President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca welcomed HM The Queen to San Anton Palace this afternoon, at the start of her State Visit to Malta.
The Queen is in Malta to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). The Queen is also being supported in her visit by The Prince of Wales, accompanied by The Duchess of Cornwall.
This evening The Queen, accompanied by The Duke, The Prince and The Duchess, will attend a State reception hosted by The President of Malta in her honour in the gardens of San Anton Palace.
The Prince of Wales, President of The Prince’s Trust, will later join guests at an evening reception to mark the launch of Prince’s Trust International.
Day Two: Friday 27th November
At 9.45, The Queen, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, will arrive at the Mediterranean Conference Centre to attend the opening ceremony of the 24th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
After the opening ceremony, The Queen, accompanied by The Prince of Wales, will host a lunchtime drinks reception for the new Commonwealth Heads of Government at San Anton. This will begin at 12.10
The Duke of Edinburgh and The Duchess of Cornwall will depart the MCC for separate programmes.
The Duke will first visit St Paul’s Pro-Cathedral at 11.35 for a short thanksgiving service and tour, which will include meeting the ‘Farmers Boys’, former Members of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Royal Regiment (Berkshire and Wiltshire), members of the Royal Navy Officers Association and The Friends of the Cathedral, of which he is Patron.
Afterwards, The Duke will attend The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Awards lunch at Casino Maltese alongside The President of Malta, patron of the Award in Malta.
The Duchess of Cornwall, Patron of Book Trust, will visit the “Read With Me” literacy programme at St Thomas More College Primary School, Zejtun, at 11.50, followed at 2.00pm at the British High Commissioner’s residence in San Pawl tat-Targa, where due to the weather conditions, instead of a Drumhead service at the Capuccini Naval Cemetery, the Duchess will meet all the guests at the residence.
Following the New Heads lunch, The Prince of Wales will visit the Maritime Museum, Vittoriosa, to view an exhibition of the finalists of “Out of the Blue: The Prince of Wales’s Commonwealth Environmental Photography Awards” and join discussion with youth delegates. This will begin at 13.40. His Royal Highness will then attend a Special CHOGM Executive Session on Climate Change, arriving at 16.00.
At 20.00, The Queen, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, will arrive at the traditional CHOGM dinner at the Corinthia Palace Hotel, Attard.
Day 3: Saturday 28 November
On Saturday morning The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will visit the main square of Mdina and the battlements before leaving Malta. Following private farewells with the President in the morning after planting a commemorative tree, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will visit Heritage Malta, Kalkara.
The public will have another opportunity to see The Queen and the Duke as they depart Kalkara at 11.35, travelling across the stunning Grand Harbour by boat to Customs Wharf where The Queen will unveil the Commonwealth Walkway Disc.
The final engagement of the State visit will begin 12.10 at Marsa Racecourse, home to Malta Racing Club and Malta Polo Club where The Duke of Edinburgh played as a young man.
The Queen and The Duke will view events and present prizes before departing for Malta International airport in the early afternoon and the official farewell. They will leave Malta at 13.15.