Royal visit to the Czech Republic

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall in the Czech Republic 

Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall paid a 4 day visit to the Czech Republic from 20 to 23 March 2010.  It was their first joint visit to the Czech Republic.  Their visit highlighted thriving relations between the UK and Czech Republic and the visit theme: our cultural and environmental heritage.  

Their Royal Highnesses arrived in Prague on Saturday with spring in the air, driving past crowds on their way to a visit to Prague Castle and a meeting with President Klaus and his wife.  This was followed by a tour of the Terraced Gardens by Prague Castle, restored with the help of Prince Charles and the Prague Heritage Fund.  Later in the afternoon, Their Royal Highnesses visited the Cathedral of Saints Cyril and Methodius and its museum, dedicated to Czech parachutists killed after their assassination of Nazi leader Reinhard Heydrich.  President Klaus and Mrs Klausova held an official dinner in honour of Their Royal Highnesses in the evening at Prague Castle.

On the second day, Their Royal Highnesses attended an Anglican church service at the local St Clement’s church.  That evening, they viewed a performance of Don Giovanni at Prague’s historic Estates Theatre, where it premiered in 1787 conducted by Mozart himself, accompanied by distinguished guests including Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer.

Prime Minister Fischer met His Royal Highness on the Monday morning for a private meeting before the Prince of Wales left for a visit to Moravia.  This included visiting the village of Hostetin, described as the Czech Republic’s ‘greenest village’ where His Royal Highness saw brilliant examples of sustainable development and technology that have enhanced the village.  This was followed by a discussion on the environment at Brno’s Masaryk University, and the award of the University’s prestigious Great Gold Medal.

Back in Prague Her Royal Highness had a separate programme for Monday, in which she visited the Matilda Foundation’s Guide Dogs School and the National Theatre Ballet School.  Their Royal Highnesses then attended the British Embassy in Prague for a reception in their honour hosted by British Ambassador Sian MacLeod, joined by guests including many working in environmental and heritage preservation.

On Tuesday, the final day of the visit, His Royal Highness joined a meeting of Czech organisations working in heritage preservation and a representative of the International National Trusts Organisation from the UK, visiting the Czech Republic to build links between organisations.  Their Royal Highnesses then visited the English College in Prague, of which His Royal Highness is patron, the final stop on their 9 day spring tour of Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic.

Read media coverage of The Prince of Wales's previous visits to the Czech Republic and the current 2010 visit.