Charles and Camilla to unveil staging for Eurovision in Liverpool
The King and Queen Consort will do the honours next week
Last updated 21st Apr 2023
The King and the Queen Consort will unveil the staging for the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool next week.
Charles and Camilla will be shown around the M&S Bank Arena and meet creative teams and celebrity presenters, 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, BBC director of content Charlotte Moore and managing director for BBC Eurovision 2023 Martin Green.
They will be given a tour backstage to meet production staff before revealing the competition staging for the first time.
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.
Charles and Camilla's visit 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 a two-week cultural festival running alongside the contest, and Eurolearn, a Eurovision-inspired education programme for primary and secondary pupils.
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 on their arrival.
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.