How to … organise a royal visit

"It's probably the most nerve-wracking thing you'll ever be asked to do," says Paula Armenis of the time she organised a royal opening for a new sheltered housing project in Swatham, Norfolk. As head of marketing for Flagship Housing Group, Armenis was charged with choosing, inviting and looking after Princess Anne for the 90-minute visit. She says: "If you can organise a royal visit you can organise anything."

If you think you're tough enough, the first thing to do is work out which royal you'd like to invite – or, more accurately, which one is most likely to accept. Armenis decided on the Princess Royal because of her interest in rural issues and because she is patron of the Princess Royal Trust for Carers. Then contact your county's Lord-Lieutenant, who deals with all royal visits. They will advise you on who to write to.

Addressing your letter to a royal's private office means you can follow conventional letter writing form. But if you like the idea of writing directly to a royal, a formal letter to the Queen should begin "Madam", and end "I have the honour to be, madam, your majesty's humble and obedient servant". For other family members, use "sir" or "madam", although you can get away with "your majesty" or "your royal highness".

Get your bid in early
The Queen is invited to 1000 events each year and her diary, like all the royals', is booked up well in advance. So, whoever you want, make your request at least six months before your planned event and suggest a range of dates. "If you're successful, they will give you a date and there is usually no flexibility," Armenis says. Bear in mind that you may not get as much notice as you'd like – Armenis was given just three weeks after having a date confirmed.

Be discreet: don't announce your visit – even to residents – until the palace decides to issue a press release. Once the invitation has been accepted, the Lord-Lieutenant's office will liaise with the royal's office on your behalf and coordinate the visit. They will direct you on what information they need, including the proposed programme, plans of the building, the length of the visit, proposed guest list and times of day to avoid. "If it's a day centre, bad times would be when day visitors usually arrive or ambulances drop people off," says Armenis.

Be prepared to provide biographies on everyone you want to introduce to your visitor, so security checks can be done and the royal knows whom they are meeting. You may also want to buy a commemorative plaque or portrait from Buckingham Palace. Also, assign someone to look after any other guests so they don't get ignored.

Last but not least, make sure you have a suitable toilet available. It must be separate from the facilities used by other people and must be kept locked; it is then up to the Lord-Lieutenant to ask the royal if he or she would like a chance to "tidy".

The big day
The details of the actual visit are largely up to you, but once agreed with the Lord-Lieutenant and police, you must stick to them precisely. A stopwatch may help – Armenis, for example, had to time every part of the proposed route around the scheme and plan every detail, from where to park the car, to who will be spoken to.

Police will visit to check security and walk the route. Expect more officers, with sniffer dogs, to visit for final security checks on the day itself.

On the day of Princess Anne's visit to Swatham (pictured left), she arrived with a bodyguard and lady-in-waiting. She was greeted by the Lord-Lieutenant, who introduced her to dignitaries from local councils. She was then introduced to the housing scheme's chief executive, chairman and manager.

The scheme manager and chief executive conducted the tour, with the princess, her lady-in-waiting, bodyguard and a police officer. On the way, the princess stopped to chat with residents. "She was very accommodating and interested in what they had to say," Armenis says. The princess then visited two residents in their flats, gave a short speech and signed her portrait.

Armenis maintains it was worth it because of the residents' response. "It's such a thrill when you have done it," she says. "The tenants were overwhelmed with the visit – it was a picture to see their faces."