Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge, will be taking a trip to Japan and China for roughly one week at the end of this month and into the beginning of March on behalf of Her Majesty, The Queen Elizabeth II.
According to his official itinerary, which was released by Kensington Palace officials yesterday, The Duke will depart the UK on Thursday, February 26 for Japan, and return to the UK on March 4. His itinerary is as follows:
Thursday, February 26
HRH Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge will depart the UK, arrive in Japan. The Duke will be taken to Tokyo by cruise ship, accompanied by Tim Hitchens, the UK’s Ambassador to Japan, and Mr. Masuzoe, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Governor. Upon disembarkation HRH will visit the Hama Rikyu Gardens, and visit a restored tea house.
Friday, February 27
Prince William will lay a memorial wreath at the Hodogaya British Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery. He will then attend the launch of Innovation is GREAT in Roppongi Hills, Tokyo. This will be shown via a video link to UK and Japanese astronauts! A barrel breaking ceremony will follow, and The Duke will then witness British innovation atop the Mori Tower. The day will conclude with a reception held by the ambassador at the British Embassy in Tokyo.
Saturday, February 28
The Duke will take a tour of NHK Broadcasting Studios, where he will meet some of the cast and crew from NHK’s Taiga historical drama. He will then visit the Tsutaya Bookshop, Daikanyama, where he will launch the Innovation is GREAT exhibition, which will be open for a week for the public.
Sunday, March 1
Prince William will visit the city of Ishinomaki. There he will meet local people who were affected by the Great Eastern Earthquake and tsunami that occurred on 11 March 2011. The Duke will meet a local newspaper editor who produced handwritten newsletters during the aftermath in order to keep the local community in communication which each other. Since then, he has also created a children’s newspaper.
He will also visit Viewing Point overseeing the ‘Bay of Destruction’, followed by a visit to the Onagawa Hospital Stone Memorial.
For his final event of his tour of Japan, The Duke will visit the Chime of Hope Shopping Centre. During his visit, William will ring one of Onagawa’s lost bells, which was rescued from the wreckage of the earthquake, and since then has been named as the Chime of Hope.
Monday, March 2
The Duke will travel to Shijia Hutong in Beijing, where he will visit a number of charities that support vulnerable young people in China. The particular Hutong alley that William will visit was restored and renovated by The Prince of Wales’s China Foundation and The Prince’s Foundation for Building Communities.
He will then visit parts of the Forbidden City in Beijing, which was the imperial palace of the Ming dynasty. The Duke will then move on to be officially welcomed to China.
During his visit to Shanghai, Prince William will officially launch theGREAT Creativity Exhibition during his visit to the Long Museum. The GREAT Festival is a part of the GREAT campaign, a British Government and private enterprise initiative to promote the business partnerships from the UK and China. The Festival will showcase examples of British innovation and creativity in areas such as entertainment, design, healthcare and fashion, over three days.
Tuesday, March 3
The Prince will return to The Great Festival at the Long Museum. There he will witness demonstrations and exhibitions from a number of companies, including British Airways, Jaguar Land Rover, the BBC and De Monfort University.
The Duke will then visit Nanyang Secondary School where he will watch students taking part in a football training session run by the Premier Skills programme, and will be led by Premier League-trained coaches.
Prince William will then attend the Inaugural British Council Global Alumni Awards, which are being held at the Ruijin Hotel. The Awards are a celebration of the academic achievements of Chinese students who have previously studied in the UK. After his arrival and meeting the students, The Duke will officially open the Awards ceremony.
The Duke will then attend the official opening of the British Centre in Shanghai, where he will meet the staff at the Centre and open the new offices. The Centre is home to the Shanghai Consulate General, China British Business Council, The British Council and UKTI.
After this William will attend the premiere of Paddington at Shanghai Film Museum in association with the GREAT Festival. During the event, The Prince will meet leading figures from the Chinese film industry, along with some of the members of the Paddington production team.
Wednesday, March 4
Prince William will visit a Dai village and will meet the village elders where he learn about how the locals are adapting to living with wild elephants
The Duke will then visit the Asian Elephant Rehabilitation Sanctuary where he will have the chance to meet a rescued elephant which was previously injured by a trap and is now being cared for at the Sanctuary.
After this, he will climb up the Wild Elephant Walkway at the XSBN National Nature Reserve to two different viewing points.
The Duke will also have the chance to witness a wildlife conservation exhibition of photographs and possibly have the opportunity to see some wild elephants in the forest from a viewing point.
Prince William will then visit the XSBN Botanical Gardens where he will plant a tree close to where his grandfather, Prince Philip, previously planted a Sky Tree during his last State visit to China in 1986 with The Queen.
After this, The Duke will pay a visit to the Medicinal Plant Garden in XSBN Botanical Gardens where he will be accompanied by some experts from the Dai medical research hospital.
The Prince will end his visit to the gardens by attending the Regional Wildlife and Conservation Conference at the Botanical Gardens Conference. The conference will be attended by delegates from China and British research students. During the conference, The Duke will make a short speech upon reflection of his visit and discuss the initiatives to prevent the illegal wildlife trade in China. Before his departure, William will meet some Chinese and international students attending the conference and discuss their research work.
The Duke will then end his tour and return to the UK. With today marking the Chinese New Year and with his upcoming tour in mind, Prince William released a video of him wishing everyone a happy Chinese New Year, and spoke of his anticipation for his tour to China in just over a week’s time.
Many thanks to Royal Central for the details.
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