and lasted until almost 1:00AM. The Queen and the President toasted each other and shared a dance to Frank Sinatra’s “The Lady is a Tramp.” The royal couple and the Fords took part in other Bicentennial events, and towards the end of the tour, Elizabeth and Philip entertained the Fords aboard the royal yacht Britannia. 

     When it was over, the Queen reflected, “Who would have thought 200 years ago that a descendant of King George III could have taken part in these celebrations?”

Jimmy Carter
1977-1981

Jimmy Carter is likely remembered in royal circles for his faux pas against the Queen Mother

     President Jimmy Carter met the Queen once during his time in office, and that was while he was in the UK for a round of economic and foreign policy meetings. A black-tie dinner was held at Buckingham Palace for NATO leaders, where Carter met Elizabeth II and other members of her family. This dinner is remembered in part for Carter’s protocol faux pas when he kissed Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother on her mouth. She later commented that she had taken a step backwards, but not enough to avoid it.

Ronald Reagan
1981-1989 

When it came to horses, the Queen and President Reagan were like old friends

     Carter’s successor, Ronald Reagan, had a more memorable and personal relationship with Elizabeth II. He and his wife Nancy were invited to Windsor Castle as personal guests in 1982, and the President was the first American head of state to stay there. Later, the Queen and Prince Philip were guests of the Reagan’s at their ranch in California. 

     The common thread of these visits were horses, for the Queen and the President were both keen on them, and they are remembered for riding side-by-side on horseback like old friends. Indeed, was during this period that relations between America and Britain were as close as at any time since World War II, thanks in part to the conservative ideological match between Reagan and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. 

     During the Falklands War between the UK and Argentina, Reagan’s government had supplied intelligence to the British and imposed economic sanctions on the Argentinians, and in the end, Britain won. 

     The Queen would eventually bestow an honorary knighthood on Reagan.

George H.W. Bush
1989-1993

Bush 41 and the Queen attending the 1991 state dinner with their spouses

     By the time of Queen’s next state visit to the United States, George H.W. Bush was in the White House. It was 1991, and the President had recently and successfully prosecuted the First Gulf War against Iraq, in which there had been British and Commonwealth participation, so the visit was in part a way of thanking the Queen and her realms for their help. 

     Unfortunately, a faux pas occurred at the welcoming ceremony on the White House South Lawn: the podium was made to accommodate President Bush, but not the Queen, whose hat was the only thing that appeared behind the podium as she spoke, leading to references to the "talking hat." Later, she became the first British monarch to address Congress and the President treated her to an American baseball game, where he gave her some info on the rules of the game.

Bill Clinton
1993-2001

President Clinton was the Queen's first "Baby Boomer" American leader

     Bill Clinton was the Queen’s tenth U.S. president, and they met other for an extended period during the fiftieth anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy in 1994. On the night before the commemorations, President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton were invited to spend the night aboard the royal yacht Britannia. During the dinner, the two families got on well, and Clinton observed that the Queen was very knowledgeable about public issues and asked probing questions without revealing too much insight on her personal opinions. He concluded that she could have been a politician or diplomat in her own right were it not for the circumstances of her birth.

George W. Bush
2001-2009

President and Laura Bush with the Queen and Prince Philip greeting people from the White House balcony in 2007

 
     President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush were guests of the Queen’s during a state visit to London in 2003. At the time, the Iraq War was only a few months old, and this visit was done as part of diplomatic efforts to strengthen American ties to Britain, its staunchest ally in the conflict under Prime Minister Tony Blair. Despite the protests against the war, the visit was largely successful, and Bush 43 and his wife were warmly welcomed by the Queen, who had already known them from the time that his father was president.

     Four years later, the Elizabeth II and Prince Philip made a return state visit to America, during which they marked the 400^th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement in Virginia. Later, they traveled to Washington to meet with President and Mrs. Bush. This time, the podium at the South Lawn welcoming ceremony was positioned correctly for the Queen, but a faux pas occurred anyway when the President remarked that she had helped celebrate our country’s bicentennial in 1776, before quickly correcting himself to say 1976. Realizing his mistake, he winked at the Queen and commented that she had given him a look that only a mother could give.

Barack Obama
2009-Present

The Obama's meeting the Queen at Buckingham Palace in 2009

     2008 brought about election of America’s first African-American president, Barack Obama and in 2009, he met the Queen for the first time while in office at the G20 Summit. During a reception, the Queen and First Lady Michelle Obama were seen gently embracing each other for a moment, which caused somewhat of a stir in royal circles and in the press. But it does appear that Queen and the Obama’s have a friendly relationship, which actually began when the President was the junior Senator from Illinois. 

