London – March 2002. The Duke and Duchess of Calabria attended a Gala Concert and Dinner on the occasion of the 75th birthday of the legendary maestro, Mstislav Rostropovich at the Barbican Centre in London, at which former British Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher attended. The Gala performance was in aid of the London Symphony Orchestra’s St Luke’s project, which aims to restore an 18th century Hawksmoor church so that it can be used as a LSO music education centre. The Sacred Military Constantinian Order made a substantial donation to this project.
The event was preceded by a private concert and dinner at Buckingham Palace hosted by HRH The Prince of Wales. Among the principal guests were many members of the British Royal Family including Her Majesty The Queen. Foreign guests included TM The King and Queen of Spain, TM The King and Queen of Sweden, TM The King and Queen of the Hellenes, HM Queen Beatrix and HRH Prince Claus of The Netherlands, TRH The Prince and Princess of Orange, HSH Hereditary Prince Albert of Monaco, TRH The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, HE The President of Austria and HE The President of Azerbaijan.