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The Prince of Wales was all smiles when he arrived at The Sill, a national landscape discovery centre, to officially mark its opening earlier today – with his wife Camilla nowhere to be seen.
The heir to the throne received a full visitor experience to the unique site, launched in July 2017 and regarded by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as one of the world’s natural beauties.
Clarence House said on Twitter: “The Prince viewed exhibition displays and hears how @NlandNP’s year-round activity, education and events programme delivers 30,000 activity days for visitors, schools, businesses, universities and community groups.”
The prince, who sported a grey suit with a colourful tie and handkerchief, seemed positively impressed by the building’s grassed roof which has been built to mimic the shapes and geology of The Great Whin Sill – a natural rock feature.
Admiring it, Charles was heard saying: “Ah ha, look at that!”
After meeting the staff of the visitor centre, Prince Charles unveiled a plaque officially marking the opening of The Sill.
The plaque read: “The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre.
“To commemorate the visit of HRH The Prince of Wales officially marking the opening of The Sill.
“12th September, 2018”.
Charles also met with members of the staff from The Sill’s 86-bed youth hostel and discussed the running of the business with them.
Despite having in front of him a day packed with official engagements, the prince took the time to meet schoolchildren visiting the centre.
He could be heard jokingly asking the youngsters if they were going to be given lunch.
And he laughed when one of the pupils enthusiastically nodded in reply to his question on whether they had learnt something during their visits to the centre.
He and a teacher agreed that the children seemed “well trained”.
Prince Charles later visited the famous Hexham’s Farmers Market, where he was welcomed once again by hundreds of people and Hexham Mayor Tom Gillanders.
A baby holding a Union flag attracted the prince’s attention, as Charles sweetly told him: “Bed time, rest time”.
At the market, guided by Neil Brown, Northumberland County Council’s Markets Manager, Charles met traders from the ‘Produced in Northumberland’ scheme, a project promoting local businesses.
Enthusiastic stall owners offered the royal samples of their goods, including jam, cheese and honey, and gave him a number of “goodie bags”.
Elys Poppy, a trader known as “Sauce Queen” went as far as making a special HRH delicacy which she named Royal Blue, and consists in a combination of Cropwell Bishop Stilton, White Truffle and White Wine.
The prince’s visit continued to the birthplace of heritage gardener Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown and the Kielder Salmon Centre.
Charles’s tour of the North East continues tomorrow, when he will travel to the Moorland Spirit Company’s Hepple Gin distillery in Morpeth before concluding the trip with a visit to the Alnwick Garden.
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, did not join Prince Charles today. According to the Royal Family’s engagements diary she did not have any events to attend.
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