The Duke And Duchess Of Sussex will officially visit West and East Sussex on Wednesday 3 October, 2018.
The Royal Party will visit Edes House, located at the heart of the county town of Chichester in West Street.
At Edes House Their Royal Highnesses will be shown the rare Sussex copy of the American Declaration of Independence. The Sussex Declaration is one of only two contemporary handwritten ceremonial manuscript copies, the other being the signed copy housed in the National Archives in Washington D.C.
It was discovered by Harvard University in the West Sussex Record’s office, a service run by West Sussex County Council which holds and protects the county’s archives, in April 2017. Testing and authentication work on the document was completed in time for American Independence Day, 4 July 2018.
Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant for West Sussex, Mrs Susan Pyper said: “We are all thrilled that the Duke and Duchess are making their first official visit to our vibrant county, starting in Chichester. I am looking forward to showing them both this very special document from our county archives. Please join me in giving them both the warmest of West Sussex welcomes as they arrive in our county for the first time.”
After visiting Edes House the Duke and Duchess will then travel along the coast to Bognor Regis where they will officially open the University of Chichester’s Engineering and Digital Technology Park. The cutting edge Technology Park has been designed to offer practical experiences in partnership with local industry.
Lionel Barnard, Chairman of West Sussex County Council added: “West Sussex County Council is very excited to hear that The Duke And Duchess of Sussex are coming to Chichester and Bognor Regis, starting with a visit to one of the many historic buildings we have in our county, followed by the opening of one of the latest developments. We hope this will be the first of many visits by the couple.”
Their Royal Highnesses will then depart from West Sussex and travel to Brighton and Hove in East Sussex.
Timings for the royal visit will be announced nearer the time.
