Focus
A look back at 2008
29th December 2008
Here are just some of the highlights of the working year of The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, Prince William and Prince Harry:
January 2008
Prince William visited the Royal Marsden, as President of the hospital, after a major fire. Click here for the story.
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall visited the Unicorn Theatre, South London, to watch children taking part in TheatreQuest, a programme run by The Prince’s Foundation for the Children and The Arts, which The Prince founded to help more children experience the arts. Click here for the story.
Prince William began a four month attachment with the Royal Air Force at RAF Cranwell, following in the footsteps of his father The Prince of Wales who earned his wings more than 35 years ago. Click here for the story.
The Prince of Wales called for Britain’s historic landscapes to be protected during a speech at the New Buildings in Old Places conference at St James’s Palace. The event, sponsored by The Prince’s Regeneration Trust, The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment, The National Trust and Historic Royal Palaces, discussed the issues around new developments in historic places. Click here for the story.
February 2008
The Duchess of Cornwall spent a day in Winchester, visiting a new discovery centre where she met community groups of all ages, a historic almshouse, and a chocolate factory famous for its mints. Click here for the story.
The Prince of Wales visited the Duchy of Cornwall’s new property in West Wales to see first-hand the progress that has been made on its renovation. Llwynywermod, near the village of Myddfai, Llandovery, Carmarthenshire, was bought by the Duchy of Cornwall in November 2006. Click here for the story.
The Prince of Wales visited Burnley in Lancashire to see a number of projects launched by his charities in an effort to promote the regeneration of the town. His Royal Highness has pledged the support of six of The Prince’s Charities - Business In The Community, The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment, The Prince’s Regeneration Trust, The Prince’s School for Traditional Arts, In Kind Direct and The Prince’s Trust - to work in partnership with Burnley Borough Council, local businesses and other government and voluntary organisations in taking forward the revitalisation of Burnley. Click here for the story.
The Prince of Wales urged the world to form a global partnership to act against the ticking "doomsday clock" of climate change in a major speech to the European Parliament in Brussels.
His Royal Highness delivered his speech to 150 British MEPs and representatives from the European Parliament's climate change and environment committees, as well as representatives of his own charities, and called for a "tripartite alliance" between public, private and non-governmental organisations (NGO) to tackle the crisis. Click here for the story.
The Prince of Wales presented soldiers from the Mercian regiment with their Afghan campaign medals after inviting them to Clarence House for a reception. Click here for the story.
The Duchess of Cornwall opened a family bakery and a centre for young people suffering from rheumatic diseases during a day of engagements in the South West. Click here for the story.
March 2008
Prince Harry returned to the United Kingdom after completing more than two months on active service in Afghanistan on 1st March 2008. Along with other soldiers returning to the UK, Prince Harry who is a Second Lieutenant with the Household Cavalry (Blues and Royals) flew to RAF Brize Norton, where he was greeted by his father The Prince of Wales and his brother Prince William. Click here for the story.
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall celebrated the life and music of reggae star Bob Marley during a visit to Jamaica on the last stop of their 11-day tour of the Caribbean.
Their Royal Highnesses joined the widow of Jamaica's most famous son, Rita Marley, at a small concert staged in the grounds of the musician's former home turned museum in Kingston. Click here for the story.
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall opened the new Highgrove Shop in Tetbury, just two miles from The Prince’s home in Gloucestershire. All profits from the shop go to The Prince's Charities Foundation which benefits many worthwhile good causes. The champagne and fudge proved popular on the opening day. Click here for the story.
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall attended a concert to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the world’s first children’s hospice, Helen and Douglas House, at St John’s, Smith Square, London. The Duchess is Patron of Helen and Douglas House and St John's, Smith Square. Click here for the story.
The Prince of Wales visited successful rural initiatives in Cumbria with Environment Secretary Hilary Benn. His Royal Highness, in his role as President of Business in the Community, showed The Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP around several projects in Cumbria to demonstrate the efforts being made to ensure that rural communities continue to flourish. Click here for the story.
April 2008
Prince William received his RAF wings from his proud father The Prince of Wales after completing an intensive flying course. After more than 12 weeks training, the young royal became the fourth successive generation of the monarchy to become an RAF pilot. At a ceremony held in the Royal Air Force's spiritual home, RAF Cranwell in Lincolnshire, The Prince of Wales awarded his son his wings as The Duchess of Cornwall looked on. Click here for the story.
Prince William and Prince Harry visited injured servicemen at Defence Medical Services Rehabilitation Centre at Headley Court in Surrey as Joint Royal Patrons of the City Salute Appeal. Click here for the story.
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall were greeted by hundreds of people when they visited the West Midlands. Click here for the story.
The Prince of Wales hosted a gala evening at Buckingham Palace to thank supporters of The Prince’s Foundation for Children and the Arts. The charity, founded by His Royal Highness in 2002, aims to give children and young people the opportunity to get involved with the very best of the arts. Click here for the story.
