Prince Michael continued his tour in Russia and attended a church service on Sunday 1 October at the Church for Our Lady of Vladimir, followed by a lunch with the priest, Father Vladimir Fomenko, in St Petersburg. On Wednesday 4 October Prince Michael as Patron of the Russo-British Chamber of Commerce travelled to Moscow and attended the RussiaTALK Investment Forum and 90th Anniversary Celebrations. The Investment Forum brings together senior Russian and British business and political figures with a substantial invited audience, followed by a gala reception and evening of celebration for the RBCC. His Royal Highness gave the welcome address, followed by other guest speakers such as Mr Anthony Brenton, HM Ambassador of the UK to the RF, and HE Yury Fedotov, RF Ambassador to the UK.

 

     That evening Prince Michael travelled back to London from Moscow and directly from the airport attended as Patron of the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation the three Generations Art Exhibition 'Art for Survival' at the Savoy. The Prince was met by Mr David Shepherd and his daughter Melanie and escorted around the exhibition, featuring oil paintings by David Shepherd, watercolours by his other daughter Mandy and contemporary work by his grand-daughter Emily. The Savoy and the Fairmount Group have supported the charity enormously and hosted this particular evening.

 

     On Thursday 5 October His Royal Highness as Patron of the World Monuments Fund in Britain attended a Service of Thanksgiving to mark the restoration of St George's Bloomsbury. The Prince was met by Major Charles Winstanley, Representative Deputy Lieutenant for London, who presented the Bishop of London, the Mayor of Camden and the Rector of St George's Bloomsbury. Viscount Norwich, Chairman of the World Monuments Fund in Britain, then presented His Excellency the American Ambassador and his wife Mrs Tuttle. The Prince unveiled two plaques (one to the architect Mr Paul Mellon and one to all the donors). The restoration of St George's Bloomsbury, the English Baroque masterpiece of Nicholas Hawksmoor, constitutes the largest project ever undertaken by the World Monuments Fund in Britain. With generous contributions from the Estate of Paul Mellon, the UK Heritage Lottery Fund, Robert M. Wilson Challenge to Conserve our Heritage and many other donors, Hawksmoor's church has been returned to its former glory. The restoration has revealed a clean, tranquil interior, with the church altar reoriented to its original position and the lions and unicorns that once adorned the tower have been recreated and installed at the base of the church's spire.

 

 

                         

 

                         

                                     Prince Michael at St George's Bloomsbury

 

     That evening Prince Michael as Patron of the World Monuments Fund in Britain attended a reception and dinner given by Tiffany & Co, hosted by The Viscount Norwich, and Barbara Kovacs, Vice-President and Managing Director of Tiffany & Co. The event was held in the State Apartments of the Royal Hospital Chelsea.

 

     On Friday 6 October Prince Michael attended a 'Care for Children' reception at the Mansion House in London. On arrival Prince Michael was met by The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress and introduced to the host, Mr Robert Glover, Chief Executive of Care for Children. Care for Children is a UK Registered Charity that helps to relieve the hardship, distress and sickness of orphaned and abandoned children throughout the People's Republic of China through the development of family-based care as an alternative to institutional care. The charity's vision is to see one million orphaned and abandoned Chinese children placed into foster families by the year 2010. Prince Michael hosted a Care for Children dinner in Beijing and Shanghai last May.

 

     On Tuesday 17 October Prince Michael officially named a First Great Western High Speed Train the 'Prince Michael of Kent'. The Prince unveiled the nameplate bearing his name at a ceremony in Bristol Temple Meads. First Great Western undertook the naming and invited the Prince to name his train following an article on the Prince in 'The Railway Magazine' stating it was the Prince's ambition to have a train or locomotive named after him. "After reading about Prince Michael's ambition, and finding out about his enthusiasm for rail travel, we just had to name one of our power cars in his honour, particularly as he has such strong links with our network," said First Great Western Managing Director Alison Forster.

              Following the naming at Bristol, Prince Michael visited First Great Western's Philip Marsh Depot where he was able to spend time 'driving' the simulator and experiencing the challenges a driver faces on a daily basis.   Before Prince Michael returned to London on his recently named train, he visited the Maritime Volunteer Service Unit in Bristol and was introduced to a number of members.

 

 

                             

                                      Prince Michael unveiling his train in Bristol

 

 

        On Wednesday 25 October Prince Michael as Grand Master, accompanied by Princess Michael, attended a dinner to mark the Sesquicentenary of the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons at Guildhall in the City of London. Toasts were proposed by Prince Michael and HRH The Duke of Kent, Grand Master of The United Grand Lodge of England. Representatives from each Province, District and Inspectorate attended the dinner, together with Grand Masters from other Constitutions and other guests. The following day Prince Michael attended the 150th Anniversary meeting of the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons at the Royal Albert Hall. The programme included an address by Prince Michael, a musical interlude by the Choir of the Royal Masonic School for Girls, an illustrated talk on the history of Mark Masonry and a Banner dedication (carried out by the Grand Master) of new banners donated to the five Founding Lodges by the Grand Lodge. HRH The Duchess of Cornwall also attended the meeting as President of the National Osteoporosis Society, which received a substantial cheque from the Mark Benevolent Fund. All guests who were unable to obtain tickets for the Royal Albert Hall event attended a reception held at Freemasons' Hall with Prince Michael. Following this event Prince Michael attended a reception at Drapers' Hall for the overseas guests.