Official Visit to Poland and Germany, July 2017

Official visit to Poland and Germany,

17-21 July 2017

 17 July 2017 - Arrival in Warsaw and official welcome to Poland by President Duda and the First Lady at the Presidential Palace. Visit to the to the Warsaw Rising Museum, dedicated to the uprising of 1944 which saw the Polish resistance Home Army attempt to liberate Warsaw from German occupation and is remembered as the largest single military effort by any European resistance movement during World War II.

Later, joining young Polish entrepreneurs in the Warsaw Spire building on a visit to The Heart, an international hub and business incubator with impressive panoramic views of Poland's capital which is home to a range of exciting new business start-ups. The event marks the beginning of a 'Warsaw-London bridge' initiative that aims to help small Polish businesses access London’s unique opportunities for scaling up to become global players.

New coat: Alexander McQueen ivory wool and silk-blend twill peplum coat (with matching belt); Jenny Packham "Casa" clutch in red, debuted in Canada in September 2016; Ballon Blue de Cartier watch; new jewellery: ruby (?) and diamond pendant, earrings and ring, possibly by G. Collins & Sons; "Gianvito 105" suede pumps in praline by Gianvito Rossi (Daily Mail article here).

17 July 2017 - Attending a Queen's Birthday Party hosted by the British Ambassador, Jonathan Knott, in the Orangery in Łazienki Park, the largest park in Warsaw.

New dress: white midi-length cocktail dress with architectural black detailing by Polish designer Gosia Baczynska "Eugenia" silver-tone faux pearl and crystal ear cuffs by Balenciaga and what is most likely the matching necklace, debuted in Paris in March; ankle strap suede "d'Orsay" pumps by Gianvito Rossi, also debuted during the Paris visit; black satin clutch with crystal-embellished clasp by Prada, first seen in India in April 2016 (Daily Mail article here).

18 July 2017 - Visiting the former Nazi Germany Concentration Camp, Stutthof, and meeting a group of five former prisoners. Stutthof was the first camp set up outside German borders, in September 1939, and one of the last camps liberated by the Allies.

Engagements in Gdańsk, inlcuding a visit to a street party which will provide a chance to sample Goldwasser - a Gdańsk liqueur, and traditional Polish pierogi, while watching amber craftsmen at work, and listening to local musicians and artists.

Visiting the Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre, of which the Prince of Wales is Patron. During the seventeenth century there was a large English-speaking community based in Gdańsk, which made the city an important destination for travelling English players. The Shakespeare Theatre opened in 2014, and is home to the city’s annual Shakespeare Festival, attended by theatre-lovers from around the world. The visit to the theatre will include a small reception for Poles from the world of arts, culture and media. 

Visiting the European Solidarity Centre in Gdańsk’s shipyards, the birth-place of the Solidarity movement (Solidarność) in Poland. The visit will include a tour of the museum and meeting with founding members of Solidarity. On departure, the Duke and Duchess will walk through the iconic shipyard gates, a key symbol of the protests during the 1980s, before laying a wreath at the foot of the Solidarity Monument. 

New top and skirt: "Imari" cotton blend faille midi-length skirt in Hurst Rose print and matching top, both by Erdem; new bag: beige textured woven leather clutch bag by Etui Bags; "NearlyNude" ankle strap sandals by Stuart Weitzman; Ballon Blue de Cartier watch; new earrings and pendant: part of a matching set in yellow gold filigree and milky amber, the native gemstone of Poland and a typical product of Gdańsk, which is known as the City of Amber (Daily Mail article here).

 19 July 2017 - Departing Warsaw en route to Berlin, where the Duke and Duchess will have a private meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Visiting the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin’s most famous landmark and a symbol of German unification, and the Holocaust Memorial and information centre.

Visiting Strassenkinder. a charity based in the eastern district of Marzahn which supports young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, including homeless children, and meeting individuals from the Robert Enke Foundation. Set up in memory of the footballer, the organisation raises awareness of mental health issues, particularly in sport.

Meeting with President Steinmeier at Bellevue Palace.

