Duchess of Edinburgh and Prince Edward make announcement after royal 'snub'

The trip is intended to mark the 60th anniversary of Malta’s independence.

This is the first royal visit to Malta since Prince Edward, Duke of Kent visited in November 2018.

Sophie, 59, and Edward, 60, last visited Malta together in November 2012, as the Earl and Countess of Wessex.

The duchess later returned to Malta for a solo trip in 2018.

This announcement comes shortly after Lady Pamela Hicks, a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth II, appeared to "snub" Prince Edward and Sophie.

India Hicks, Lady Pamela's daughter, claimed her mother is a strong proponent of a modernised monarchy.

Hicks told Marie Claire: “[My mother] thinks that it is modernising in a way that it should, and she absolutely believes in the thinning down of the Royal Family and making it this core hard-working foursome.”

The 57-year-old was referring to King Charles III, Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales as the “hard-working foursome”.

In so doing, Hicks omitted the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, two of the hardest-working members of the Royal Family.

Prince Edward performed a whopping 297 engagements in 2023 - finishing in third place behind Princess Anne and the King.

Meanwhile, the number of royal engagements carried out by Sophie has more than doubled this month compared to the same time in 2023, as reported by The Times.

The duchess completed 37 engagements in September, compared to 18 last year.

This comes amid Princess Kate's absence from public life, as the mother-of-three underwent chemotherapy for much of this year.

In Malta, Sophie and Edward will meet President Myriam Spiteri Debono and Prime Minister Dr Robert Abela.

LATEST ROYAL NEWS:

• Kate ‘continues to inspire Meghan’ as duchess sends powerful message
• King Charles 'reluctant' to follow Camilla's new rule
• 'It's not about him!' Harry suffers blow as duke's Netflix show looms

The duke and duchess will also have the opportunity to tour Villa Guardamangia where the late Queen lived with Prince Philip between 1949 and 1951.

In addition, the mother-of-two will lay a posy in memory of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Her Royal Highness, who is committed to drawing attention to the issue of violence against women and girls around the world, will attend a discussion with members of Malta’s Police Force and Human Rights Directorate about supporting victims of human trafficking and gender-based violence.

On the final evening, Sophie and Edward will attend The King’s Birthday Reception, hosted by the British High Commissioner.