The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall were in Mousehole and Newlyn on Monday visiting people in the community and speaking with local fishermen.
Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, who celebrated her 75th birthday on Saturday, were first in Mousehole, meeting the people and community groups that use the Solomon Browne Hall.
In 2019 the Duke of Cornwall’s Benevolent Fund made a donation to the hall, which is dedicated to the Penlee Lifeboat crew who lost their lives when they set out to rescue the Union Star on December 19, 1981 during a raging storm.
The hall is now a hub for local community activity, with events, classes and community activities taking place there.
Those meeting the royal couple included volunteers from the hall and members of the Mousehole Archive Group.
The Duchess of Cornwall meets volunteers at the Solomon Browne Picture: Greg Martin / Cornwall Live
The duke, wearing a pale grey pinstripe suit, and duchess, who was keeping cool in a pale blue polka dot linen dress, and kept herself covered by a parasol to shield the hot sunshine – which led to her joking that she was going to “take off like Mary Poppins” - also took a walk along the harbour.
Here they met residents and visitors including representatives of the Mousehole Harbour Authority, and Esme Page who runs Cornwall Hugs Grenfell, a charity founded on nearby ‘Grenfell Street’ that provides holidays for families affected by the Grenfell Tower fire.
Esme has recently taken in a Ukrainian refugee from Odessa, who is a professional singer, and who performed with the Mousehole Male Voice Choir on the harbourside.
Esme Page and the members of Cornwall Hugs Grenfell Picture: Greg Martin / Cornwall Live
Their royal highnesses also met children from the Mousehole Primary School, some of which were making a sculpture on the beach, and the Duchess of Cornwall was given a copy of the famous book The Mousehole Cat.
The visit included a quick stop-off for a cooling treat at Webb's Ice Cream, with owner Charlotte Webb, 30, telling the Press Association: “I showed them our selection and they wanted vanilla with Cornish buttercream in one pot, with two spoons.”
Afterwards the duke and duchess moved on to Newlyn, where they met Robert Clifford-Wing, chairman of Newlyn Pier & Harbour Commissioners, and staff from the harbour, including the harbour master and a number of the commissioners.
Entering the Harbour Market, the couple met with staff from the National Lobster Hatchery and also Fishy Filaments, a company which is repurposing old fishing nets into useful products for industry.
Prince Charles was in good form Picture: Greg Martin / Cornwall Live
Walking around the market, their royal highnesses viewed a display of locally caught fish, meeting with the market supervisor, Lionel Washer and also a number of local fishermen.
They then moved on to the Argoe Restaurant, a fish restaurant based on the harbour, and spoke with owner Richard Adams and his staff.
Finally, Prince Charles ended the visit at The Copper Works, a workshop specialising in the use of copper, where he met director Michael Johnson and staff, viewing a demonstration before touring the workshop.
The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall finished Monday by attending a garden party at Boconnoc House, Lostwithiel, to mark 70 years of Prince Charles being head of the Duchy of Cornwall.
The guests were entertained by St Dennis’s Band, performers from Swamp Circus Trust and The Budehaven Community School Steel Band ‘Steel Appeal’ from Bude. Tea was served with the help of the local Women’s Institute.
The couple meet local residents Picture: Greg Martin / Cornwall Live
Prince Charles and Camilla leave Webb's Ice Cream after a cooling taster Picture: Greg Martin / Cornwall Live
Pupils of Mousehole School wait on the beach for the royals Picture: Greg Martin / Cornwall Live
The Duchess of Cornwall kept herself covered with a parasol in the warm sunshine Picture: Greg Martin / Cornwall Live
The royal couple get a tour of Mousehole Picture: Greg Martin / Cornwall Live
GMP_DCM_180722Mousehole_052
The couple take a walk along Mousehole Harbour Picture: Greg Martin / Cornwall Live
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel