Pictures and video as Prince Charles visits Cambridge
Prince Charles chatted with stallholders at Cambridge market before visiting Homerton College and then officially opening AstraZeneca’s £1bn new Discovery Centre this week.
He arrived on Tuesday, November 23 to the sound of the bells of Great St Mary’s Church, which adjoins the market square, ringing ‘Cambridge Surprise Royal’.
Cllr Rosy Moore, executive councillor for climate change, environment and city centre, introduced the prince to traders.
The first to meet him was Phil Graves, who owns the Peter Graves flower stall.
Phil said: “He walked to the market through St Mary’s Passage and came straight over to my stall. His entourage had told me I would be the first stop. We had a little chat and he asked me how long I’d been here and I said you still owe us 7/6 from back in 1967. He laughed and said, ‘Gosh have you been here that long? I hate to think what the interest would be on that now’. He used to come to the market when he was a student and my dad did serve him on occasion. He’s got a real sense of humour.
“There was applause when he turned up and he shook hands with lots of people and stopped to talk.”
Other stalls visited included Emerald Food, which continued to trade throughout the pandemic.
Julia Cox, the joint owner, said: “He was brilliant. He came over to me and my partner Tracey Turner and he shook our hands. He was really lovely, approachable and down to earth. It was a fantastic experience –we never thought we would shake hands with the future king of England.
“We heard that he wanted to come and meet the market traders to thank people for what they had done during the pandemic.”
Glenys Self, who runs a jewellery stall, said: “He’s spoken to so many people – he’s really generous with his time. He was interested in the jewellery I made and I showed him my porcelain, which he liked, but we were talking about my uncle David mostly who was the CEO of Remploy, who helped disabled soldiers after the war and Prince Charles knew him and was very fond of him.”
He also spent time with Paul Neeve who runs Alister and Garon books, a secondhand book stall.
Mr Neeve said: “I simply pointed out how people appreciate being able to shop in person again and he said, ‘Yes it’s lovely to be able to shake hands again’.
“He talked to me about my stall and he was a very nice man taking lots of time to talk to the traders and the crowd.
“The chaps around him seemed to be a bit frustrated that he was taking so long! He was earmarked to speak to a few of us but he spoke with virtually everybody.
The mayor of Cambridge, Cllr Russ McPherson, was among the dignitaries welcoming the prince. His Royal Highness was introduced to market traders by Cllr Rosy Moore, executive councillor for climate change, environment and city centre.
Cllr McPherson said: “It was an honour to welcome His Royal Highness to Cambridge. Our city has strong connections with the royal family – something that means a great deal to many of our residents.
“Our hugely popular daily market provides valued goods and services to residents and visitors alike; and local traders have worked extremely hard in adverse conditions throughout the pandemic.
“It was therefore fitting that they had the opportunity to meet His Royal Highness and share some of their experiences with him; and for him to be able to thank them for their important service to the community during the pandemic.”
Cllr Moore said: “It was a pleasure to welcome His Royal Highness, who has been an advocate for acting on climate change for years, to the market so that he could meet some of the traders who have worked so hard in difficult circumstances over the past two years.
“We have exciting plans to secure significant investment to continue to improve the offer of our market and market square to both residents and visitors; and will continue to work closely with traders, shoppers and the wider community over the coming months and years to take these plans forward.”
At the University of Cambridge’s Homerton College, he joined a discussion in the Griffin Bar on ‘Get In Cambridge’ and other initiatives aimed at encouraging diversity in admissions and supporting ethnic minority students during their time at the university.
The prince, who was met by the college’s principal, Lord Simon Woolley, said: “I could not be more pleased to hear about the excellent work being carried out to promote greater inclusion and diversity.
“As Lord Woolley knows, this is a subject which has always been close to my heart, and which I have sought to take forward, and to support, as much as possible much of my life.”
He added: “For our society to meet successfully the huge challenges before us, we will need all our talents and all our contributions.
“That is not simply a good intention – it is the most profound good sense.”
The prince held a private meeting with Lord Woolley, who is also an equalities campaigner and the founder of Operation Black Vote. Lord Woolley became the first black man to lead a college at Cambridge or Oxford after taking up his post last month.
Then it was on to AstraZeneca’s stunning new research and development site, The Discovery Centre, or DISC, on Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
There, he was met by CEO Pascal Soriot, chairman Leif Johansson and other senior leaders of the biopharmaceutical company.
He taken on a walking tour of the centre, which has been built to the highest environmental standards, and spoke to scientists in a lab about the pioneering methods they are using to discover new precision medicines.
He was told how the firm has supplied more than two billion doses of its Covid-19 vaccine.
In a courtyard in the centre of the disc-shaped building, the prince said in an address that the centre would save the lives of millions of people in the future, and he praised the dedication of the AstraZeneca team.
“I must say it has been absolutely fascinating to see at least some of the work that takes place inside this centre and to think that – supported by interactions across the city and beyond – it will ultimately enhance and save the lives of untold millions of people around the world in the years and decades to come,” the prince said.
“Throughout the pandemic, I have greatly admired the dedicated commitment of Pascal and the entire AstraZeneca team.
“You have developed and delivered a vaccine for the world – in a remarkably short timescale – which will continue to have a positive impact on communities and society for years to come.
“You have demonstrated, together with your partners, the power of collaboration, of agility and, ultimately, of science itself. And, what is more, you have done it all on a not-for-profit basis.”
Some AstraZeneca staff have already begun to move into the new site, which will house 2,200 scientists.
The Prince of Wales’ visit was arranged through the Cambridgeshire Lieutenancy Office. The Lord-Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, Julie Spence, was present for the visit and was joined by Caroline Bewes, High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire.
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