Prince, Camilla pay March visit

His wife, the Duchess of Cornwall Camilla Parker-Bowles, is also to accompany him. This will be her first visit to the country.

Newsday had exclusively reported on January 19, that the Prince of Wales and his wife would visit the country.

Deputy British High Commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago Geoff Patton had confirmed then that there would be a “very VVIP (very, very important person) visitor” to this country.

The Prince and the Duchess are to visit on the invitation of Prime Minister Patrick Manning.

During their stay, they are to pay courtesy calls to President George Maxwell Richards and his wife Dr Jean Ramjohn-Richards, the Prime Minister and his wife Hazel. They are also to travel to Tobago where they will meet Tobago House of Assembly Chief Secretary Orville London.

Newsday understands that the Prince and the Prime Minister are expected to discuss issues of mutual concern, such as security and the strengthening of economic ties between England and this country.

During his visit, Prince Charles, who is an officer in the Royal Navy, will witness a maritime interdiction exercise put on by the TT Coast Guard.

Evidence of cooperation between this country and Britain in the field of security is reflected in efforts to obtain three offshore patrol vessels for the Coast Guard and the recruitment of retired British police officers to work with local law enforcement. Prince Charles paid a three-day visit in February of 2000 and stayed at the Hilton Trinidad, however, details of where the royal couple will stay when they arrive next month were not available yesterday.

On his last trip, Prince Charles visited the Mas camp of designer Peter Minshall, the bp Renegades panyard in Port-of-Spain and the Beetham Child Devlopment Centre. That visit was part of a nine-day Caribbean trip which also included stops in Jamaica and Guyana.