A Royal Visit is a memorable occasion that celebrates and honours the important work and achievements of an organisation or community. As His Majesty The King’s representative in Nottinghamshire, the Lord-Lieutenant is responsible for making all of the arrangements for a visit by a member of the Royal Family to the County. The Clerk to the Lieutenancy will liaise with the host organisation, the Royal Household and the Police to make all the necessary planning arrangements and ensure the visit is a success and is enjoyed by all involved.

 

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.

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Extending an Invitation

 

Invitations to members of the Royal Family may be made in a number of ways.

 

Invitations may be extended through the Lord-Lieutenant and may be submitted to specific members of the Royal Family on an organisation’s behalf. If in doubt, the Lieutenancy will advise as to who may be the most appropriate member of the Royal Family to approach and it is advisable to consult the Lieutenancy at the earliest opportunity if unsure.

 

Alternatively, invitations can be extended direct to the relevant Royal Household, via 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 information.

 

Your letter should include as much relevant information as possible about what you would like to mark or celebrate, keeping it concise at the same time. Any request should be for something special or unique. Events such as the celebration of 50 or 100 years are often favourably considered as are the openings of large new establishments with significance to the region. They also like to see charities and community groups with as many people as possible and to hear the stories of how lives are affected or changed for the better by the group they are visiting. Make sure you include details such as notable anniversaries or particular links between your organisation or community and the Royal Family.

 

If the invitation involves a visit to a new or refurbished building, it is vital that the work is fully completed and the people in place 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.

 

Please do bear in mind that the Royal Family receive many thousands of invitations each year, and the number of requests far exceeds what is possible to attend, so there is no certainty that an invitation will be accepted. To have the best chance of success your invitation should be issued ideally twelve months in advance, and it also helps if you have some flexibility date wise. If in doubt, please contact the Lieutenancy who will be happy to advise on timings.

 

Contact details for writing to members of the Royal Family can be found on the Monarchy website

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An invitation refused

 

The King and other members of the Royal Family make at least 3,000 visits every year, with around 1,000 invitations sent to The King alone each year. If your invitation is refused – as many sadly must be – the invite will not be sent on automatically to another Member of the Royal Family. You may extend an invitation yourself to another Member, even if the second invitee is more senior than the first, although discretion should be exercised in extending subsequent invitations and you may find it helpful to consult the Lieutenancy if you are considering this course of action.

 

 

An invitation 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 early 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 Clerk to the Lieutenancy will make contact with the organisation and will arrange to meet with the hosts to work on a draft programme for submission to the Royal Household. Detailed information on how to help with the arrangements of a Royal Visit can be found in the Royal Visit Guide on page 6. Once the Royal Visit is confirmed and all arrangements are in place, the details of the visit will be included on the official British Monarchy website.

 

 

Duplication of an invitation

 

Occasionally, organisations issue an invitation for a member of The Royal Family to visit, only to find another member of that organisation has already issued, and had accepted, an invitation to a third party. This can cause considerable embarrassment. It is strongly advised that when a Royal invitation is being planned, everyone in management of the event is aware of the intention to issue an invitation to a member of the Royal Family, to prevent embarrassment to all concerned.