The King and other members of the Royal Family make a significant number of visits across the United Kingdom each year, including to Merseyside. They provide an opportunity for members of the Royal Family to meet and engage with a broad range of people.
A Royal visit is a very special and memorable occasion which will often mark an event, occasion or achievement with which a community, school, business or voluntary organisation has been or is still involved. These visits are an important part of the Royal Family’s role and are much valued by those who receive such a visit.
The Merseyside Lieutenancy is always involved in Royal visits to our county. The Lord-Lieutenant, Vice Lord-Lieutenant or a Deputy Lieutenant is normally the first person to meet the visiting member of the Royal Family to welcome them to Merseyside, support them during their visit and say farewell at the point they leave.
Invitations to members of the Royal Family should always be made well in advance.
It is strongly advised that potential invitations are discussed with the Clerk of the Merseyside Lieutenancy, who will act on behalf of the Lord-Lieutenant, provide advice and may submit an invitation to specific members of the Royal Family on an organisation’s behalf. The Lieutenancy will advise as to who may be the most appropriate member of the Royal Family to approach and therefore, the Lieutenancy should be consulted at the earliest opportunity.
Any invitation 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, provide an opportunity to mark a significant event or occasion, and provide an opportunity to engage with members of your community. Be sure you include details such as notable anniversaries or particular links between your organisation or community and the Royal Family.
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 in relation to dates wise.
Please contact us to discuss any specific ideas or potential invitations; and should you decide to approach a Royal Household directly, we ask that you please provide us with a copy of your correspondence.
