Charles and Camilla to unveil Eurovision stage in Liverpool
The King and the Queen Consort are heading to Merseyside today
Last updated 26th Apr 2023
The King and the Queen Consort will unveil the staging for the Eurovision Song Contest and tour the arena in Liverpool today (Wednesday 26 April).
Charles and Camilla will be shown around the M&S Bank Arena and meet Mae Muller, the UK's contestant, as well as celebrity presenters and creative teams, ahead of the contest next month.
The grand final of the competition is due to take place on May 13, a week after the coronation ceremony.
Eurovision 2023 will take place in Liverpool after the UK was chosen to host the competition on behalf of war-torn Ukraine.
It will be the first time the competition has been held in the UK for 25 years.
On Wednesday, Charles and Camilla will be met at the arena by BBC director general Tim Davie, director of content Charlotte Moore and managing director for Eurovision 2023 Martin Green.
They will be given a tour backstage to meet production staff before being invited to light and animate the arena, revealing the competition staging for the first time.
This is how it was all coming together earlier this month:
The couple will also be introduced to Eurovision hosts Julia Sanina, Hannah Waddingham, Scott Mills and Rylan Clark, before meeting with this year's UK entrant, Mae Muller, alongside Blue Peter presenters.
Charles and Camilla's visit to the arena is one of several royal engagements in Liverpool, recognising the cultural partnership of the UK and Ukraine and celebrating Eurovision.
They will also visit Liverpool Central Library to officially mark its twinning with Ukraine's first public library, the Regional Scientific Library in Odesa.
They will meet key partners involved in both a two-week cultural festival running alongside the contest, and Eurolearn, a Eurovision-inspired education programme for primary and secondary pupils.
Chief executive of Liverpool City Council, Theresa Grant, and director of Culture Liverpool and Major Events, Claire McColgan will guide the royal pair around the external exhibits.
A recital of Poem For Eurovision by poet Levi Tafari, written with the help of secondary pupils from several of Liverpool's Schools of Sanctuary, will take place in the library's atrium.
Touring the library space, Charles will meet Ukrainian refugees and their host families who have been supported by The Prince's Trust while Camilla meets young people as part of a story telling session.
The pair will then together meet members of the Ukrainian Community in Liverpool and their host families.
Charles will later reveal a plaque to mark the twinning of the libraries, during a live link with the site in Odesa, and the visit will end with a performance by English National Opera.