Crowds showed their support for the people of Ukraine — along with The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee — as Prince Charles arrived in Winchester for a postponed visit to the city.
It was a welcome return to royal walkabouts as the Prince of Wales greeted the flag-waving fans, carrying both purple Platinum Jubilee flags and the blue-and-yellow flag of Ukraine. Charles, who was scheduled to visit Winchester in February, had to postpone the trip due to being diagnosed with Covid-19 for the second time.
The Prince of Wales had originally planned to officially unveil a new statue of Licoricia of Winchester, a prominent Jewish businesswoman who was a key figure in the city’s medieval times.
While the 10 February event carried on without him, he was still able to see the sculpture in person during his 3 March visit.
The bronze statue depicts the historical figure holding hands with her son, Asher and sits on Jewry Street, where she lived. Called “the most important Jewish woman in medieval England” by historian Robert Stacey, the moneylender had many prominent clients, including King Henry III.
Licoricia was murdered in 1277, but the Licoricia of Winchester Appeal hopes her influence will live on and that the statue will “symbolise the diversity and complexity of medieval Britain.” Written in both English and Hebrew, the phrase “Love thy neighbour as thyself” is engraved on the sculpture.
The statue was created by Ian Rank-Broadle, the same sculptor who created the new statue of Diana, Princess of Wales, in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace. According to The Licoricia of Winchester Appeal, Rank-Broadle took inspiration from his own daughter and grandson (who are also Jewish) for the statue since there are no portraits of Licoricia.
Prince Charles met members of the Jewish community along with local schoolchildren before officially opening The Arc cultural centre just behind the statue.
“We are delighted that The Prince of Wales has returned to Winchester so soon after the postponement of his previous visit,” Paul Sapwell, Chief Executive of Hampshire Cultural Trust, said.
“It is particularly fitting that His Royal Highness will officially open The Arc, given that The Duchess of Cornwall opened the building in its previous incarnation as Winchester Discovery Centre in 2008.”
The Prince’s day in Winchester follows his visit to the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral along with the Duchess of Cornwall. He’s been speaking out in support of the Ukrainian people in recent days, sharing: “Our thoughts and prayers, however inadequate they may be, are with all of you at this most critical of times.”
