Chief Minister Gallagher is letting you know that a Tasmanian and her Danish husband will be available for rubbernecking on 22 November:
Chief Minister Katy Gallagher MLA has today confirmed that Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark will plant a tree at the National Arboretum Canberra on Tuesday 22 November.
A special ballot will be conducted for invitations to the event, providing a unique opportunity for Canberrans to attend the ceremonial planting.
“It is always a great honour to welcome royal visitors to Canberra and I am delighted that Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary will take time to plant a native Denmark tree, the Acer Campestre, commonly known as a Field Maple, with me at the Arboretum,” the Chief Minister said.
“The Crown Prince couple will only be in Canberra for a short time and I know there is a lot of interest in the Canberra community in the Royal Couple, particularly given Crown Princess Mary’s Australian connection.
“As this may be the only public opportunity to see the Crown Prince and Crown Princess in Canberra, arrangements have been made to allow a number of Canberrans to attend the Arboretum to witness this historic event.
“A ballot will be conducted to provide up to 500 people the opportunity to attend the ceremonial planting at the National Arboretum. This is a fair way of ensuring Canberrans have a chance to see the Royal Couple at an event that would generally be closed to the public, the Chief Minister concluded.
Balloted invitations will be allocated to either one adult and a guest, or one adult and their immediate children.
People interested in entering the ballot for the invitation to the tree-planting event must register by visiting http://www.events.act.gov.au/ or by calling Canberra on 13 22 81 during normal business hours, providing their name and contact details, including names of the guest or children who will attend. Nominations for the ballot close at 5pm Monday 14 November.
Winners of the ballot will be notified of arrangements by Friday 18 November.