Be the first to comment!Prince of Wales to attend George Cross commemoration event in Malta
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The Prince of Wales, President of the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association, will visit Malta on the 4th of October to mark the 75th anniversary of the George Cross, Clarence House has said in a statement.
King George VI awarded the George Cross to Malta on the 15th of April 1942, in recognition of the bravery, heroism and devotion that its people displayed during the siege of Malta in the Second World War.
The George Cross is still present on the Maltese national flag as a symbol of its peoples’ bravery during the conflict.
Then on the 5th of October Prince Charles will deliver the keynote speech at the Our Ocean conference in St Julian’s.
Clarence House said that, Prince Charles, who has for a long time been a champion for the health and resilience of the ocean, made his first speech on the environment in December 1968 and has long warned of the irreversible effects of climate change.
The Our Ocean conference series was initiated by the U.S. Department of State, spearheaded by former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. The first Our Ocean conference was held in Washington D.C in June 2014, then in Chile in 2015 and Washington D.C. in 2016.
The European Union will host the fourth Our Ocean conference in Malta on 5th and 6th October 2017.
Prince Charles will also undertake a series of other engagements, including a visit to St Paul’s Anglican Pro-Cathedral in Valletta to view the restoration work.
Built in 1844 at the instigation of Queen Adelaide, the cathedral is an integral part of the Valletta skyline and has recently launched a €3 Million restoration campaign.
The Duke of Edinburgh is First Friend of the Friends of St Paul’s Pro-Cathedral.
The Prince of Wales’ first visit to Malta was as a child in 1954. HRH then visited in 1968 and 1969.
The Prince’s most recent visit to Malta was in November 2015 where he and The Duchess of Cornwall accompanied The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
Photograph: Prince Charles in Malta in 2015 – DOI/Clifton Fenech
