Focus
2012: The Year Ahead
3rd January 2012
2011 was a busy year at Clarence House and St. James’s Palace with a Royal wedding, many visits overseas and 991 engagements.
To see our top 10 moments of 2011, take a look at www.storify.com/clarencehouse
2012 is set to be exciting too, with The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations and the Olympics taking place in London and in other parts of the United Kingdom.
The Diamond Jubilee
To mark The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will be visiting communities around England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, supported by other members of the Royal Family including The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry.
2012 will also see Their Royal Highnesses representing The Queen as part of the Diamond Jubilee across the Commonwealth countries, Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories.
As part of these visits, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will visit Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea.
Additionally, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will visit the Channel Islands and Isle of Man.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will carry out visits at Her Majesty’s request to Malaysia, Singapore, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu, while Prince Harry will visit Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas.
Further information about the overseas tours will be released throughout the year.
2012 Olympic Games in London
In December, St. James’s Palace announced that The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry will be official Team GB and Paralympics GB 2012 Ambassadors.
Their Royal Highnesses all take a keen interest in sport, and join a group of 27 of inspirational British Olympians who have already been unveiled as Ambassadors.
The role will see Their Royal Highnesses playing an active part in encouraging and inspiring the British public to rally behind the group of more than 900 Olympic and Paralympic athletes who will compete for Britain and Northern Ireland in the games.
In a message of support, The Duke of Cambridge said: “Catherine, Harry and I are honoured to be Ambassadors for Team GB and Paralympics GB. London hosting the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will inspire so many people – particularly the young – to be the best they can be. We are hugely looking forward to this incredible sporting competition, but are also looking beyond next summer’s Games to the springboard it will provide for future success and excellence. The athletes and coaches taking part in the Team GB Ambition Programme are part of that future success – potential medal winners and sources of inspiration to come. We hope they enjoy the experience of London 2012 to the full, and learn from it how to become successful British Olympians of the future.”