     Two years later, the Obama’s were back in London for a state visit at the invitation of the Queen. She pulled out items from the Royal Collection relevant to America in general and the President in particular: a hand-written note from George III which lamented the loss of America (but also speculated on future trade and diplomatic relationships), letters from President Abraham Lincoln and letters from Queen Victoria in which she expressed sympathy for American slaves, records of the visit of the then Prince of Wales (future Edward VII) to Obama’s home-town of Chicago in 1860, and a handwritten letter from the Queen Mother to then Princess Elizabeth recording the historic visit between George VI and President Franklin Roosevelt in 1939 on the eve of World War II. 

     The Obama’s returned the favor by presenting the Queen with a book of photographs of her parents visit, and they also met the recently-married Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. At the state dinner, the President proposed a toast to the Queen but the orchestra struck up God Save the Queen as he was speaking, though this was a minor faux pas that failed to mar the fact that this visit was a success.


Sources:

Marr, Andrew. The Real Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. New York: St. Martin's Press. 2012. Print (Pages 3 and 4).

Smith, Sally Bedell. Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch. New York: Random House. 2012. Print (Pages 58-59, 122, 132-136, 138, 140, 155-157, 177-178, 243-245, 276-278, 310-314, 356-359, 380-81, and 456-57).

Elizabeth II and Prince Philip: A Story of the Ultimate Royal Couple

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in 2012

     In many ways, there simply is not a royal couple like them, with a firm union whose strength has survived the test of time over six decades.

     It is a union rooted in a deep love that began during a meeting in 1939, on the eve of World War II. Then, Elizabeth was a 13 year old princess and Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark was an 18 year old cadet at the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth. They were distant cousins - both descended from Queen Victoria - and had met previously during royal gatherings in 1934 and 1937. On this occasion however, George VI and Queen Elizabeth were visiting Dartmouth, and Philip was assigned to look after Princess Elizabeth and her sister, Princess Margaret.

     By most accounts, it was on this day that the future Queen fell in love with the dashing naval cadet and never really had anyone else in mind from that day forward.

     Philip graduated from Dartmouth in 1940 at the top of his class, and was immediately commissioned into the Royal Navy, where he served honorably in the Mediterranean and Pacific theaters of the Second World War.

     Throughout it all, he and Elizabeth and Philip kept up a correspondence as they exchanged letters and saw each other when Philip was in Britain on leave. After the war, it was becoming clear that their relationship was serious, and in the summer of 1946, Philip asked George VI for his daughter's hand in marriage. Some of the older and stuffier courtiers, as well as other members of the establishment were wary about Philip due to his brash manners and bluntness in speaking, his Germanic background (including the fact that some in-laws had fought on the Nazi side in WWII), and his relationship to his uncle, Lord Louis Mountbatten, whom some considered to be a political liberal.

    The King was more concerned about his daughter marrying at a young age, but he agreed to allow the marriage on the condition that the formal engagement was delayed until Elizabeth turned 21. During that time, Philip renounced his Greek and Danish royal titles, converted from Greek Orthodox to Anglicanism, became a naturalized British subject, and adopted the surname Mountbatten from his maternal relatives in the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, Elizabeth traveled with her parents and sister for a visit to South Africa in the spring of 1947. Part of the trip was designed to get the Princess away from Britain and allow her some time to think about her relationship with Philip and whether to go ahead with the marriage. She celebrated her 21^st birthday in South Africa and made the famous radio broadcast in which she dedicated her life to the service of the Empire and Commonwealth. Upon her arrival back in the UK, she was more determined than ever to marry Philip.

     On July 10, 1947, Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten formally announced their engagement, and they were married at Westminster Abbey on November 20^th in a ceremony that was broadcast by the BBC to over 200 million people across the world via radio. Just before the wedding, Philip was given the style of Royal Highness and he was made the Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, and Baron Greenwich.

The young royal couple while on a tour of Canada

     The couple moved into Clarence House, and in following year, they had their first child, Prince Charles on November 14th, followed by Princess Anne in 1950. Philip continued his career in the Royal Navy, and was stationed in Malta, where was joined by Elizabeth. It was here that they were able to enjoy life as an ordinary naval couple, and they socialized and mingled with other naval couples who were stationed there. For them, it may have been the happiest period of their marriage since they were able to live normally and without the gaze of the media.

