Today, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were in Dundee, Scotland. The royal couple, who are known as The Earl and Countess of Strathearn while in Scotland, officially opened the new V&A museum and met people affected by the proposed closure of Dundee’s Michelin tyre factory.
Upon arrival in the Scottish city, the first stop for William and Catherine was the V&A museum. The Duchess of Cambridge, who was wearing a very appropriate (and recycled) tartan coat dress, has been Patron of the V&A since February of last year. Kate is a keen photographer and studied History of Art at University.
The new museum, set on the Tay riverbank, was built as part of a major regeneration of that area of the city; the museum’s cost is estimated at £80 million. The project has involved many different organisations, including universities, national and local governments and the National Lottery. While it has been open for a while, welcoming 360,000 visitors in its first four months, today marked the venue’s official opening.
William and Kate were taken on a tour of the museum’s exhibits and also met representatives of the Young Peoples Collective. The organisation are involved with leading tours and activities within the Museum, with the young people showing visitors their favourite artefacts and exhibits.
The Duchess then gave a speech, highlighting the importance of having a cultural centre outside of the country’s capital.
Catherine said: “I believe we should celebrate all our leading galleries, museums, and cultural centres playing a greater role in communities, not just in London, but up and down the country too. The cultural riches of the UK belong to all people of the UK”.
“Last February, I was delighted to be asked to be the @V_and_A‘s Patron. Now, nearly a year later, I’m thrilled to be standing in a brand new V&A: one which has been built for the city of Dundee and for Scotland.” — The Duchess of Cambridge @VADundee #RoyalVisitDundee pic.twitter.com/UyuCeWI8nI
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) 29 January 2019
The Earl and Countess of Strathearn then donned scarves for a walk-about in the cold weather, which did not stop a crowd gathering to glimpse the royal couple, who last visited Dundee in 2015.
While meeting members of the public, Catherine was comfortably in maternal mode, even allowing one little girl to play with her hair! The Duchess said that she would very much like to bring their three children to the museum, and also revealed that Prince Louis – aged 9 months – is a fast crawler. Prince William also showed off his paternal instincts, bending down to chat with some little girls wearing paper crowns over their wooly hats.
Embed from Getty ImagesEmbed from Getty Images
After departing the V&A, William and Catherine then made a rather different visit. In a move heavily welcomed as a step in the right direction, the Cambridges met with members of the local community who may be affected by the closure of Dundee’s Michelin factory.
The tyre company’s Dundee site is due for closure by mid-2020, with 850 employees facing redundancy. Meeting with members of the Michelin Dundee Action Group, William and Kate heard how life has been for the local community in the wake of the announcement, particularly given the uncertainty faced by employees and their families.
During the meeting, The Earl of Strathearn spoke about the Group’s work, praising the “collaborative approach adopted by the people in this room”, adding that they all deserve “enormous credit for sitting around this table together to find a constructive way forward”. The couple expressed their hope that a positive outcome could be achieved with regards to the factory site.
? The Duke of Cambridge speaks at a meeting of the Michelin Dundee Action Group #RoyalVisitDundee pic.twitter.com/SG23S5q0Kg
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) 29 January 2019
While the future remains uncertain for Dundee’s Michelin employees, the Action Group are keen to repurpose the site to help replace some of the employment which will be loss as a result of the factory’s closure.
3 comments
Beautiful
The Earl and Countess of Strathearn’s visit dundee, scotland will contribute to promoting better environment of economy, culture and childhood education in the region, i think.
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