The Royal Family are the embodiment of the United Kingdom, and in 2022 they faced adversity unlike ever before with the passing of Her Majesty The Queen after 70 years on the throne. Despite this, members of the family took time out of their packed schedules to visit Lincolnshire this year – here are all of those instances.
2022 has been somewhat of a soap opera script for the British monarchy. There has been heartbreak in the form of Queen Elizabeth II’s death, a year on from her husband Prince Philip’s passing, the controversy of Prince Andrew’s alleged sexual assault case, and scrutiny brought on by Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix series.
It has very much been a year unlike any before for the Royal Family, with a microscope placed under the monarchy at an intensity we haven’t seen since the circumstances of Lady Diana Spencer’s death in the 1990s.
Queen Elizabeth II being remembered at Lincoln Cathedral. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
However, despite the distractions elsewhere, royal duties stop for nobody and the family have soldiered on to attend hundreds of events across the country in 2022 – including here in Lincolnshire.
We were treated to a visit from our new King before his mother’s passing, as well as Prince William, Prince Edward and the Princess Royal who all came to our county on individual duties.
April – King Charles III at RAF Cranwell
His Majesty King Charles III meeting Graduating Officers during a previous event at RAF Cranwell. | Photo: RAFC Cranwell
2022 was the year Charles III became King after the passing of his mother Queen Elizabeth II, but while he was the Prince of Wales he paid a visit to RAF Cranwell for a special graduation ceremony.
King Charles III was in Lincolnshire in April to oversee a parade of over 600 aviators who graduated during the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 1,500 people in attendance.
As an RAF Cranwell graduate himself, His Majesty went on to become Marshall of the Royal Air Force in 2012, and was also at the site to watch his son Prince William graduate in 2008.
September – Princess Royal and Zara Tindall at the Burghley Horse Trials
Piggy March, the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials 2022 winner presented the trophy by the Princess Royal. | Photo: CountryB Photography
The Princess Royal is a regular visitor of the Burghley Horses Trials, and 2022 was no different. In September, Princess Anne arrived near Stamford to present the winning trophies and watch her daughter Zara Tindall compete.
It was the first time the Burghley Horse Trials took place since 2019, with the 2020 and 2021 events curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Princess Royal’s arrival at the event made it an extra special return.
Her Royal Highness arrived by helicopter on the final day of the trials, as Zara Tindall competed on Class Affair, and British rider Piggy March won the £100,000 top prize.
His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, William, paid a visit to RAF Coningsby in November – the RAF base for which he is the Honorary Air Commandant.
During his visit, Prince William spent time at the Air Traffic Control Centre, as well as visiting BAE Systems’ Typhoon Maintenance Facility, exploring the transformative technologies currently being utilised by the Royal Air Force.
King Charles III’s eldest son concluded his visit to Lincolnshire by officially opening the new RAF Coningsby Boxing Club, before meeting other sports teams on site and stopping for selfies with the crowds in attendance.
RAF Waddington’s Honorary Air Commodore himself, HRH Prince Edward, paid a visit to the Royal Air Force base in November to attend Squadron intelligence briefings, meet award winners and engage with local schoolchildren with their work alongside the base.
The Station Commander at RAF Waddington, Group Captain Mark Lorriman-Hughes, said: “It was an absolute pleasure to host His Royal Highness The Earl of Wessex as our Honorary Air Commodore on this annual visit to station.
His genuine warmth towards our people and engagement in our wide variety of activities we undertake was very much welcomed by all.”
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Exciting news for MyLocal app users and The Lincolnite readers! Our latest update is now available to download from your app store and comes packed with the best local news experience you can enjoy.
Revamped News Feed: Enjoy faster loading times and smoother scrolling that make catching up on local news a breeze.
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P.P.S.: We have some huge things in the pipeline, stay tuned!