Here are some of the highlights of the activities and engagements of the Royal Family in February.
On 1st February the Princess Royal, President of the Royal Yachting Association, visited Royal Harwich Yacht Club in celebration of their 175th Anniversary. On another occasion she attended a dinner as Master of Trinity House, a charity who, since they were incorporated by Royal Charter in 1514, have played a major role in UK and international maritime safety. HRH also marked the 110th anniversary of The Cruising Association.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex began the month with a visit to Bristol to see the work of charities there, including Bristol Old Vic, One 25, and Empire Fighting Chance. As part of the visit to One 25, the Duchess helped pack lunches for street sex worker victims, and asked if she could write empowering messages on the bananas, to boost self esteem. This must be a first for a royal visit, and it is clear the Duchess is trying to show personal care on her engagements. They also attended the Endeavour Fund Awards, supporting injured ex-service men and women. Towards the end of the month, The Sussex’s undertook an official state visit to Morocco. See a separate blog post on this for all the details.
The Duke of Sussex, as Captain General Royal Marines, attended Exercise Clockwork to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the operation in Bardufoss, Norway. Clockwork is an annual winter exercise, and forms part of the royal marine training, taking place 200 miles inside the arctic circle.
The Queen marked the centenary of the, GCHQ, previously known as the, ‘Government Code and Cypher School,’ at Watergate House, a previous secret location. The GCHQ still operates today. Her Majesty The Queen, on another occasion, marked the centenary of the granting by King George V of the prefix ‘Royal’ to The Royal Army Chaplains’ Department at The Guards’ Chapel in London. The prefix was granted in recognition of their contribution to the first world war. On 26th February The Queen presided over an Investiture at Buckingham Palace.
The Duchess of Cambridge visited Lavender Primary School and Alperton Community School to find out more about the support offered to students, teachers and parents to help with mental wellbeing. The Duchess was supporting the Children’s Mental Health Week organised by Place2Be, of which she is patron. She also attended The Royal Foundation’s, ‘Mental Health in Education,’ conference, which saw experts in education and mental health come together.
On 5th February the Duke of Cambridge presided over an Investiture Ceremony at Buckingham Palace. See our blog post on the royals in the new year for more information on investitures. He visited The Passage Charity that works with the homeless, where it was announced he was to become the patron; he had previously visited with his mother Diana, Princess of Wales. On another occasion he visited a Barber’s shop which encourages Barbers to spot the signs of depression and mental health problems in their clients.
Both the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took a joint 2 day visit to Northern Ireland, visiting Belfast, Fermanagh and Ballymena. Their visit had a specific focus on young people.
During February the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall visited The Supreme Court to commemorate its 10th anniversary, which was opened in 2009 by the Queen. They also visited Merseyside where Their Royal Highnesses met The President of Ireland at the University of Liverpool to celebrate the long history and relationship between the city and the country of Ireland and a joint Patronage of the Institute of Irish Studies. Prince Charles, as Patron and President of The Royal Ballet and The Royal Ballet School, attended a special performance at the Royal Opera House. He also visited the Kensington Aldridge Academy, a school which sadly lost 5 pupils in the tragic Grenfell Tower fire in 2017. The Prince of Wales visited Wales, visiting Port Talbot, Neath and Treharris, including meeting those involved in The Prince’s Trust Achieve Programme. On behalf of The Queen, The Duchess of Cornwall presented the Queen Elizabeth II Award for Design to this year’s winner, Bethany Williams, at London Fashion Week. She also visited the new training centre of Medical Detection Dogs in Milton Keynes, of which she is patron.
The Countess of Wessex was undertook engagements in Cumbria, with an agricultural theme, including attending the judging of the Westmorland Agricultural Society’s Annual Silage Competition at Lord Plains Farm. HRH has been President of the Society since last year. The Countess of Wessex on another occasion attended a conference on the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative at Wilton Park.
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester watched performances celebrating Waitangi Day during a Church Service at St Lawrence Jewry in London. Waitangi Day, which is officially marked each year on 6 February, commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, regarded as New Zealand's founding document.