The King and The Queen Consort visit Greater Manchester

The King arrived by Royal Train and was welcomed to Manchester by the High Sheriff, the Chief Constable, and the Mayor of Greater Manchester at Manchester Victoria Station.

His Majesty then visited GCHQ’s Northwest Hub in Manchester, to see the work they do to help keep the UK safe. 

In addition to its intelligence and cyber work, the Manchester office is home to a new collaborative working space where industry, academia and local communities are invited in to work alongside GCHQ staff.

The King then celebrated the 100th anniversary of Kellogg’s in the UK by visiting their HQ in Stretford, Manchester.

Kellogg’s has been a holder of the Royal Warrant since the reign of King George VI and cereal from the business was historically delivered to Buckingham Palace in a small van called Genevieve.

During the visit, His Majesty viewed a live cooking demonstration in the factory’s new research and development hub, and learnt about how the new facility is benefitting the local community.

On the factory floor, The King was shown the state-of-the-art packaging line and hear about efforts to reduce the environmental impact of its packaging and carbon emissions.

Next, it was a visit to Bolton Town Hall where His Majesty and The Queen Consort joined a reception to meet representatives from the local community, where they were welcomed with a performance from the Polonez folk dance group.

Bolton Town Hall was officially opened in 1873 by The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) and Princess Alexandra, with over 150,000 Boltonians turning out to see the Royal couple and witness the opening. 

The day finished at Norbrook Community Centre in Wythenshawe, which is a multi-purpose youth facility and community centre.

Following a tour of the centre, Their Majesties met a group of young people who are regular users of the centre, alongside those who are involved in the NatWest Thrive with Marcus Rashford programme. 

Joined by Prince’s Trust Ambassador (and England Football manager) Gareth Southgate, The King and The Queen Consort met some local people from Wythenshawe and Manchester who have taken part in the Prince’s Trust Team and Explore programmes.

Her Majesty also joined author Alex Falase-Koya and children from St Peter’s Primary School in a writing session where they shared highlights of the story they have been creating together with Alex.

The Queen Consort finished the day by unveiling the Marcus Rashford Book Club Bookshelves, which are being gifted to the Youth Centre in collaboration with the National Literacy Trust.