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The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester will be visiting the island on Liberation Day, it has been confirmed, dashing hopes of an appearance from Wills and Kate.
The Duke of Gloucester is Her Majesty The Queen's first cousin and the grandchild of King George V and Queen Mary.
The pair will also be visiting Guernsey and Sark as part of the islands' respective ceremonies on 9 May commemorating 75 years since the Channel Islands were liberated.
Pictured: The ceremony will commemorate 75 years since the islands were liberated from Nazi rule.
They will be welcomed by the Lieutenant-Governor and Bailiff.
It's not their first visit to the island - the pair visited in 1978 as a couple, with the Duchess then visiting Jersey in 2004 to open the new Westmount Assessment and Rehabilitation Centre at Overdale.
During the trip, she also visited the Jersey War Tunnels and attended the Great Ormand Street Hospital Jersey Appeal ball.
The Duke, meanwhile, visited more recently in 2012. He made a trip to Elizabeth Castle and celebrated the transfer of the St. John Ambulance Commandery to Jersey.
NEWS: As part of official #Lib75 celebrations, Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester will visit #JerseyCI on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen. The Duke is Her Majesty The Queen’s first cousin and the grandchild of King George V and Queen Mary. @RoyalFamily pic.twitter.com/7aVsyp8PIx
— Liberation 75 (@lib75jsy) March 10, 2020
The Bailiff, Timothy Le Cocq, commented: “Jersey, like Europe, is marking a milestone anniversary in our history. In particular, for those Islanders who directly experienced The Occupation or/and evacuations, this day will be very important.
"We are therefore delighted to hear of the planned visit by Their Royal Highnesses who will attend on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen on this special Liberation Day."
The Bailiff of Guernsey, Sir Richard Collas, added: "I am delighted that Their Royal Highnesses will join Islanders in marking this major milestone in the Islands’ history. It will be a day of particular importance for those who were evacuated, lived through the Occupation or were deported."
The news dashes hopes that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - Prince William and Katherine Middleton - will be joining islanders for the milestone celebration.
Pictured: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
It comes amid changes to the Royal calendar following the decision by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex - Prince Harry and Meghan Markle - to step down from their royal duties and relocate to North America with their son, Archie
They made their final royal appearance yesterday at a Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey.
Full details of the visits and other Liberation Day celebrations will be published in due course.
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