The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh will visit Finland this month, Buckingham Palace announced on Tuesday, October 20, in a trip intended to recognise the “close and longstanding relationship” between the United Kingdom and Finland. The visit, made at the request of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, will cover defence and security, business and innovation, and culture and education, the Palace said. It will be the couple’s first trip to Finland in 11 years; their last visit to the country was in 2015.
In Helsinki, Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie will be received by President Alexander Stubb and will learn about Finnish expertise in peace mediation, innovation and security, according to the announcement. Finnish broadcaster Yle reported that the couple will also meet Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen and Helsinki Mayor Daniel Sazonov, and that members of the public will be able to greet them outside Helsinki City Hall at around 5 p.m. on the Monday of the visit. Yle’s reported programme includes visits to Kalevala Jewelry, the telecommunications company Nokia and the food technology company Solar Foods, meetings with representatives of CMI, the Finnish conflict-resolution organisation, and a visit to Havukoski School in Vantaa, north of Helsinki.
The couple will also travel to Oulu, which this year holds the title of European Capital of Culture. There, the Duke will experience some of the city’s cultural programme and meet organisations and individuals contributing to its creative sector, the Palace said. The City of Oulu’s published programme for the Duke’s visit on the Tuesday includes the Tiima museum and science centre, the Proto design centre and the Kuutar’s Garden media art exhibition, the Daily Northern reported.
Edward and Sophie will also visit Santahamina Garrison in Helsinki, where they will be introduced to the work of the Finnish Defence Forces and hear about the country’s approach to national resilience and security cooperation, according to the announcement. The programme reflects the breadth of the partnership the Palace said the visit is designed to highlight, spanning defence and security, business and innovation, and culture and education.
Where the Reports Differ
The length of the visit is stated differently in the reporting. The Palace announcement, as reported by BritBrief, describes a three-day visit running from Monday, October 26 to Wednesday, October 28. Yle’s reporting, carried in Royally Inspired’s royal diary, describes a two-day visit on October 26 and 27. The Palace announcement is the stronger source for the couple’s schedule; the published programmes reported by Finnish outlets include engagements in Helsinki and Oulu on the Monday and Tuesday, and, per the Daily Northern, a school and garrison programme in the Helsinki area on the Wednesday.
The couple last visited Finland as the Earl and Countess of Wessex. Edward was created Duke of Edinburgh, the title previously held by his father, Prince Philip, by a Buckingham Palace statement issued on March 10, 2023, his 59th birthday, and the couple have carried the Edinburgh titles on their official travel since. The visit continues a pattern of senior royal travel undertaken at the Foreign Office’s request to support British relationships abroad. Edward and Sophie’s previous Finland trip came in 2015, and the most recent visit to the country by a member of the royal family before this one was Prince William’s, in 2017, the Daily Northern reported.
Sources: Buckingham Palace announcement, reported by BritBrief; Yle, reported by Royally Inspired and Monteoz; City of Oulu; Daily Northern.
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