Oct 17 - HRH The Princess Royal Visits Gibraltar House
Around 40 guests were presented to HRH The Princess Royal, the patron, at the Gibunco Literary Festival reception held at Gibraltar House in London.
Mr and Mrs Picardo, Dr and Mrs Garcia, Mr and Mrs Linares and Minister Sacramento were all present as well as His Excellency the Governor and Mrs Davis.
Most of the guests were either sponsors or speakers such as Chris Lloyd, Ann Widdecombe, and Nicholas Parsons. Local authors such as Gail Francis Tiron and Mark Sanchez were also present.
The Chief Minister presented HRH with a glass model of The Rock and HRH unveiled a plaque in honour of her visit.
Here's the Chief Minister's full speech:
Your Royal Highness,
My Lords,
Ladies and gentlemen.
It is with great pleasure that on behalf of and with the true warmth of the People of Gibraltar I welcome you here to Gibraltar House in London.
As you all know the people of Gibraltar hold out a permanent desire to see Her Majesty and members of the Royal Family visit the Rock and, as the local expression goes, ‘our house is your house’.
This has been a very important year for us in Gibraltar.
Quite apart from the small matter of adjusting to our new place in the world and exploring our fresh relationship with Europe, Gibraltar has enjoyed a very genuine and warm wave of support and friendship from across the spectrum of the people who make up this great country the United Kingdom.
We are heartened by the sense of us all belonging to one GREAT British family
We are particularly pleased that our feeling of belonging is so warmly reciprocated.
Gibraltar’s case is very special.
One does not always get the opportunity of choosing ones family!
We have done so and we are delighted with our choice.
Fifty years ago we voted in a referendum organised for us by the United Kingdom.
By just short of 100% we chose to continue to be a part of the British family of nations.
And since then we have repeatedly ensured we have reinforced our bonds with this wonderful British family.
And being British is in great measure about having principles and standards.
It is about the importance we attach to good education, literature and the arts.
And it is about enjoying the freedoms which are at the core of all great literature and giving our young people incentives to better themselves with a broad education.
That is what this festival is a part of in Gibraltar.
This is the fifth year of the Gibraltar Literary Festival and I should note that its birth took place quite accidentally in this very building.
It was when Tony Byrne, on business from Somerset House ran short of his usual business cards and handed his Oxford Literary Festival card to my PPS Peter Canessa that a very special idea took root.
Tony is here tonight with our festival’s other special advisor, Sally Dunsmore,
This festival reaches deep into our schools.
It stimulates participation of people of all ages.
It has stimulated local writers to up their game.
And it has become one of the great annual attractions of the Rock which both the local community and many very welcomed visitors can enjoy.
As a long-standing and harmonious multi-racial and multi cultural society I think any participant at our festival senses the wonderful mix of flavour that our diverse history brings to these events.
The festival grows from strength to strength.
And the patronage of Your Royal Highness is a very powerful endorsement of the values and aspirations that the people of Gibraltar have as a vibrant and loyal British nation in the British family of nations.
Once again many thanks for your Royal patronage and support and your presence here today at this little bit of the Rock in London.
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