By Victoria Brenan

Published at 11:40, Thursday, 22 May 2008

THE QUEEN is to visit Cumbria next month to celebrate 300 years of Whitehaven.

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She will arrive in the county on Thursday June 5 accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh.

The royal couple will be the guests of honour at the town’s harbour where a series of events are being staged to mark the anniversary of the creation of the town in 1708 with the Whitehaven Town and Harbour Act.

After visiting - and officially opening - the Beacon Museum, the Queen and Duke will stroll along the quay to watch the firing of the gun, an air show, and tall ship sailing into the harbour.

It will be the first time they have visited Whitehaven together, and the first visit by the Queen to the town in more than 25 years.

“The Royal party are guests at the ceremony that we do every so often to mark the raid on Whitehaven by the American Navy,” said Whitehaven International Maritime Festival organiser Gerard Richardson.

“Because it is the 300th anniversary of the town and harbour this year, the event will be bigger than usual with a whole host of things going on.

“The Queen and Prince Phillip are our guests and we are delighted they are able to attend.

“To be honest, the visit will be the icing on the cake for this event and makes all our efforts worthwhile.

“I think they will be taken back by the tremendous reception they will receive and, in turn their presence will give the town a much needed boost. We couldn’t have asked for more.”

Thefestival committee has organised a series of events to celebrate the 300th anniversary, including a rock concert from Status Quo, which will take place in August.

The royal party will be welcomed at Whitehaven Harbour’s Sugar Tongue as special guests at a ceremony which will include the re-enactment of the freedom of the harbour which was originally granted to the US Navy in 1999.

Sue Palmer, tourism manager at The Beacon, said they had written to Buckingham Palace around a year ago to invite the Queen to officially reopen the museum.

“We had a small opening last October but we always hoped that the Queen would be able to officially perform the ceremony,” she said.

“We’re really delighted.”

She said the Queen and Prince Phillip would tour the new exhibits and witness a schools session – involving pupils from St James Junior school in Whitehaven who have been learning about Roman armour.

Copeland leader Elaine Woodburn said: “We are delighted that the Queen and Prince Philip will be visiting Whitehaven.

“This is very exciting news, and we look forward to welcoming them to the Beacon, to open the exciting new facility.

“I am confident that they will love the Beacon and love Whitehaven, and it will be an honour to receive them on behalf of the town and the whole of Copeland. My only wish now is for the sun to shine on June 5 so the Royal Party can see Whitehaven in all its glory.”

After witnessing the harbour celebrations, the Queen and Duke will go to the Cumberland Pencil Company for a tour of the factory floor.

They will then attend a lunch at Underscar Manor Hotel, in Keswick, hosted by the county council and Lord Lieutenant James Cropper, before heading to Penrith to visit the food technology centre at Redhills.

The Royal couple last visited the county in 2002 as part of the Queen’s three month Jubilee tour of Britain.

She visited Carlisle on August 5 and was taken around Tullie House, which she opened in 1991, before hosting a garden party for 800 guests at Carlisle Castle.

Carlisle was not originally included in the jubilee tour itinerary, but Buckingham Palace had a change of heart after a series of personal pleas from leading figures in the county.

The Queen previously visited Workington in 1980, Carlisle in 1958 and 1978, and Calder Hall in 1956.

VBrenan@cngroup.co.uk

Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk