it’s the ultimate royal action – kings, queens, princes and princesses all become experts at unveiling plaques very early on. But Charles III has found that even the most seasoned of plaque unveilers can run into unexpected problems and he started talking magic to get out of it.
As The King unveiled a plaque marking his visit to Oxford Photovoltaics, his usual routine went a little wrong. In the process of removing a rather elegant blue cloth from the plaque, which was propped up on an easel, he found the memento of his visit crashing to the ground.
King Charles reacted with an instant laugh and told his hosts and waiting reporters that ”this isn’t a magic trick!”. He was still laughing as the plaque was retrieved, apparently unharmed by its unfortunate crash landing.
As it was placed back on its easel, The King suggested it would end up ”in the downstairs loo”.
Oxford PV, a globally-recognised pioneer of solar technology, welcomed The King for a tour on March 27. King Charles was given an overview of their work in solar panels which focuses on using more of the sun’s power to harness clean energy.
Aside from the plaque malfunction, The King took a deep interest in the work which he called ”so vitally needed”.
And he was given a memento which clearly pleased him. The King was handed a customised solar panel cell which he described as ”marvellous”.
It came at the end of a busy week for King Charles who headed to Oxford from a visit to Cornwall which saw him celebrate the 25th anniversary of another environmental landmark, The Eden Project. However, that wasn’t without its problems either. King Charles and Queen Camilla struggled to cut a giant cake with an event larger sword on that visit.
The visit tied in firmly with The King’s well known work on sustainability and the environment. He has been championing issues like solar energy for decades.
King Charles, 77, has continued his work away from the cameras. This week has also seen him receive a number of new ambassadors, a vital part of their role as they technically can’t exercise their role until their have presented their Letters of Credential to the Head of State. The King has also held an investiture and was later at the side of Queen Camilla as she hosted a reception for The Queen’s Reading Room.
Next week will see The King and Queen travel to St. Asaph in Wales for the traditional service marking Maundy Thursday. King Charles will present Maundy Money to 77 men and 77 women, chosen for their work in the community. Monarchs traditionally gave out money and alms on Maundy Thursday.
