The President of the Republic of Singapore, accompanied by Mrs Tony Tan Keng Yam, are paying a State Visit to the United Kingdom as the guests of Her Majesty The Queen, from Tuesday 21st October to Friday 24th October 2014.
During their visit, The President and Mrs Tan are staying at Buckingham Palace.
Here is an outline programme for the visit:
MONDAY 20TH OCTOBER
The President of the Republic of Singapore and Mrs Tony Tan Keng Yam arrived privately in the United Kingdom on the morning of Monday 20th October, at London Heathrow Airport. They were greeted by The Viscount Hood, Lord-in-Waiting, on behalf of The Queen.
TUESDAY 21ST OCTOBER
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge greeted The President of the Republic of Singapore and Mrs Tony Tan Keng Yam on behalf of The Queen, at the Royal Garden Hotel, London. Their Royal Highnesses then travelled with The President and Mrs Tan to Horse Guards Parade, where The President received a Ceremonial Welcome.
The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh formally welcomed The President and Mrs Tan at the Royal Pavilion on Horse Guards Parade. Presentations were made and following the Royal Salute the Singapore National Anthem was played. The President, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, then inspected the Guard of Honour.
Afterwards, The President of the Republic of Singapore and Mrs Tony Tan Keng Yam joined The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh for a state carriage procession along The Mall to Buckingham Palace.
After a private lunch at Buckingham Palace, given by The Queen, Her Majesty invited The President and Mrs Tan to view an exhibition of Singaporean related items, from the Royal Collection, in the Picture Gallery.
In the afternoon, The President of the Republic of Singapore and Mrs Tony Tan Keng Yam visited Westminster Abbey, where The President lay a wreath at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior. Following the wreath-laying the party took tour of the Abbey and viewed the memorial statue to Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, who worked for the East India Company and founded the then British colony of Singapore in 1819.
The President and Mrs Tan then visited the Palace of Westminster, where they were welcomed by The Speaker of the House of Commons and The Lord Speaker. President Tan delivered an Address in the Royal Robing Room and attended a reception with members of the All-Party Parliamentary Groups and other guests.
The President of the Republic of Singapore will later receive a call at Buckingham Palace by the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, the Rt Hon Nick Clegg, MP.
In the evening, The Queen will give a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace for the President of the Republic of Singapore. Her Majesty and President Tan will both make speeches at the start of the Banquet.
WEDNESDAY 22ND OCTOBER
In the morning, The President of the Republic of Singapore and Mrs Tony Tan Keng Yam, accompanied by The Duke of York, will visit the Royal Society. The President will be presented with the Royal Society King Charles II Medal for his support for science and innovation after which the President will deliver a speech. The President and Mrs Tan, with The Duke of York, will then join a UKTI event "UK and Singapore: Innovating Together for the 21st Century". They will be met by The Lord Livingston of Parkhead, Minister of State for Trade and Investment, who will introduce stakeholders and business leaders.
Afterwards, President Tan will meet with the Prime Minister, the Rt Hon David Cameron MP, at No.10 Downing Street for a bilateral meeting.
In the afternoon, The President and Mrs Tan will attend a Singapore United Kingdom Association Diwali celebration in London.
Later, The President of the Republic of Singapore will receive a call at Buckingham Palace by the Leader of the Opposition, the Rt Hon Ed Miliband, MP.
In the evening, The President and Mrs Tan will attend a Banquet at Guildhall given by The Lord Mayor and the City of London Corporation, in the presence of The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. The Lord Mayor and the President will both make speeches at the end of the Banquet.
THURSDAY 23RD OCTOBER
The President of the Republic of Singapore and Mrs Tony Tan Keng Yam will formally bid farewell to The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace in the morning.
Thereafter, The President and Mrs Tan will travel to Bristol. Initially, they will visit M Shed, Prince's Wharf where they will learn about the regeneration of the harbour area of the city. The Mayor of the City of Bristol will host a lunch.
Later, The President of the Republic of Singapore and Mrs Tony Tan Keng Yam will visit the University of Bristol. The President will launch the "SPHERE (Sensor Platform for Healthcare in a Residential Environment) eHealth Hackathon". The President and Mrs Tan will meet competition entrants and view demonstrations on cutting-edge research in the field of personal healthcare technology (wearable tech). During the event The President will also witness the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Nanyang Technical University (NTU) Singapore and the University of Bristol for Healthcare Technology Research Collaboration. During the visit the President will meet Singaporean students who are studying at Bristol.
Afterwards, The President and Mrs Tan will visit Aardman Animations – they will be welcomed by the Co-Founders of Aardman and by the Chief Executive and Director of English Language of the British Council. The President and Mrs Tan will hear about the UK’s creative industry and will be briefed on the new partnership between British Council and Aardman to open English Language Learning Centres for children aged 3-6 in Singapore from January 2015. The President and Mrs Tan will then visit Aardman studios.
FRIDAY 24TH OCTOBER
The President of the Republic of Singapore and Mrs Tony Tan Keng Yam will visit the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The Party will take a tour highlighting the deep, historic relationship between RBG Kew and Singapore and their contemporary scientific and horticultural collaboration. During the visit there will be an announcement of a joint programme of work between The Carbon Trust and Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore (SEAS) to enhance the implementation of energy efficient practices amongst small and medium sized enterprises in Singapore.
In the afternoon, President Tan will visit Lloyd’s of London. Lloyd’s and the Singapore Government are committed to further developing Lloyd’s market presence in Singapore. President Tan will be given a tour of the trading floors and attend a working lunch with key stakeholders to discuss the growing global financial centres of the City of London and Singapore.
Later, The President of the Republic of Singapore will visit Imperial College London. President Tan will hear about Imperial’s joint medical school with Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, phenome research that builds on the London 2012 Olympic legacy, big data technology, cybersecurity, and the College’s new innovation campus, Imperial West. The President will also visit Imperial College’s Carbon Capture Pilot Plant. The President will meet some of the 400 Singaporean students attending Imperial College.
The Viscount Hood, Lord-in-Waiting will bid farewell to The President of the Republic of Singapore and Mrs Tony Tan Keng Yam on behalf of The Queen, at the Royal Garden Hotel in the evening.
