Sto lat! Duke of Kent!

At the time of his 85th birthday, October 9, HRH Prince Edward The Duke of Kent KG, maintains a busy schedule. He is patron or president or otherwise involved with 100 organisations, over 70 of which are charities. With his life-long interest in sport he is President of Wimbledon Lawn Tennis.  Saving lives at sea is a tremendous task, and Prince Edward is president of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). Health is a concern during the Covid19 Coronavirus epidemic, and Prince Edward is patron of King Edward VII’s Hospital, The Royal College of Surgeons, and President of The Stroke Association. Education is crucial for the young, and Prince Edward is patron of The Royal Institution in both the UK and Australia, Everyone Can, Edge Foundation, and the Portrait Foundation. The professions, business and engineering involve the Institute of Export, Chartered Institute for Information Technology, and Royal Academy of Engineering. Prince Edward is a great lover of music and his music patronages include The Royal Choral Society, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, London Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Wigmore Hall. His dedication to the British Army and the Royal Air Force means he is patron of a vast number of their charities that include, RAF Leuchars, Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI), The Scout Association, and Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH POLAND

The British Royal Family have for generations maintained a special relationship with Poland.  The last of the Russian troops left their beloved homeland in 1993, and in June 1994, Prince Edward left to attend the Poznań International Trade Fair. Held on the Poznań fairground in the centre of the city of Europehttp, there are in the region of 13,200 exhibitors, including about 3,000 foreign companies from 70 countries, participating in 80 trade fair events. 

On arrival, June 12, at 15.00 hours, Prince Edward was met by His Excellency Mr Michael Llewellyn Smith CMG, British Ambassador to Poland, Mr Wokciech Kaczmarek the Mayor of Poznań, and other important dignitaries. He attended a reception to mark the opening of the fair, hosted by Mr Leslaw Podkanski the Minister for Foreign Economic Co-operation. He met the Prime Minister Mr Waldemar Pawlak and exchanged of gifts.

Moving on to Zakrzewo at 16.45 hours, Prince Edward was met by the President of the Bank Wielkopolski. 

By 19.30 hours, Prince Edward had arrived at Kórnik, where he was taken on a short tour of historic Kórnik Castle, visiting the extensive art collection. There was a dinner at 20.00 hours, hosted by Mr Wlodimierz Lecki in the name of the President of Poland with 30 guests in attendance.

On June 13, Prince Edward arrived at Poznań International Trade Fair, where he was met by Mr Laskowski, Director of the Fair and was taken on a tour of the stands.

On June 14, Prince Edward arrived in Warsaw and at 11.57, he visited Belweder Palace that is the residence of the President of Poland, used for ceremonial purposes. Somewhat nostalgically, the palace had belonged to the last King of Poland, Stanisław August Poniatowski.

Lunch took place at the British Embassy with Polish and British businessmen. At 19.00 hours, Prince Edward visited the Warsaw Chamber Opera for a performance of Venus and Adonis by John Blow.

During his stay in Poland, Prince Edward was also taken to visit Farny Church, the Museum of Musical Instruments, Lednica Open Air Ethnographic Museum, Wawel Castle the seat of Poland’s former Kings, an exhibition of Eastern Arts, Wawel Cathedral, and Jagiellonian University.

The Earl of St. Andrews and Lord Nicholas Windsor visit Poland

Prince Edward’s two sons, George, The Earl of St. Andrews, and Lord Nicholas Windsor, attended the Last Night Of The Proms, the 10th Jubilee concert, held at The Cracow Philharmonic Hall, Sunday, September 10, 2005. The event was sponsored by PriceWaterhouseCoopers and held in the presence of His Excellency Mr Ryszard Kaczorowski GCMG, President of Poland, and His Excellency the British Ambassador Mr Charles Crawford CMG.

Prior to the commencement of the concert, Mr Tadeusz Syryjczyk, Chairman of Cracow Industrial Society, and The Earl of St Andrew’s, made formal addresses to the audience.

There was a packed programme of classical music with the Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra, and the Cracow Philharmonic Choir, under the baton of special guest, Mark FitzGerald. The compositions included Portsmouth Point overture, The Sea Hawk Suite, the Pomp and Circumstance March, Rule Britannia, and William Blake’s rousing Jerusalem.

Celia Lee