Prince William to attend Battle of Amiens centenary
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge is to visit Amiens cathedral (Somme, Hauts-de-France) on August 8 to take part in the centenary commemoration of the Battle of Amiens, with members of the public also invited.
An official statement from Kensington Palace confirmed: “The Duke of Cambridge will attend commemorations marking the centenary of the Battle of Amiens on Wednesday August 8.”
The commemoration ceremony will take place at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame of Amiens from 15h onwards. Other attendees will include governmental representatives from France, Germany, Australia, Canada and the USA, in honour of the shared history of the event.
The ceremony is also offering a limited number of places to the public, subject to prior sign-up at the Somme prefecture offices.
There will be 2,000 public seats available inside the Cathedral, with a further 1,200 public seats available on the square just outside - of which 800 have been reserved for France.
Once sign-up is closed, members of the public will receive personal invitations to the event, specifying whether their seat will be indoors or outside.
An official invitation will be required for anyone attending the ceremony.
The Battle of Amiens began on August 8 1918, and would later be described as one of the Allied troops’ most successful and pivotal advances of the First World War.
The attack included French, British, Australian, Canadian, and American troops fighting against the German army, and is now widely credited as the opening phase of the Allied offensive that would lead to the end of the entire conflict itself.
