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Request a Royal Visit

As His Majesty The King’s representative in North Yorkshire, the Lord-Lieutenant is responsible for the overall co-ordination of the arrangements for a Royal visit to North Yorkshire by a member of the Royal Family.

The Lieutenancy Office will liaise with the host, 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.

A Royal Visit is a memorable occasion which honours the work and achievements of an organisation or community. It is an opportunity to celebrate and acknowledge the different ways in which people have been involved in either a special piece of work or occasion. These visits are much valued by those organisations and communities that are fortunate enough to receive such a visit.

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 Office 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 Office 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 about what you would like to mark or celebrate. Make sure you include details such as notable anniversaries or particular links between your organisation or community and the Royal Family.

Any bid 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.

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, so there is no certainty that an invitation will be accepted. To have the best chance of success your invitation should be issued around twelve months in advance, and it also helps if you have some flexibility date wise.

For a detailed guide to Royal Visits, including contact details for the Royal households, please click the appropriate links below:

Contacting members of the Royal Family

You can write to members of the Royal family at the following addresses:

Their Majesties The King & The Queen Consort
Buckingham Palace
London
SW1A 1AA

Their Royal Highnesses The Prince & Princess of Wales
Clarence House
London
SW1A 1BA

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal
Buckingham Palace
London
SW1A 1AA

Their Royal Highnesses The Duke & Duchess of Edinburgh
Bagshot Park
Bagshot
Surrey
GU19 5PL

Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester
Kensington Palace
London W8 4PU

His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent
St. James’s Palace
London
SW1A 1BQ

Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Kent
Wren House
Palace Green
London
W8 4PY

Addressing members of the Royal Family?

For The King: "Your Majesty" on the first occasion, and "Sir" thereafter.

Other members of The Royal Family who hold the title His or Her Royal Highness: "Your Royal Highness" on the first occasion, and then "Sir" or "Ma'am" thereafter.

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 – it will not be sent on automatically to another Member of the Royal Family. You may extend it 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 Officer 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 Officer 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. Approximately one week before a member of the Royal Family is due to visit Nottinghamshire, details will be added to the Nottinghamshire Lieutenancy website for general information.

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.

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