Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, have spent a very busy day in Stoke-on-Trent and been inundated with good wishes and messages from well wishers for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who announced their engagement yesterday.
HRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall during a visit to The Potteries Museum, Stoke On Trent. #royals #princecharles #Stoke #mugs #princeharryengaged #PrinceHarryandMeghanMarkle #RoyalEngagement pic.twitter.com/VTVoLWSJxJ
— peter byrne (@Peter_J_Byrne) 28 November 2017
Arriving together at The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, the royal couple were greeted by the cast of pantomime Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs which is being staged in the area.
Prince Charles asked the crowd of cheering onlookers: “Are you all here to see the pantomime?”
Visiting the museum to view progress on a project called The Watercolour World, of which they are joint patrons, Charles and Camilla saw how an online bank of pre-1900 watercolours from all over the world is being created, which will be free to access.
TRH are Joint Patrons of The Watercolour World – a project to digitise a collection of watercolours painted before 1900.
TRH revisit The Potteries Museum to see how the project will work. pic.twitter.com/6yKyNEdacs
— Clarence House (@ClarenceHouse) November 28, 2017
Prince Charles and Camilla last visited Stoke in 2010.
The Prince and Duchess were also shown other exhibits including costumes from the ITV drama ‘Victoria’, the famous Staffordshire Hoard and gold Leekfrith torcs, dug up in a field by metal detectorists in Hammerwich, Staffordshire, which Charles described as ‘amazing’.
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall visit Stoke-on-Trent; here, they view parts of the staffordshire hoard at the potteries museum. Picture by i-Images / Pool
Also on show to the Royals was the First Day Vase, thrown by Josiah Wedgwood in 1769 to mark his founding of his Etruria manufactory; it was recently saved for the nation by the museum purchasing it for £485,200, all raised through donations.
prince charles views students on a pottery course during a visit to stoke (clarence house)
After their tour of the museum, the pair split up: Charles headed to Bethesda Chapel, once known as the Cathedral of Methodism, where restoration of the late 18th century church is ongoing.
The Prince listened to a short organ recital of Elgar’s Imperial March by organist Michael Rhodes. The Prince of Wales applauded the playing and joked it was a ‘good job the organ worked’. The future King also took time to view an exhibition called Our Boys, detailing the exploits of local men who fought in the First World War.
the prince of wales views an exhibition about local wwi soldiers at Bethesda chapel (clarence house)
Prince Charles got to hear a recital by organist Michael Rhodes inside the Bethesda Chapel in #Hanley which is undergoing restoration work. pic.twitter.com/UWxEs7TQVK
— BBC Radio Stoke (@BBCRadioStoke) 28 November 2017
Camilla went onto Stoke City FC stadium where, as patron of the National Literacy Trust, she was meeting more than 200 schoolchildren taking part in reading activities.
Asked about how she felt about yesterday’s announcement of Harry and Meghan’s engagement, the Duchess said she was ‘absolutely thrilled’ by the news, continuing: “It’s brilliant and as I said, America’s loss is our gain. We are all absolutely delighted. As you can see, they are so happy.”
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall comments on Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s engagement
via marklemedia pic.twitter.com/kspgQ1nar4— Kels ?? (@zaynlove2016) November 28, 2017
“Sometimes, you know, in a climate where we are surrounded by a lot of bad news, it’s a real joy to have a bit of good news for once. As I said before, we are delighted.”
When questioned about Meghan Markle, Camilla said she was ‘a star’.
HRH the Duchess of Cornwall, Patron @Literacy_Trust, met children at #SCFC taking part in #StokeReads, which is delivered by @StokeCity_CT pic.twitter.com/pZZuW9iS8Y
— Stoke City FC (@stokecity) 28 November 2017
She was also presented with an engagement card for Harry and Meghan during her visit to Stoke; she thanked the young girl and assured her “I’ll make sure they get it.”
The Duchess chatted to schoolchildren about their favourite books and authors, before presenting certificates for literary achievements.
The Prince of Wales also visited young people who have benefited from the support of The Prince’s Trust in the areas surrounding Stoke, and unveiled a plaque made by Emma Bridgewater.
“Thank you for setting this up, because you really have saved my life!” – Aisa, @PrincesTrust pic.twitter.com/A8j5cotxhW
— Clarence House (@ClarenceHouse) November 28, 2017
A huge thank you to @emmabridgewater for making the beautiful plaque for our Stoke on Trent Centre to mark today’s visit by His Royal Highness. Emma also joined us today to share some of her wisdom with our young entrepreneurs during a ‘business masterclass’. pic.twitter.com/vjbBr1ju0Y
— The Prince’s Trust (@PrincesTrust) 28 November 2017
It was announced today that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be married at St George’s Chapel, Windsor in May. Charles and Camilla are no doubt delighted with the choice of venue as it was there that their own marriage was blessed in April 2005, before the rules allowing divorcees to marry in a church came in to effect.
