President of the Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa will be received this Thursday at Buckingham Palace by King Carlos III on the occasion of the 650th anniversary of the Portuguese-British Union.
After the national anthems are played, the two heads of state will lead a parade of British and Portuguese soldiers.
The Portuguese honor guard will be formed of 18 soldiers representing the three branches of service (army, navy and air force), together with a platoon leader, flag bearer and flag bearer, for a total of 21 elements.
Later, Carlos III and Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa attended a ceremony together in the Royal Chapel of the Palace of Saint James, used by Queen Catarina de Braganza (1638–1705), who married King Charles II of England.
The Anglican religious service is to last about 40 minutes and is to be attended by officials from both countries, including Foreign Ministers João Gómez Cravinho and James Cleverly.
The event was organized by Portugal-UK 650, an unofficial voluntary and non-profit initiative that organized the celebration of the 650th anniversary of the Luso-British Union.
The oldest diplomatic relations between the two countries still in force date back to the Treaty of Tagil signed on 10 July 1372, reinforced by the Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Alliance of 16 June 1373, signed by King Edward III of England and Alfonso I of Portugal.
Following the ceremony, the President of Portugal is invited to a reception hosted by the current Duke of Wellington, Charles Wellesley, at Apsley House, the family’s former residence, now a heritage site and museum.
The British King will not be present, but will be represented by his mother’s cousin, the Duke of Gloucester, Prince Richard and his wife, the Duchess of Gloucester, Birgitta van Ders Henriksen.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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