     All of this came to an end on February 6, 1952 when George VI died, and it was Philip who broke the news to his wife, who was now Queen Elizabeth II. With the move to Buckingham Palace and the job of supporting his wife taking precedence over virtually everything else, the Duke’s naval career effectively came to an end. At the first-ever televised coronation in 1953, he dutifully paid homage to his Queen and wife – pledging to be her “liege-man of life and limb.”

Then newly-crowned Queen and her prince consort on Coronation Day

     Since then, the Queen and the Duke have remained strong in their relationship and their marriage has held firm. In 1957, she made Philip a Prince of the United Kingdom, which restored to him the princely status he had given up before their marriage, and their family expanded as they welcomed two more children: Prince Andrew in 1960 and Prince Edward in 1964.

     As time has gone on, they have stood the test of time as Britain and the Commonwealth experienced exponential political, social, demographic, and economic changes. Within their family, they faced increased media intrusion and scrutiny of their personal lives. They watched the very public scandals and destruction of the marriages of three of their children in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Then came the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997, which saw the Queen facing her biggest crisis – more so than the annus horrilibis in 1992 – as she and the royal family were accused of being indifferent to Diana’s death by staying at Balmoral and not sharing in the public grief. The awesome weight of the monarchy probably felt full on the Queen’s shoulders as its very existence was questioned as never before. However, she did have the support of her loyal husband, and support for the monarchy rebounded following their return to London, where she delivered a moving tribute to Diana and attended the funeral at Westminster Abbey.

     In November of that year, they celebrated their 50^th wedding anniversary, and at a banquet held by the Lord Mayor of London, Prince Philip praised the Queen for having the “quality of tolerance in abundance” in the partnership of their marriage. The next day – the actual day of the anniversary – at a banquet hosted by Prime Minister Tony Blair, the Queen paid tribute to Prince Philip by remarking that he had been the “strength and stay” of her life. Indeed, it has been said by some commentators and by members of the royal family that she could not have fulfilled her duties as monarch without him.

     They do complement each other: the Duke’s bluntness and faint whiff of mischief to the Queen’s more subtle and serious demeanor in public. It is probably because of these differences – balanced by their common interests in things such as horses and outdoor life – that has made their marriage work for over 65 years. During that time, they have carried out many royal duties together around the world, in which the Duke as had to walk two paces behind his wife. Any issues arising from this – and there have been some – have not been discussed in detail by either of them, and has likely been outmatched by the love and understanding that they have each other.

     The result is that their union has remained strong, and they have been able to witness their children and grandchildren take their place in the workings of the modern monarchy. They can also rest easy knowing that the monarchy is secure and stable for at least another century with the birth of Prince George. 

Still going strong after six decades

     However, do not expect them to rest too much. Philip, at the age of 92, is the longest-serving consort (male or female), as well as the longest-lived spouse to a reigning monarch in British history, but he will continue to support his Queen and wife in whatever way he can do. The Queen herself is already the longest-lived British monarch, and she is well on her way to becoming the longest-reigning one also, and yet, at the age of 87, she is also moving forward with her usual duties and responsibilities.

     With the love and support they have for each other, the Queen and the Duke have held on in the face of everything, and in that sense, they are the ultimate royal couple.



Photo Credit: Carfax2 via Wikimedia Commons cc, BiblioArchives/LibraryArchives via Flickr cc, West Midlands Police via Flickr cc  

Kate: What Do You Call Her?

What's so hard about referring to Kate as the Duchess of Cambridge and not Kate Middleton?

     
     Ever since she first appeared under the gaze of the media spotlight, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge has been known in the press as Kate Middleton.

     This practice should have ended upon her marriage to Prince William, Duke of Cambridge in 2011, because on that day, she ceased to be Kate Middleton, and became the Duchess of Cambridge. Yet it has been continued by several media outlets and news publications, and it is somewhat frustrating to hear the Duchess referred to as such.

     Some people may look upon this as trivial, and it is true that regardless of what she is called, it does not change on iota about your own life (or her's either). However, as a matter of proper form and dignity, Kate should not be referred to by her maiden name unless it is in reference to the period of her life before her marriage.

     So if not Kate Middleton, then she must surely be Princess Kate, right? Wrong.

