Today saw the last day of Prince Charles and Camilla’s visit to Greece; they spent the day in Crete following their two days in France, and yesterday in Athens. The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall visited Knossos Archaeological Site, a refugee project and a local culture celebration; Camilla also went to a winery.
Charles and Camilla first headed to Knossos Archaeological Site, accompanied by Professor John Bennet, Director of the British School at Athens (BSA), who provided a historical briefing of the site and the exploration that has taken place there.
The Prince is patron of the BSA, and excavations of Knossos take place because it was the centre of the Minoan culture of Bronze Age Crete c.2000-1500 BC; it is the fourth most visited archaeological site in Greece.
Upon their arrival, a member of the public shouted “Hello your highness, how are you?”, to which Charles replied: “Still alive!”
prince charles and camilla visited the ancient site of Knossos (clarence house)
#RoyalVisitGreece Την κρητική φιλοξενία γνώρισαν στην Κνωσσό ο πρίγκιπας Κάρολος και η Καμίλαhttps://t.co/hjSUuODhvj pic.twitter.com/QLrkmZXeh2
— Popaganda (@PopagandaGR) May 11, 2018
Camilla headed inside to meet a group of school children learning about Minoan Crete, while her husband toured the site, and joined a” Cooking Like Minoans” event. One child, Constantine Faitakis, gave the Duchess a hug and she patted him on the head as the drawing was handed over.
A reporter then asked: “Are you ready for the wedding?”. Of course, Prince Harry and Meghan are to tie the knot at St George’s Chapel in just a week’s time. The heir to the throne said: “Are you ever ready?”
Despite the extremely tight security measures, the site remained open to the public, who were able to watch the royal couple.
Next for the Duchess was a trip to Lyrarakis Winery. Camilla was shown around the mountainous commune, and then attended a wine tasting reception for members of staff, family and other local wine producers.
The company sells to Marks and Spencer, Majestic and Berry Brothers, who supply the palace, and have long been championing the rediscovery of formerly extinct ancient wine varieties.
Regrouping, the future King and Queen spent time at Heraklion Development Agency, which is a community and refugee project.
Prince Charles attended a short briefing led by Dimitra Kampeli, Refugee Project Director at the Heraklion Development Agency (HDA), before moving to the Old Municipal School to meet members of the community and refugees with The Duchess of Cornwall.
At the Heraklion Development Agency (HDA), The Prince is briefed on the organisation’s refugee project, which provides accommodation and support to help refugees integrate into Cretan society.
The HDA is currently supporting over 700 refugees across Crete.#RoyalVisitGreece pic.twitter.com/5RiqVHEeY2
— Clarence House (@ClarenceHouse) May 11, 2018
#HappeningNow The Prince of Wales is visiting #UNHCR ’s
accommodation programme on #Crete, which has offered a warm home to more than 700 @refugees #RoyalVisitGreece pic.twitter.com/3ou3AruaQp— UNHCR Greece (@UNHCRGreece) May 11, 2018
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall then proceeded on to their final event of the day, and their trip to Europe, by attending a celebration of local food, culture and heritage in Archanes. They were taken on a short walk of the area to greet the public, and toured market stalls, ending in Church Square.
Prince Charles danced his way out of #Crete today as his and Camilla’s five-day tour of France and Greece came to a close pic.twitter.com/ncPQquIJZW
— Josh Payne (@JoshPaynePA) May 11, 2018
The royal couple saw Cretan produce, crafts, local initiatives and entrepreneurs, before they were met by Father Kassavetakis, Priest of the Church. A celebration of local culture was taking place during their visit, and the pair were roped in to some dancing.
The ‘siganos’ dance saw Prince Charles and Camilla place their arms on the shoulders of locals in a line and cross their legs. Both smiled broadly and giggled as the dance progressed. The Prince declared it ‘great fun’.
There are different styles and interpretations from all of the islands and surrounding mainland areas, and each region formed its own choreography and style to fit in with their own ways.
1 comment
I am very glad to know that prince charles and camilla had a wonderful time in greece.