Royals to kick off second day with official CHOGM opening

The four members of the royal family, currently staying in Malta for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), will kick-off the second day of their visit to the island with the official opening ceremony of CHOGM 2015 to be held at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta.

The ceremony will start at 10.00 am and it will involve a mix of visual and performing arts, and some 360 artists, including tenor Joseph Calleja, to officially welcome the various heads of state (and their spouses), of commonwealth nations.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh will depart from Sa Anton Palace where they are staying, at around 09.45 am, whereas the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will depart from the Xara Palace at around O9.15am.

After the show, the royals will then embark on altogether different programmes with Queen Elizabeth hosting pre-lunch drinks and lunch with the Prince of Wales for the Commonwealth heads of government at San Anton Palace at 12.10pm and 12.30pm respectively, and the Duke departing to St. Paul’s Pro Cathedral in Valletta at 11.20am, where he will be attending a short service. The Duke will also be attending a lunch held in his honour at the Casino Maltese at 12.10pm, where there will also be an awarding ceremony.

Meanwhile, the Queen will retire at 01.40 pm ahead of audiences with various figures including UN secretary General Ban Ki Moon and Opposition leader Simon Busuttil, starting at 02.00pm.

Prince Charles, on the other hand, will go straight from the lunch to Maritime Museum, in Vittoriosa, where he will view the Out of the Blue photographic exhibition and anounce the winner and present awards. He will also attend a roundtable discussion with youth delegates at 1.50 pm.

On her part, the Ducchess of Cornwall will depart from the offical opening at 11.20am and head to the Zejtun primary school to visit a literacy prgoramme and tour the school, followed by a visit to the British High Commissioner's residence in San Pawl tat-Targa at 13.30pm, where she will meet veterans. The previously planned visit to the naval cemetery in Kalkara, where she would have laid a wreath had to be cancelled due to inclement weather. She will then travel back to Xara palace at 2.15pm.

The Queen and the Duke will then leave San Anton palace at  07.55pm to host the Official CHOGM dinner at the Corinthia palace hotel, St Julian’s starting at 08.30 pm. The Duke and Duchess will attend the dinner and then depart from the hotel to Xara Palce at 10.15 pm, while the Queen and Duke will leave at 10.00pm.