Prince Harry to visit Italy in May
Clarence House announces visit of Prince Harry to Italy in May. The visit is set to commemorate events for the Italian campaign in WWII.
World War II archive image.
The British Ambassador to Italy Christopher Prentice said:
The Embassy team are greatly honoured to be associated with this important Royal visit and are very proud that HRH Prince Harry will be in Italy to mark the 70th anniversary of the Allied Italian Campaign by attending the commemoration of the battles for Montecassino.
This visit reflects the importance we place on the sacrifice which was made 70 years ago, for the freedoms which we take for granted today.
Clarence House Press Communiqué
Prince Harry will undertake two official overseas visits in May and June 2014. He will visit Estonia and Italy in May, followed by a visit to Brazil and Chile in June. Both visits are in support of the UK Government and are being organised by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Prince Harry will undertake two official overseas visits in May and June 2014. He will visit Estonia and Italy in May, followed by a visit to Brazil and Chile in June. Both visits are in support of the UK Government and are being organised by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
In Estonia, Prince Harry will thank the Estonian Defence Forces for their support of British troops in Afghanistan. Estonia has had a company of soldiers in Afghanistan since 2006, who have been directly under British command during their deployment. During the visit, Prince Harry will meet some wounded Estonian soldiers, several of whom were treated alongside UK soldiers at Headley Court in the UK.
In Italy, Prince Harry will attend commemorative events for the Italian campaign in WWII, focussing on 70th anniversary of the Battle of Montecassino. The four battles for Monte Cassino in Italy took place between January and May 1944 and saw the Allied Forces involved in some of the most hostile fighting of the Second World War. The battles involved allied troops from the UK, Poland, Canada, France, India, New Zealand and America.
Prince Harry’s visit to Brazil and Chile in June is designed to enhance the partnership between the United Kingdom and Brazil and Chile, and build on the links Prince Harry forged during his official visit to Brazil in March 2012.
Notes to Editors
Prince Harry has previously visited Brazil on one occasion, during an official visit in March 2012. He has previously visited Italy on one occasion, privately, as a child. This will be his first visit to Estonia and Chile.
In terms of the expected order of the visits, in May Prince Harry is expected to visit Estonia before travelling on to Italy. In June he is then expected to visit Brazil before travelling on to Chile.
Further details on the exact dates and itinerary of both visits will be announced in due course.