The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall visit Lyon, France

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall today arrived in Lyon to commemorate VE Day.

Their Royal Highnesses were greeted by Georges Kepenekian, Mayor of Lyon, and David Kimelfeld, President of Lyon Metropolitan Area, at Parc Tete d'Or where The Prince and The Duchess participated in a ceremony to mark 73 years since the end of the Second World War.  His Royal Highness lay a wreath at the foot of the monument in Parc Tete d'Or to commemorate those who fought in France.

Other groups then took turns to lay flowers on the ground, including a schoolgirl who gently put down a single flower. The VE Day commemoration ceremony concluded with the brass band playing and a choir singing the national anthems of the allies in the Second World War. Their Royal Highnesses then met hundreds of guests, including veterans, schoolchildren and members of the public.

To celebrate Lyon’s legendary culinary history, Their Royal Highnesses visited Les Halles de Lyon-Paul Bocuse food market, where they visited various stalls, including a cured meat stall which sells a Lyon-based meat called Saucisson de Lyon. The market is named after Paul Bocuse, one of Lyon's most revered and well-known chefs.

The Prince of Wales continued the day at Interpol, where he was given a tour by Secretary General Jürgen Stock, taking in the building's command centre and meeting staff working on a variety of crime areas, including the illegal wildlife trade, modern slavery and works of art. During the visit, His Royal Highness was briefed on Operation Libertad, which saw the rescue of 350 potential victims of human trafficking across the Americas.

His Royal Highness then visited ISARA Lyon University to meet a range of students, staff and recent graduates at the campus which is dedicated to agroecology, sustainable development and food science. The Prince was introduced to former students who have launched their own eco food companies, one of which supplies organic vegetarian meat substitutes to the commercial market.

Meanwhile, The Duchess of Cornwall dropped in at VIFILL SOS Femmes, a refuge for women and children who have suffered domestic violence.  Her Royal Highness was given a brief tour of the children's reception and shared kitchen. At the end of her visit, The Duchess gave the charity two hampers of baked goods for the women and children to enjoy.

Her Royal Highness concluded the day with a visit to Emmaus Lyon, a French charity which uses social enterprise and recycling to provide long term support to those suffering from homelessness.

The Duchess undertook a tour of the centre's warehouse, following the lifecycle of donated homewares and meeting with resident "companions", the name given to those who live and work within an Emmaus community. The Duchess of Cornwall has been Patron of Emmaus's UK branch since 2006.