Latest Press Release
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall to undertake a tour of Central Europe
11th February 2010
The British Government have asked The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall to undertake official visits to Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic from 15th March to 23rd March 2010.
The visits reflect the importance which the Government places on its relationships with its Central European partners, two decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The themes of the tour include highlighting co-operation on environmental and heritage protection, the military, faith and minority communities, culture and youth employment.
The tour starts in Warsaw, where among other engagements Their Royal Highnesses will meet the President and Prime Minister of Poland, members of the Polish Armed Forces ahead of their deployment to Afghanistan, and young musicians celebrating the bicentenary of the birth of composer Frederic Chopin. Their Royal Highnesses will also visit a landmark environmental project in eastern Poland.
The second leg of the tour takes The Prince and The Duchess to Hungary, where Their Royal Highnesses will meet the country’s President and Prime Minister and undertake a variety of engagements in Budapest. The Royal Couple will also spend time outside the capital exploring how Hungary is protecting and conserving its built heritage over the centuries.
Their Royal Highnesses’ visit to the Czech Republic rounds off the eight-day trip, with among other engagements a meeting at Prague Castle with the Czech President and a night at the opera to enjoy “Don Giovanni” at Prague’s historic Estates Theatre, where the Mozart opera was first performed in 1787. The Prince will spend a day outside Prague in Moravia, visiting sustainable development projects and discussing environmental protection issues with university students in the country’s second city, Brno.
Notes for editors
The Prince of Wales has made three official visits to Poland and Hungary, and has visited the Czech Republic four times (twice to the former Czechoslovakia). It will be The Duchess of Cornwall’s first official visit to the Czech Republic and Hungary. Her Royal Highness accompanied The Prince during a visit to Krakow, Poland, in 2008.