Introduction
A Royal Visit is a memorable occasion which honours the work and achievements of an organisation or community. It is an opportunity to celebrate and acknowledge the different ways in which people have been involved in either a special piece of work or occasion. These visits are an important part of the Royal Family’s role and are much valued by those organisations that are fortunate enough to receive such a visit.
Many of the visits are connected to charities and other organisations with which members of the Royal Family are associated. You can find further information about Members of The Royal Family and the charities or organisations they support on the Royal website.
Making an invitation
The Lord-Lieutenant is responsible for making all the arrangements for a Royal Visit.
The Clerk to the Lieutenancy co-ordinates the planning arrangements with:
- The Royal Household
- The group or place being visited
- The Police
This is to make sure that the visit is a success and is enjoyed by everyone involved.
Invitations to members of the Royal Family should be extended through the Lord-Lieutenant and may be submitted to specific members of the Royal Family on an organisation’s behalf.
Organisations with links to the Royal Family
Organisations with an existing link to a member of the Royal Family (for example, a Royal Patron) may extend an invitation direct to the relevant Royal Household, through the Private Secretary. When using this route, it would be much appreciated if a copy of the invitation could be sent to the Lord-Lieutenant for their information.
Include as much information as possible but try to keep it short. The sort of information that will be needed will vary according to the type of invitation and the Clerk can advise on what is best to send.
New or refurbished building visits
If the invitation involves a visit to a new or refurbished building, it is vital that the work is fully completed, the building occupied and the project up and running before the member of the Royal Family visits. Such invitations need to be put forward for a date well after completion to ensure that everything is in place. This sometimes means that the Royal Visit does not take place until sometime after the building or project has opened, but that is quite usual.
When to make the invitation
It is essential to give a good period of notice, as Royal diaries fill up quickly. All invitations that are received are very carefully considered. If you wish to invite a member of the Royal Family to an event taking place in the Lieutenancy area, you should invite them at least 6 months in advance.
If you want a Royal visit for a special occasion on a particular day, then you will need to extend your invitation about a year beforehand. If in doubt, please contact the Clerk who will be happy to advise on timings.
When an invitation is accepted
Once an invitation has been accepted, the appropriate Royal Household will inform the Lord-Lieutenant and the organisation to advise on a date when the member of the Royal Family wishes to visit.
At this stage of the proceedings, all details relating to the venue and the visit are strictly confidential and no details should be given to anyone that is not involved in the visit.
The Lieutenancy Office will contact the organisation and arrange to meet with the hosts to work on a draft programme for submission to the Royal Household.
Once the Royal Visit is confirmed and all arrangements are in place, the details of the visit will be included on the official Royal website.