     According to the Letters Patent issued by George V in 1917 (which were most recently amended by the Queen in 2012), the title of Prince or Princess in the United Kingdom is restricted to the children of a monarch, male-line grandchildren of a monarch, and the children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales.

     In other words, this title and dignity is only for the use for people who are born into the royal family, and not for people who marry into it (though there have been exceptions, as I will explain later).

     So does this mean she is not a Princess? No, wrong again!

     Kate is a Princess, but only because she married a Prince. Like most women who take the feminine form of their husband's name, so did she. Technically speaking, she is also Princess William of Wales, and would be known as such had her husband not received his titles of Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn, and Baron Carrickfergus. But as she does not come from royal blood, Kate is not a Princess in her own right.

     However, there is precedent for making her a stand-alone Princess. In 1957, the Duke of Edinburgh, who had renounced his birthright Greek and Danish royal titles to marry then-Princess Elizabeth in 1947 as Philip Mountbatten (with his surname being that of his mother's family in Britain), was made a Prince of the United Kingdom by the Queen, which allowed him to be formally called Prince Philip.

     Could the Queen do the same for Kate? Yes, but the likelihood is low for this simple reason: if Kate gets this treatment, then all other royal wives - including Princess Michael of Kent (wife of Prince Michael of Kent) and the Duchess of Gloucester (wife of Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester) - would probably demand the same. 

So to summarize, the proper form of referring to Kate is:

• Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge

It is also OK to call her:

• Catherine (or Kate), Duchess of Cambridge
• The Duchess of Cambridge 

Other names that can correctly be used to describe her are:

• Catherine (or Kate) Cambridge
• Catherine (or Kate) Mountbatten-Windsor
• Duchess Catherine (or Kate)

The incorrect forms are:

• Catherine (or Kate) Middleton
• Princess Catherine (or Kate)

     The colloquial surname Cambridge is in reference to Kate's territorial designation as the Duchess of Cambridge. It is similar to Prince William and Prince Harry being known as William and Harry Wales in the military and in school, based on their formal styles (i.e., Prince Harry of Wales), which in turn is based on their father's territorial designation as the Prince of Wales. 

     It is also proper to refer to Kate via her Scottish title of Countess of Strathearn and her Northern Irish title of Baroness Carrickfergus. 

     Mountbatten-Windsor is the surname adopted for use by non-royal and male-line descendants of the Queen and Prince Philip, but which has been used by members with royal titles, such as Princess Anne when she signed her name on the marriage register during her first wedding in 1973.

     So why is it hard for the media to stop calling her Kate Middleton or Princess Kate? With regard to the former, it's likely because they became used to calling her that for a long time before her marriage, and have not shaken it off. With regard to the latter, it may well be that Princess sounds better than (and superior to) Duchess. Indeed, there were some media personalities on the day of the wedding who were aghast (and shocked!) to find out that the wife of a Prince was a mere Duchess. Since then, they and others in the media have taken it upon themselves to elevate her to the status of a Princess, or to just use her maiden name (which actually takes her down a notch, when you think about it). 

     All of this goes to the way that some media outlets treat Kate and other members of the royal family as mere "celebrities" or entertainment show-pieces with no respect for their status or constitutional role. It is true that several things about monarchy have become relaxed, and this is a positive development, but there are some formalities that need to be observed, such as the use of proper titles in the media.

     For more information about royal titles and the use of them in the United Kingdom, please read Why Kate Is Not Princess Catherine.


Photo Credit: Tom Soper Photography via Fotopedia cc

Royal State in America: Georgia

The Charter of Trustees for the Establishment of the Colony of Georgia in America.

     On this day in 1733, the U.S. State of Georgia was established as a British colony under a royal charter issued by King George II of Great Britain and Ireland, in whose honor the colony and state are named.

     Georgia was founded by General James Edward Oglethorpe, who had arrived with a group of British settlers on the same day. They made peaceful contact with the Yamacraw Indian tribe under its chief, Tomochichi, with whom Oglethorpe worked to secure land for the establishment of Georgia and its first city and capital, Savannah.

King George II of Great Britain and Ireland

     It was established under the royal charter for two reasons: to provide an alternative route for Britons who had landed in debtors prison - which was the brain child of Oglethorpe as a Member of Parliament and philanthropist  - as well as to create a "buffer" colony to protect the other southern provinces, such as South Carolina from the Spanish in Florida. The philanthropic aims of Oglethorpe and his associates were expressed in the Georgia's original motto: non sibi sed aliis, a Latin phrase which means, "Not for themselves, but for others."

