The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall have overseen the creation of England’s newest city.
The couple headed to Southend-on-Sea in Essex to bestow the honour on behalf of The Queen on March 1st 2022.
Crowds of wellwishers turned out to see the couple as they arrived in the so called ‘city by the sea’ in wet and windy weather with some waiting for several hours to catch a glimpse of the royal visitors.
Charles and Camilla were then welcomed to an extraordinary Council meeting in which they presented Letters Patent on behalf of Her Majesty, turning Southend into a city.
The honour was bestowed in October 2021, just days after the area’s MP, Sir David Amess, was killed at a constituency surgery. Prince Charles paid tribute to Sir David in a speech that was as poignant as it was hard hitting. He described Sir David’s death as an ”attack on democracy” and said ”we are seeing those same values under attack today in Ukraine in the most unconscionable way.”
Sir David Amess had campaigned for years for Southend to be made a city and the honour was bestowed in his memory. Just minutes after the Letters Patent were handed over, Sir David was posthumously given the freedom of the city.
Outside, there was reflection on the legacy of Sir David by many who had gathered. As his dream of city status became reality, drivers beeped their car horns, moving past newly erected signs welcoming people to the city of Southend.
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall spent time with Sir David’s widow, Lady Amess, and their family before making the short car journey to Southend’s famous pier. There, they unveiled a new, eco friendly pier train named in honour of Sir David Amess.
A large number of wellwishers had gathered on the sea front to greet the royals and Charles and Camilla took the time to meet as many as possible with the Prince heading off to say hello to groups that had gathered away from the main crowds. The Duchess of Cornwall seemed particularly pleased to meet some of the dogs brought along by their owners.
They then headed to the Sands by the Sea restaurant to meet local community groups, volunteers and charity workers as well as enjoy some of the new city’s most popular food, fish and chips.
The royal visit came to an end with photos by the shoreline of the city by the sea.
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