Here is our roundup of last week’s action from some of the Royal Family’s other engagements:
The Duke of York
Monday
In the morning, the Duke of York met with Mr Luming Ai, Founder and Chairman of the Wuhan Dangdai Group to discuss Pitch@Palace.
In the early evening, The Duke of York was accompanied by Princess Beatrice of York to the Chelsea Flower Show of the Royal Horticultural Society in the gardens of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea.
Prince Andrew at the Chelsea Flower Show (@RoyalFamily)
Later on, the Duke attended the First Guards Club Dinner at Ironmongers’ Hall in his role as Colonel of the Grenadier Guards.
Tuesday
In the morning, The Duke of York attended the 30th Annual Congress of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists at the Arena and Convention Centre, Kings Dock, Liverpool in his capacity as Patron of the College.
The RCO has over 3,500 members worldwide.
The Duke of York speaking at the 30th Annual Congress of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (@DukeofYork)
Andrew met with Ophthalmology trainees before speaking to the conference; he said, “The work you do on a daily basis is bringing down the number of people being registered blind. Keep doing what you do!”
In the afternoon, the Duke presented Bronze Awards of the Inspiring Digital Enterprise Award at Brine Leas School in Cheshire. After presenting the awards, he told the pupils, “Be guided by your teachers, be guided by your parents, but learn to learn yourselves.”
The Duke of York at Brine Leas School in Cheshire (@DukeofYork)
Later in the evening, the Duke of York arrived at Heathrow Airport to fly to Hong Kong.
Wednesday
The Duke of York attended a dinner for Pitch@Palace at One Shenzhen Bay, Shenzhen, China.
Thursday
The Duke of York visited Huawei in Shenzhen; Huawei is the largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer in the world. HRH first met Huawei in 2007.
Prince Andrew visiting Huawei in Shenzhen, China (@DukeofYork)
Later in the day, the Duke met with Pony Ma from TenCent Global to discuss TCG’s platforms QQ and WeChatApp.
Friday
The Duke of York met with representatives from the Chinese Crafts Project in Guizhou, China.
Saturday
The Duke of York spent the morning attending the China International Big Data Industry Expo 2018; the expo is a platform for the global big data community to discuss industry trends.
Speaking at the event, Prince Andrew said, “I look forward to the UK and China working closely together in the application and governance of big data to make it work in an ethical and responsible way. The UK continues to work with China and others to create opportunities for big data to massively change our lives.”
The Duke of York at Guizhou University (@DukeofYork)
In the afternoon, The Duke of York visited Guizhou University, one of the largest universities in South West China with over 30,000 enrolled students.
During the visit, the Duke toured the Innovation Centre and the Academy of Chinese Culture.
The Princess Royal
Tuesday
The Princess Royal, President of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Commonwealth Study Conferences (CSC), joined CSC Leaders in London, where she met study tour groups. The organisation is a renewal of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Commonwealth Study Conferences – first run in 1956 – for the 21st Century. It was set up to discuss industrial issues around the Commonwealth. Prince Philip once described it as “an extraordinary experiment” that provided an opportunity for people from all walks of life to leave their usual roles to examine the relationship between industry and the community around it.
Wednesday
On Wednesday, The Princess Royal, joined the CSC Leaders study tour groups in Manchester, before holding a Dinner for members of the organisation at Buckingham Palace.
The Duke of Kent
Wednesday
The Duke of Kent, Patron of St. Mungo’s held a lunch for the organisation at Buckingham Palace. St Mungo’s is London’s largest homelessness charity, providing beds to an average of 1500 people per night.
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester
Tuesday
The Duke of Gloucester, Grand Prior of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, attended the Grand Council Meeting in Williamsburg, Virginia, before honouring actor Robert Duvall inside the State Capitol. Mr Duvall was given an award for years of conservation work in Virginia. He said: “We believe that beauty is good for business and essential for the soul!” The event was hosted by Scenic Virginia, who exchange conservation awards each year with their British counterparts.
Thursday
The Duchess of Gloucester attended a Concert of the Choirs of the Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace, and the Sistine Chapel at Buckingham Palace. The concert was held at St James’s Palace and consisted of English and Latin pieces.
Fr Dominic Robinson SJ, Superior of the Mount Street Jesuit Community noted: “This was a wonderful occasion of ecumenical collaboration and beautiful music praising the God we all worship and His Creation which we all share. It was inspiring to be in the presence of so many from different Christian traditions – Anglican, Orthodox, and Catholic of different ancient churches. This kind of co-operation is so vital at a time when there is a need for rebuilding among communities of peoples of different faiths, especially in the Middle East.”
The #Choir of Her Majesty’s Chapel Royal &the Sistine Chapel Choir sang together for the first time for Evensong at the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace, &in a concert at #BuckinghamPalace in the presence of HRH The Duchess of Gloucester,and some Jesuits https://t.co/sA9QGY5tCS pic.twitter.com/NRcNX7CG2Q
— Jesuits in Britain (@JesuitsBritain) May 29, 2018
Princess Alexandra
Wednesday
Princess Alexandra attended the Annual General Court at Haberdashers’ Hall in London on Wednesday, in her capacity as President of The Royal Humane Society. The Princess handed out a bronze medal to Police Sergeant James Slender, 40, who risked his life by stepping onto a bus which was in danger of bursting into flames or exploding after an early morning crash in London last year.
The officer saved the driver and went back into the bus, staying with a woman who was trapped until the fire brigade arrived to cut her free.
Andrew Chapman, Secretary of the Royal Humane Society said: “Bronze medals are only awarded in cases of exceptional bravery and there is no doubt that Sgt Slender richly deserved his. This was a horrific crash and the vehicle could have exploded at any moment.
“However, Sgt Slender didn’t hesitate to go to the aid of those trapped inside despite the danger to himself. He was a true hero, one of the bravest of the brave.”
Princess Alexandra was with a London policeman, Sergeant James Slender, as he was given a ‘Royal Humane Society Bronze medal’ last week. pic.twitter.com/JPpssF4nR8
— RoyalistSupporter (@ProRoyalFamily) May 29, 2018
Thursday
On Thursday, Princess Alexandra attended the Pewter Live Competition and presented awards at the Worshipful Company of Pewterers. 2018 marked the 3oth anniversary of the annual competition. Pewter Live provides an “opportunity for aspiring designers to gain not only a valuable commission but a great deal of publicity. The three day event also had a shop selling pewter ware by leading manufacturers and Craftsmen.”
Friday
At her last engagement of the week, The Queen’s cousin visited Alzheimer’s Society’s London offices to mark Dementia Action Week 2018. The organisation was founded in 1979, when two people with extensive experience of caring for relatives with dementia discussed the vital need to raise awareness of dementia and to improve the quality of care and support for those suffering.