River Street in Savannah, Georgia's first capital city.

     Originally governed by a board of trustees, Georgia outlawed slavery in part because Oglethorpe was against the practice and wanted the colony to prosper from the efforts of free men, and for this reason, Georgia stood apart from the other colonies in North America. However, with the booming slave-based agricultural trade in South Carolina, the anti-slave laws were repealed, and Georgia took on the character and economy of its neighbors. It became a royal colony under the direct authority of the Crown in 1752.

     Georgia was the last of the thirteen British North American colonies that declared independence in 1776, and became the fourth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. It seceded from the Union in 1861, becoming part of the Confederacy during the Civil War, and was the last state to be re-admitted nearly eleven years later.

Atlanta, the current capital of Georgia

     Today, Georgia is known as the Peach State and the Empire State of the South, and its current motto is Wisdom, Justice, Moderation. It is the 24th largest state in the Union by area (the largest east of the Mississippi River), as well as the eighth most populated, and its capital and largest city is Atlanta. Notable Georgians include Martin Luther King, Jr. (civil rights leader), Jimmy Carter (39th President of the United States), Jackie Robinson (baseball player), Ted Turner (media magnate), Clarence Thomas (Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court), and musicians such as Johnny Mercer, Ray Charles, and Jason Aldeen.

Flag of the State of Georgia

     The state is also home to two leading institutions of higher learning in the States: the University of Georgia (UGA) and the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). It counts tourism, media, agriculture, logistics, and manufacturing among its industries, and is also home to the headquarters of fifteen Fortune 500 companies, including Delta Air Lines, Coca-Cola, and Home Depot. In 2010, it had a gross state product of $403.1 billion and if it were an independent country, Georgia would be the 28th largest economy in the world.


Photo Credit: Chuck Koehler via Flickr cc, Kmf164 via Wikimedia Commons cc

Royal Docket for the Week of February 9th

Monday, February 10th

HRH The Duke of Edinburgh

     Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh hosted a dinner at Sandringham House for the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust. The Trust is committed to improving the biodiversity of the British countryside via the development of helpful game and wildlife management techniques, and the Duke is a Life Member and Patron.

HRH The Earl of Wessex

     Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex carried out two engagements in London his role as Trustee of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. At St. James's Palace, he welcomed young people to celebrate their achievement of the Gold Standard in the Award. He also attended a Young Fellowship Dinner at Spencer House. Young Fellowship is a network of young people affiliated with World Fellowship, which aims to sustain the work of the D of E International Awards.

     Princess Anne, Princess Royal is attending the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia all week, and will be carrying out other engagements in Russia on behalf of the UK Government and organizations which she supports. Anne is a member of the International Olympic Committee and President of the British Olympic Association.


Tuesday, February 11th 

BBC HQ at Broadcasting House

     Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall are visiting three broadcasters in London to understand how they are contributing to the efforts of the Prince's Trust. They will tour the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) at the recently-built extension of its headquarters, Broadcasting House, at Portland Place, as well as Global Radio at Leicester Square and Bauer Media at Mappin House.

     Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, as Patron of the National Portrait Gallery, will be attending the Gallery's 2014 Portrait Gala. She will meet guests, as well as view donated portraits that will raise funds for the Gallery to purchase more portraits for its already vast collection, as well as to deliver exhibitions, and learning/research opportunities. This will be her first official public engagement of the year.

     Princess Anne, Princess Royal will visit the Russian International Olympic University in Sochi and will attend a reception at the British Embassy in Moscow.

HRH Princess Alexandra at left

     Princess Alexandra will hold the annual Child Protection Dinner at Buckingham Palace as the Royal Patron of Children and Families Across Borders, which aims to assist children who have been separated from their families via divorce, war, asylum, abduction, and other desperate circumstances.


Wednesday, February 12th

HRH The Prince of Wales

     Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, as Admiral of the Fleet, will be at Clarence House to present Operational Service Medals to members of the 847 Naval Air Squadron who served in Afghanistan, and they and their families will be entertained by the Prince at the State Apartments of St. James's Palace.

     Sophie, Countess of Wessex will be in London to visit a clinic at St. Thomas Hospital that is operated by the Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Research Association (DEBRA), which provides assistance and support for individuals and families affected by Epidermolysis Bullosa, a potentially painful genetic skin blistering condition. The Countess is Patron of the charity. She will also be promoting the Duke of Edinburgh's Award as Chairman of Women in Business by attending a meeting at the Award's office in London.

