CHESTER will play host to a historic royal visit next Thursday as Her Majesty the Queen will officially open the city's Storyhouse cultural hub with Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.

The occasion will be the first official royal engagement the Duchess of Sussex – formerly Meghan Markle – has made since she married Prince Harry last month.

While she toured the UK alongside Harry in the run up to their May 19 wedding, this will be the first time she has joined Queen Elizabeth II on her own.

A spokesperson for Storyhouse said: “We are thrilled to announce that Her Majesty the Queen, accompanied by the Duchess of Sussex, will formally open Storyhouse on Thursday, June 14.

“This amazing visit has been made possible by the tremendous support we have in Chester and in the region, and is testament to the degree to which our community has taken us to their hearts and for that we are immensely grateful and proud."

The Queen and Meghan will visit a range of community groups as part of a typical day at Storyhouse.

They include the Syrian Refugee Women’s Group, which will be engaged in craft work; and Fallen Angels Dance Company: A Storyhouse associate company working with individuals recovering from addiction.

Pupils from Kelsall Primary School, University Church Free School, The Queen’s Lower School, Chester Blue Coat CE Primary School, Upton Westlea Primary School, St Clare’s Catholic Primary School, St Werburgh’s R C School, Newton Primary School, Dee Point Primary School and The King’s Junior School will perform perform songs alongside actors from ‘Swallows and Amazons.’

A medley of songs from Storyhouse’s latest production, ‘A Little Night Music', will also be performed.

Police community support officer Eva Williams will be in the storytelling room located in the children’s library The Den, reading to a group of under 5s from Chester. And Erica Jones from Deafness Support Network will sign a story in British Sign Language.

Also present will be the Storyhouse Young Leaders: local young people aged between 14-25 who work across the organisation to develop new skills, and Digital Buddies: a free IT skills workshop and drop-in for anyone over 50, led by young volunteers.

The Queen and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex will also officially open the Mersey Gateway Bridge on the day. The Queen and The Duchess will view the bridge and then watch a performance by local school children called ‘Bringing Communities Together: Halton’s river crossings over the ages.’

Later, at Storyhouse, Her Majesty will unveil a plaque to mark the official opening of the cultural hub.

The Queen and The Duchess will then walk to Chester Town Hall where they will attend a lunch as guests of Cheshire West and Chester Council, which will mark the conclusion of their visit to the county. 

Andrew Bentley, chief executive of Storyhouse, said: “This amazing visit has been made possible by the tremendous support we have in Chester and in the region and is testament to the degree to which our community has taken us to their hearts and for that we are immensely grateful and proud.”

As well as the library, theatre and cinema, Storyhouse has its own theatre company, with one of the main highlights of its first year being the first ever production of Enid Blyton’s The Secret Seven.

It has recently promoted its Christmas show, The Wizard of Oz, via a banner being flown in the skies over Chester.