The Duchess of Cambridge will be guest of honour at a spectacular celebration in Malta next month, on her first solo foreign tour on behalf of the Queen.
Kate will leave her young son, Prince George, behind – as well as her husband, Prince William - for two days of official events to mark the 50th anniversary of Malta’s independence from the UK.
It is a sign of her confidence in her grandson’s wife that the monarch has asked the Duchess to travel to the island which holds a special place in her heart.
As young newly-weds, the Queen and Prince Philip - who was then serving in HMS Chequers with the Royal Navy’s Mediterranean Fleet - lived together on Malta for almost two years.
The Queen considers their time there as one of the happiest periods of her life as it was their only experience of living like an ‘ordinary’ couple.
In an announcement this afternoon, Kensington Palace revealed that the Duchess will fly out to Malta on Saturday September 20 and travel straight to the stunning San Anton Palace, the official residence of the President of Malta, which will be her residence for the weekend.
The palace was constructed as a country villa by Knight Antoine de Paule, a French aristocrat, who named it San Anton after his patron saint, Anthony of Padua.
The Queen has also stayed there, most recently on a visit in 2007.
After a meeting with the President, Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, the Duchess will call on the Prime Minister of Malta, Dr Joseph Muscat, and his wife at his office in the Auberge de Castille.
Later she will view a re-enactment of an historical event, the inspection of the fort and garrison by the Grand Bailiff of the Order of the Knights of St John. A variety of military drills will be displayed.
The Duchess will also visit the nearby National Library where she will view historical documents, including letters from King Henry V111 and George 11, and the original citation awarding the George Cross to Malta.
The pinnacle of her visit, however, will be as guest of honour at the official Independence Day Celebrations at the Upper Barrakka Gardens, set against the breath-taking backdrop of the Grand Harbour.
The following day, Sunday September 21, she will first attend an Independence Day Service at St John’s Cathedral and later view two Caravaggios in the Cathedral Museum – which will no doubt be of considerable interest to Kate given the 2:1 History of Art degree she obtained from St Andrew’s.
The Duchess will also visit the Agenzija Zghazagh or Agency for Youth, a government organisation which runs initiatives for young people. The Duchess will hear about the work of the agency from the young people who use the centre and their support workers.
Members of the public will be able to catch a glimpse of the 32-year-old royal as she takes an afternoon walk through Vittoriosa Square on route to the Church of St Lawrence to view a Maltese art collection.
She will also tread in the steps of numerous tourists before her as she takes a boat tour across the Grand Harbour to see the iconic views between Vittoriosa and Valletta.
Her final engagement of the trip will be the British High Commissioner’s Garden Party at their official residence, meeting a staff and notable local members of the community.
It is understood that the Duchess has discussed the trip at length with the Queen – and will no doubt be asked to report back on her return.
The Queen spent some of the happiest months of her life on Malta as a newly-wed.
Although she and Prince Philip were accompanied to the island by a retinue which included an equerry, a valet, a lady-in-waiting, and the Princess's childhood nanny, as well as their ever-present police bodyguards, the newly-weds were pretty much free to come and go as they pleased.
For the future Queen, this was simply unheard of. There were parties, picnics, swimming expeditions and boat trips. The young princess even went out shopping and on visits to the hairdressers with the other young officers' wives.
Philip, meanwhile, discovered a life-long love of polo. ‘It was a fabulous time,’ he later recalled.