HRH The Princess Royal

     Princess Anne, Princess Royal will be Moscow, Russia to lay a wreath at the Eternal Flame by the Kremlin Wall, visit St. Andrew's Church, tour the Jaguar Land Rover showroom, and visit the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. At the British Embassy, she will unveil a memorial commemorating the First World War, as well as attend a reception and dinner to launch the Bilateral Year of Culture.


Thursday, February 13th

HRH The Duchess of Cornwall

     Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall will be carrying out engagements in the county of Surrey. At Woking, she will pay a visit to HM Prison Coldingley to meet prisoners who have been taking part in schemes to improve literacy, and literacy improvement is cause that is close the Duchess. In Guildford, she will tour the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Center (RASASC), as well as officially open the Anniversary Halls at St. Catherine's School.

     Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex will be in London and the county of Kent to carry out his engagements for the day.
 
     At the Royal Festival Hall in London, the Earl will attend the Chetham School of Music's Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Choir in his role as the School's Patron. He will also visit the Woodlands Children's Center at Gilbert Scott Primary School and the Turnaround Center in the Croydon section of London.

     Traveling to Kent, Prince Edward will open a new school building at the Langley Park School for Boys in Beckenham.

HRH The Countess of Wessex

     Sophie, Countess of Wessex is going to be in Oxfordshire on Thursday for three engagements. At Dorchester-on-Thames, she will visit Parents and Children Together at Dorchester Abbey and bury a time capsule on the Abbey's grounds. In Headington, she will formally open the Highfield Unit, a facility of the National Health Service (NHS) that provides inpatient services for young persons (aged 11-18) with acute mental needs. The Countess will go to Oxford to visit the town's Food Bank in Curtis Yard.

     Princess Anne, Princess Royal will continue her tour of Russia by carrying out engagements in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

     She will visit the Clinical and Research Institute of Children's Emergency Surgery and Trauma at the Moscow Public Health Department, as well as tour  the Living Thread Hippotherapy Center at the Central Moscow Hippodrome.

     In St. Petersburg, Princess Anne will visit SPB Renovation, a company that is overseeing the upgrading and construction of housing in the city 8, and later attend a reception at the British Consulate-General. That night, she will attend a dinner at the Old Customs House Restaurant.


Friday, February 14th

HRH The Duchess of Cambridge

     On Valentine's Day, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge will visit Northolt High School in Ealing, London to open the school's ICAP Art Room. She is Royal Patron of the Art Room, a children's charity that focuses on using art to help children with emotional and behavioral difficulties, and the Duchess will witness how this approach works.

TRH The Earl and Countess of Wessex

     Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex will be in London to attend two functions in his position as Master of the Worshipful Company of Gardeners. Along with Sophie, Countess of Wessex, he will attend lunch at the Old Bailey and a Ladies Banquet at Mansion House.

     Princess Anne, Princess Royal will be in St. Petersburg for her last day of engagements in Russia before returning home to the United Kingdom.

     She will tour the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul and the St. Petersburg Mint, lay a wreath at the Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery, pay a visit to the Anglo-American School, tour the icebreaker Krasin, visit the Hermitage Museum, and open the new Tensar Factory in Petrodvorets.


Saturday, February 15th

HRH Prince Harry of Wales

     Prince Harry will be in Chichester, West Sussex to visit the Goodwood Motor Circuit for a Track Day organized by the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry. The Prince will meet injured service personnel and view an exhibition of the Royal Foundation’s Endeavor Fund projects, which aim to assist said wounded personnel. At the Goodwood Aerodrome of the Boultbee Flying Academy, he is also launching a scholarship for wounded former servicemen and women, as well as viewing a Spitfire plane that was used in the Battle of Britain and meeting Royal Air Force pilots who helped to defend the country during that Battle.








Photo Credit: University of Salford Press Office via Flickr cc, Northern Ireland Office via Flickr cc, Stephen Craven via Geograph cc, Surrey County Council News via Flickr cc, Dan Marsh via Wikimedia Commons cc, Northern Ireland Office via Flickr cc, José Cruz/Agência Brasil via Wikimedia Commons cc, Holger Motzkau via Wikimedia Commons cc, Tom Soper Photography via Fotopedia cc, Surrey County Council News via Flickr cc, GlynLowe via Flickr cc