The Prince of Wales was thanked by Jewish people in Krakow for being the driving force behind a new community centre in Poland. The Prince visited Poland with The Duchess of Cornwall to formally open the Jewish Community Centre, built by World Jewish Relief, in Krakow's Jewish district of Kazimierz. The Prince became Patron of the community centre project, which was funded by the charity World Jewish Relief (WJR), after visiting Poland in 2002. Click here for the story.
The Prince of Wales called on Britain's business leaders to take "essential action" to make their firms more sustainable at the second Prince’s May Day Business Summit. Also attended by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the annual event aims to encourage company bosses to take steps towards a low carbon economy by taking action within their own firms. Click here for the story.
May 2008
Prince Harry received an operations medal for his military service in Afghanistan from The Princess Royal at Combermere Barracks in Windsor. The Prince, who is a Lieutenant in the Household Cavalry (Blues and Royals) was one of 170 members of the Household Cavalry Regiment being decorated for their service in Helmand Province in Southern Afghanistan. The Prince of Wales and Prince William attended the ceremony in Windsor and Prince Harry’s aunt, The Princess Royal, who is Colonel of the Regiment's Blues and Royals, placed the Afghanistan Medal on her nephew's chest in the tank maintenance depot at the Barracks. Click here for the story.
Prince William and Prince Harry paid tribute to the British Armed Forces with City Salute, a major open air event outside St Paul’s Cathedral. City Salute raised funds for Help the Heroes and SSAFA (the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association). Click here for the story.
Prince William demonstrated his footballing skills during a kickabout with schoolchildren in Blackburn. He visited St Aidan's Church of England Primary School in Blackburn, Lancashire, to take part in a Skills Programme set up by The Football Association (FA), of which he is President. Click here for the story.
The Prince of Wales helped Land Rover workers celebrate the firm's 60th anniversary and praised the company for its work to combat climate change. Click here for the story.
The Duchess of Cornwall visited the 150-pupil West of England School and College for young people with little or no sight in Exeter, Devon. Her Royal Highness later became Patron of the School. Click here for the story.
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall visited Northern Ireland. Click here for the story.
Their Royal Highnesses welcomed His Holiness The Dalai Lama to Clarence House and watched while he planted a tree in the garden of their official residence. Click here for the story.
June 2008
Prince William followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather when he passed through the gates of Britannia Royal Naval College, marking the start of a short attachment that gave him an insight into the world of the Royal Navy. Click here for the story.
Prince Harry was warmly welcomed when he arrived in Cardiff for his first full day of official engagements in Wales. Pupils and staff from Cathays High in Cardiff welcomed the Prince when he came to learn about their work with disadvantaged children in Africa by forging links with a school in the kingdom of Lesotho. Click here for the story.
The Prince of Wales said he hoped the transformation of Dumfries House would go on to regenerate the whole area as he opened the house to the public for the first time in 250 years.
Click here for the story.
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall stayed at their Welsh Farmhouse, Llwynywermod, for the first time during their annual tour of Wales. For their first engagement of the week, Their Royal Highnesses visited the small cathedral city of St Davids in West Wales, which has a population of less than 1,800 and attracts thousands of visitors annually. Click here for the story.
Prince William was officially installed as the 1000th Royal Knight of the Garter, the most senior British order of chivalry, at a ceremony in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. Click here for the story.
The Duchess of Cornwall was warmly welcomed in Blackpool as she attended National Veterans Day. Her Royal Highness, who is Royal Colonel of 4th Battalion The Rifles, was greeted by hundreds of cheering onlookers on the promenade opposite Blackpool Tower. National Veterans Day is part of a nine-day event, the country’s largest-ever celebration of veterans from the Armed Forces. Click here for the story.
The Prince of Wales joined the families of British servicemen and women killed on duty last year for the first annual commemoration to be held at the Armed Forces Memorial, at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. Click here for the story.
July 2008
Prince Harry pledged to continue his efforts to help some of Africa's most vulnerable children during a visit to Lesotho with his regiment. Prince Harry's charity Sentebale helped to refurbish a much-needed special needs school, the only one in the African country, that caters for 43 children with profound physical and mental disabilities. Prince Harry is a Lieutenant in the and he was joined by 26 military colleagues from his regiment, The Household Cavalry (Blues and Royals), in helping to do tough manual jobs needed to bring the Thuso Centre in the northern town of Butha Buthe up-to-date. Click here for the story.
The Duchess of Cornwall donned a camouflage jacket during a visit to her regiment, 4th Battalion The Rifles, at Bulford Camp in Wiltshire. Her Royal Highness’s visit to the regiment, of which she is Royal Colonel, included an impromptu ride in a Bulldog armoured personnel carrier, one of the vehicles often used by the battalion. Click here for the story.
The Duchess of Cornwall celebrated her birthday with The Prince of Wales during a visit to an allotment in St James’s Park, London. Click here to watch a video of the day. Click here for the story.
The Prince of Wales presented military honours to soldiers from the Royal Dragoon Guards at Clarence House. His Royal Highness, who has been Colonel-in-Chief of the regiment since 1992, presented operation medals to around 90 soldiers who had been responsible for training Iraqi forces to defend their country's borders and patrol the streets of Basra. Click here for the story.
