Court Circular

BUCKINGHAM PALACE

31 March: His Excellency Mr Ali Al- Jaidha was received in audience by The Queen and presented the Letters of Recall of his predecessor and his own Letters of Credence as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary from the State of Qatar to the Court of St James's.

His Excellency was accompanied by the following members of the Embassy:

Mr Abdulla al-Muqhaiseb (Counsellor); Mr Saqr Al-Mansouri (Counsellor); Mr Abdelhameed Al-Kubaisi (First Secretary) and Mr Ibraham Fakhroo (Second Secretary).

Sir David Gillmore (Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs) was present and the Household-in- Waiting were in attendance.

The Queen, Air Commodore-in-Chief, Royal Air Force Regiment, received Air Vice-Marshal David Hawkins upon relinquishing his appointment as Commandant-General of the Royal Air Force Regiment and Air Commodore Timothy Thorn upon assuming the appointment.

Her Majesty held a Council at 12.40pm.

There were present:

The Right Hon Antony Newton MP (Lord President), the Lord Rodger of Earlsferry (Lord Advocate), the Right Hon Peter Lilley MP (Secretary of State for Social Security) and the Right Hon Sir John Cope MP (Paymaster General).

The Lord Richard, the Right Hon John Cunningham MP and the Right Hon Derek Foster MP were sworn in as Members of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council.

The Right Hon Margaret Beckett MP made affirmation as a Member of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council.

Mr Nigel Nicholls was in attendance as Clerk of the Council.

The Right Hon Antony Newton MP had an audience of The Queen before the Council.

The Duke of Edinburgh, Patron, this morning visited the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and attended the Honorary Fellowships Ceremony, Keppel Street, London WC1.

Brigadier Miles Hunt-Davis was in attendance.

His Royal Highness, Honorary Member, Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers, this evening attended a Dinner, the Institute of Civil Engineers, Great George Street, London SW1.

Wing Commander Christopher Moran RAF was in attendance.

By command of The Queen the Viscount St Davids (Lord-in-Waiting) was present at Heathrow Airport, London, today upon the Arrival of The President of the Arab Republic of Egypt and Mrs Mubarak and welcomed Their Excellencies on behalf of Her Majesty.

31 March: The Princess Royal, President, Rural Housing Association, this afternoon attended the Annual Conference of the South Eastern Branch of the Institute of Housing, Guildhall, Winchester and was received by General Sir David Fraser (Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire).

Mrs Timothy Holderness-Roddam was in attendance.

ST JAMES'S PALACE

31 March: The Prince of Wales today visited Norfolk and was received by Her Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant (Mr Timothy Colman).

His Royal Highness this morning visited the North End Trust's Trues Yard, North Street, King's Lynn.

The Prince of Wales afterwards visited the Citizen's Advice Bureau, Thoresby College, Queen's Street, King's Lynn.

His Royal Highness later viewed the restoration work that has been carried out in the Town Hall, King's Lynn.

The Prince of Wales this afternoon opened the new hall, Flitcham School, Flitcham.

Mr Hugh Merrill was in attendance.

YORK HOUSE

31 March: The Duchess of Kent this afternoon attended a luncheon given by the City of London Sheriffs' Society at Saddlers' Hall, Gutter Lane, London EC4, and was met on arrival by the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of London (Sir Francis McWilliams).

Mrs Colin Marsh was in attendance.

ROYAL ENGAGEMENTS

The Queen, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, reviews the Royal Air Force at RAF Marham to mark the 75th anniversary of its formation; The Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester and The Duke of Gloucester also attend. The Princess Royal attends the first meeting of the International Brain Injury Forum: the quest for better outcomes, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford.

Changing of the Guard

The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment mounts the Queen's Life Guard at Horse Guards, 11am; 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards mounts the Queen's Guard, at Buckingham Palace, 11.30am, band provided by the Coldstream Guards.