The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall along with The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit Leicestershire

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, joined by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge carried out engagements in Leicestershire.

Their Royal Highnesses visited the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Stanford Hall. The centre is operated by the Ministry of Defence and delivers in-patient and residential rehabilitation to serving members of the Armed Forces for complex musculoskeletal disorders and injuries. Their Royal Highnesses were taken on a tour of the site and met patients undertaking gym rehabilitation sessions. 

Following this, The Prince and The Duchess visited Leicester Market where they met stallholders and members of a local women’s charity, the Shama Women’s Centre. The charity provides a range of activities in a women’s only setting including a domestic abuse programme, bereavement counselling, business workshops and English language support.

The Prince of Wales later attended a reception to launch the British Asian Trust’s Midlands Chapter. His Royal Highness met supporters of the British Asian Trust and community diaspora leaders from the British Asian community.

Meanwhile The Duchess of Cornwall, in her role as President of Royal Voluntary Service, visited Leicester General Hospital to take part in the Royal Voluntary Service’s ‘Big Trolley Push’. The campaign encourages volunteers to support the NHS by taking trolleys loaded with reading materials, healthy refreshments, treats, toiletries and other essentials around hospital wards. Accompanied by ambassador Elaine Page OBE and veteran volunteer John Thompson, Her Royal Highness joined a trolley shop round, meeting staff and patients on Ward 22.

The Prince of Wales later visited the Soane Britain Workshop, Britain’s last rattan workshop, to view a series of demonstrations from craftsmen and women. During a tour of the factory, His Royal Highness saw demonstrations from craftsmen and women, including the technique of bending cane and rattan weaving to produce Rattan furniture.

To end the day, Their Royal Highnesses joined together again to visit The Cambridge Satchel Company, where they toured the workshop with founder Julie Deane OBE. The Prince and The Duchess viewed each stage of the production process, meeting staff along the way, and His Royal Highness tried his hand at embossing a piece of leather with The Prince’s Foundation logo using an antique embossing machine. The Cambridge Satchel Company have recently been working with The Prince’s Foundation to create a collection of iconic satchels to raise money for the Foundation.