HRH The Duke of York visits Italy – April 2010

HRH the Duke of York visited Milan from 13 to 15 April 2010 to coincide with Salone dei Mobili, the world’s biggest furniture and design event.

The visit began with a dinner with UK designers Tom Dixon, Alasdhair Wills and Sheridan Coakley who emphasised the importance of the design sector to the UK and the importance of Milan as an international centre for the design industry. The following day, HRH visited one of Milan’s key design venues – Superstudio – and toured the stands of some of the British exhibitors before going on to meet the CEO of the Poltrona Frau Group.

The Duke also attended a reception at La Rinascente, Milan’s leading department store attended by 120 British and Italian designers attending the Salone. The CEO and Chairman of La Rinascente Group accompanied HRH on an impromptu tour of La Rinascente’s innovative Design Supermarket with its display of 23 British companies under the banner of 100% British Design.

HRH also called on the Mayor and the CEO of Expo 2015 and was given a presentation on how the site will look and how it will address its theme “Feeding the Planet: Energy for Life.”

A lunch with the Deputy Mayor and representatives from British companies including BG, Ove Arup and Savilles provided the opportunity to discuss the current economic and business climate. And a visit to the Sir James Henderson School to celebrate 40 years of British education in Milan proved a particularly successful example of outreach to the wider community.