A rather surprising visit. A state visit at this point seems utterly useless, a waste of money & a complete charade. The visit is scheduled 4 days after the October European counsel, which supposedly will see an agreement of the EU and the UK about whatever it is the British want for their future. For now all hard decisions have been postponed.If the meeting has been successful it may be a nice way of emphasizing the future. If not, the phrases will sound even more hollow than usual.
During the king's reign these state visits are usually accompanied by economic missions. I am not sure if that will be the case here as there is a lot of uncertainty about our future relations. The only thing we know is that they will be more distant than they are now.
Anyway, it is a nice surprise to see a visit during this reign. A pity the duke and duchess of Sussex will not be around but there will be more than enough jewels to look forward to. The Stuart diamond will perhaps finally see the light of day again.
The Dutch orders are a mess, so it is difficult to predict what orders the duke and duchess of Cambridge will be receiving. The Duchess of Cornwall did not wear a Dutch order during the inauguration either, but I am sure she will receive one now. Neither the king nor the queen have any British orders.
