Buckingham Palace announces key royal will be heading to the US - and it's not the King

Prince Edward is travelling to Philadelphia for a two-day visit on April 30 and May 1, Buckingham Palace have announced. The 61-year-old will be travelling to the US for a series of special engagements.

As confirmed by Buckingham Palace earlier this week, the - who visited - will arrive in Philadelphia on the morning of April 30. The Duke's visit will include several public and private events in the city over two days.

The primary public event , which has been arranged by the Independence National Historical Trust, will be the dedication of Philadelphia's Bicentennial Bell in Old City.

The Bicentennial Bell was presented to the people of the United States from the people of Great Britain in 1976 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of American independence.

The 12,000 lb. Bicentennial Bell was cast at the Whitechapel Foundry in London, the same foundry that originally cast Philadelphia's Liberty Bell in 1751.

Edward's trip will also include visits to Carpenters' Hall - site of the First Continental Congress in 1774 - the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum, and Temple University's Charles Library. Edward has previously visited Philadelphia on two previous royal visits - in 2012 and 2018.

As a working member of the Royal Family, the prince promotes the benefits of nonformal education, and works to support the arts, heritage and conservation.

Independence Historical Trust, a nonprofit which preserves Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, is hosting Wednesday's dedication ceremony.

Ahead of Edward's visit, Tom Caramanico, executive director of the trust, has said: "We were excited to have a member of the Royal Family come to dedicate the garden and the new location of the bell. When it was up in the bell tower, when it was first given to us in 1976, you couldn't see it. Now, you can see it and you can see the inscription on the bell. It really is beautiful."