New coat: bespoke cornflower blue coat by Catherine Walker (cornflower is one of the national flowers of Germany. This is partly due to the story that when Queen Louise of Prussia was fleeing Berlin and pursued by Napoleon's forces, she hid her children in a field of cornflowers and kept them quiet by weaving wreaths for them from the flowers. The flower thus became identified with Prussia, not least because it was the same color as the Prussian military uniform. After the unification of Germany in 1871, it went on to become a symbol of the country as a whole. It was also the favourite flower of Louise's son Kaiser Wilhelm I); new dress: cornflower blue lace dress with scalloped hem, most likely also by Catherine Walker; blue topaz and diamond drop earrings in white gold by Kiki McDonough; new necklace: "Eden" blue topaz and 18ct white gold flower necklace by Kiki McDonough; Ballon Blue de Cartier watch; new bag: "Vivien" clam satin clutch by Jimmy Choo; "Gianvito 105" suede pumps in praline by Gianvito Rossi (Daily Mail articles here and here).

 19 July 2017 - Attending a Queen’s Birthday Party held in the gardens of the British Ambassador’s residence. 

New dress: off-the-shoulder shirred cotton and silk-blend crinkled-chiffon maxi dress by Alexander McQueen; new earrings: red beaded drop earrings by Simone Rocha; new shoes: Prada wavy-strap sandals in Quarzo suede (Daily Mail article here).

 20 July 2017 - Visiting Heidelberg, the oldest university town in Germany, twinned with Cambridge since 1965. Stops included a visit to the German Cancer Research Center to meet researchers and visit the stem cell research lab and a walk through the central market square, where a British-German market offering local food and drink was set up.

New dress: bespoke Jenny Packham dress in a golden yellow brocade-like fabric; new earrings: pearl sun star button earrings by Oscar de la Renta; "Fleur" espadrille wedges by Monsoon; bespoke Alexander McQueen beige suede clutch; Ballon Blue de Cartier watch (Daily Mail article here).

 20 July 2017 - Taking part in a friendly rowing competition on the River Neckar, with rowers from both Cambridge and Heidelberg.

New top: blue and white Breton top by Hugo Boss; pearl sun star button earrings by Oscar de la Renta; Superga 'Cotu' sneakers in white canvas; Ray-Ban "Wayfarer" sunglasses; navy skinny jeans; Ballon Blue de Cartier watch (Daily Mail article here). 

20 July 2017 - Attending a reception for some of the most creative, innovative, and exciting new names in the world of art, culture, style, fashion and technology in the vintage mirrored hall of Clärchens Ballhaus, which opened in 1913 and is one of the last remaining old ballrooms in Berlin.

New dress: bird print dress by German-born designer Markus Lupfer, from the brand's pre-fall 2017 collection; new belt: unidentified metallic belt; "new" bracelet: three-strand pearl bracelet likely belonging to Diana, Princess of Wales; baroque pearl double-sided earrings in gold by Soru Jewellery; new bag: plain iron pouch by Anne Grand-Clement; Prada wavy-strap sandals in Quarzo suede (Daily Mail article here).

 21 July 2017 - Departing Berlin's Hauptbahnhof en route to Hamburg, Germany’s second largest city and home to its largest harbour. Visiting the Maritime Museum on the bank of the river Elbe to celebrate the joint UK-German year of science, which this year is focused on oceans. Then visiting the Elbphilharmonie, one of the biggest concert halls in the world and renowned for its advanced acoustics, opened in January 2017, to listen to a special performance by the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra. The audience will be filled with children from all corners of the city, with the aim of inspiring a new generation to develop a passion for music and perhaps play at the venue in years to come.

Then travelling by boat down the River Elbe to the final destination of the tour: Airbus. The couple will tour the complex and meet apprentices, both German and English. The Duke and Duchess will then visit the final assembly line of an A320 aircraft and view the cockpit of a near-complete plane.

New dress: bespoke lavender crepe dress by Emilia Wickstead; new bag: brick red snakeskin clutch with gold-tone hardware by Anya Hindmarch; lavender amethyst pear and oval drop earrings by Kiki McDonough, debuted in Bhutan in April 2016; Ballon Blue de Cartier watch; "Gianvito 105" suede pumps in praline by Gianvito Rossi (Daily Mail article here).

The tour press release can be found here.