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Queen's Diamond Jubilee plans revealed

 

Tony Jones
Wednesday 14 December 2011 12:15 GMT
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The Royal Family will mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee by touring the globe in celebration, Buckingham Palace announced today.

Senior royals will visit the Queen's 15 realms - nations where the sovereign is head of state - major Commonwealth countries, and other destinations with close links to the UK next year.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's trip to Malaysia, Singapore, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu on behalf of the Queen is likely to attract the most interest.

Tuvalu has not had a major royal visit in decades and William and Kate are likely to bring the tiny South Pacific islands to a standstill.

When the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh toured the remote nation in 1982, they were carried shoulder high by islanders into the capital Funafuti as they sat in canoes.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will travel to Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea as part of the celebrations while Prince Harry will tour Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas.

Harry's overseas visit will be his first solo trip on behalf of the Queen and may see him use it as an opportunity to stage a fundraising polo match on behalf of his Sentebale charity.

The host countries are likely to stage a range of events for the visiting royals to mark the Queen's 60-year reign, from official banquets and public celebrations to events that showcase the individual nations.

The Queen and Philip will remain in the UK for the Diamond Jubilee celebrations but make an extensive tour of every region supported by the Royal Family.

The Queen will be 86 in April and the Duke, who turns 91 next year, has already publicly stated he is reducing his workload.

The overseas visits also include Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories and will be carried out throughout the year, although dates for the trips and details about royal engagements have yet to be released.

The Duke of York will visit India, the Princess Royal Mozambique and Zambia, the Duke of Gloucester the British Virgin Islands and Malta, and the Duke of Kent the Falkland Islands and Uganda.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex will tour the Caribbean, visiting Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, with an extra visit to Gibraltar.

Charles will make an additional trip to the Channel Islands and Isle of Man.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: "The details and timings of the visits are still under discussion with the host governments."

The Queen and Duke's regional tour will take her to north London on March 29, Wales April 26-27, South West May 1-2, south London May 15, North West May 16-17, and national celebrations in the capital from June 2-5.

From June 13-14 the Diamond Jubilee tour will visit the East Midlands and East Anglia, and South East June 25, with a return visit on July 25.

The royal couple will visit Scotland from July 2-6 during their traditional summer stay at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, West Midlands July 11-12 and North East July 18-19.

The dates for Northern Ireland will be released later.

PA

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