August 2008
The Prince of Wales received the Freedom of Caithness and said it was one of the best "early 60th birthday presents" he could have received. Since the death of The Queen Mother, he has maintained a connection with her former private residence at the Castle of Mey. The Freedom of Caithness was bestowed upon him by the Highland Council at the Assembly Rooms in Wick. Click here for the story.
The Duchess of Cornwall attended a fundraising garden party for an animal welfare charity in Aberdeenshire. Her Royal Highness, known as The Duchess of Rothesay when in Scotland, attended the event as President of the Brooke Hospital for Animals, the UK's leading overseas equine welfare charity. Click here for the story.
The Prince of Wales called for a "sense of wartime urgency" in a bid to save the rainforests and cap global warming at a dinner at Mansion House in the City of London. His Royal Highness was speaking in his role as founder of The Prince's Rainforests Project which aims to highlight the value of the world's remaining rainforests. Click here for the story.
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall attended a ceremony at St Paul's Cathedral to commemorate the Armed Forces who served in Northern Ireland. Click here for the story.
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall watched rugby stars play in an exciting charity match in support of injured British army heroes at Twickenham in front of more than 52,000 fans. Click here for the story.
The Prince of Wales joined more than a thousand people at Liverpool Cathedral, to pay tribute to the lives of police officers who died in the line of duty at a cathedral service to mark National Police Memorial Day. Click here for the story.
October 2008
The Duchess of Cornwall today delivered lunch to a 93-year-old Alexander Irvine in Ballater, Aberdeenshire, as she gave her backing to meals-on-wheels for the elderly. Click here for the story.
Prince William and Prince Harry set off on a 1,000-mile charity motorbike trek across South Africa. The Princes were among 80 riders taking part in the eight-day rally from Port Edward to Port Elizabeth, raising money for Prince Harry's charity Sentebale, Unicef and the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund. Prince William said the trip was a "mixture of adventure and charity", with money being raised for "three absolutely brilliant charities". Click here for the story.
The Duchess of Cornwall visited the Royal Navy's largest and most powerful submarine, HMS Astute. Her Royal Highness is Lady Sponsor of HMS Astute, and became the first member of the Royal Family to step on board. Click here for the story.
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall were greeted by Crown Prince Naruhito, a senior member of Japan's Imperial Royal Family, on the first day of their overseas tour to Japan, Brunei and Indonesia. Click here for the story.
Princes William and Harry attended their first Royal Film Premiere this evening with the world premiere of the new Bond film, Quantum of Solace, in London. The Princes chose two charities to benefit from the event, the Royal British Legion and Help for Heroes. Click here for the story.
November 2008
Prince William helped youth homelessness charity Centrepoint launch their 40th anniversary and spoke of the reasons he decided to become involved with the charity as Patron. Click here for the story.
The Queen led the nation as it paid its respects to Britain's war dead at the Cenotaph today on Remembrance Sunday. Her Majesty laid a wreath at the base of the monument and stood in silence, and was then followed by other members of the Royal Family, including The Prince of Wales and Prince William, and political and faith leaders. The Duchess of Cornwall attended the ceremony and Prince Harry marked the occasion with his regiment in Windsor. Click here for the story.
The Queen said that she was "enormously proud" of her son's contribution to the charity he set up more than 30 years ago, The Prince's Trust. Her Majesty and The Duke of Edinburgh were meeting staff volunteers and the young people the Trust helps at its headquarters near Regents Park, Central London. Click here for the story.
The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry enjoyed a night of top-notch comedy in aid of The Prince’s Trust with stars such as Robin Williams, John Cleese and Rowan Atkinson. The show We are Most Amused was held at the New Wimbledon Theatre in South London. Click here for the story.
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall visited projects run by two of The Prince's Charities on His Royal Highness's 60th birthday (14th November 2008). In their first engagement of the day, Their Royal Highnesses visited Beckton Community Centre in East London to meet young people helped by The Prince’s Trust, and afterwards visited the Royal Opera House to meet children that have benefited from The Prince’s Foundation for Children and the Arts and attend a special birthday concert. Click here for the story.
The Prince of Wales visited one of the country’s biggest steelworks in Sheffield for the second time in 18 months, to see how the company had recovered from the devastating floods in 2007. Click here for the story.
The Duchess of Cornwall was named as the first President of the innovative Maggie's Cancer Caring Centres, during a visit to the first London unit of the charity. Click here for the story.
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall presented operational medals to Paratroopers who have returned from Afghanistan at The Parachute Regiment's base in Colchester. Click here for the story.
Prince Harry led the nation in paying tribute to some of the country's most "courageous" youngsters. The Prince presented medals to 10 children and teenagers who have overcome adversity, shown compassion for others, battled against disability or illness, or shown bravery. The group were honoured at the Woman's Own Children of Courage 2008 awards ceremony staged at Westminster Abbey. Click here for the story.