A Day to Remember
Yesterday we were visited by Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall who officially re-opened the building to mark the completion of our repair and conservation project supported by Heritage Lottery Fund and other donors.
The day began with an early start to make sure every last detail was in order. We thoroughly enjoyed working with members of the Clarence House and associated teams as we eagerly awaited their arrival.
The Prince and The Duchess arrived shortly before 10.30am and were met by Acting Chairman George Marsh, Interim Executive Director Holly Kendrick, Development Director Kate Bierman and Architect Tim Ronalds. Then came the moment that had been giving Kate nightmares for weeks as her two and a half year-old daughter, Clara, presented a posy to the Duchess of Cornwall. She needn't have worried because Clara rose to the occasion and was nothing short of a star. Within an hour or two, she had made her debut in the nationals and we fully expect to find her gracing the news channels. Bless her.
The Royal Party began their visit with a tour of the building, chatting to staff and volunteers, including people who created exhibits in the John Wilton Room. They were then treated to a performance of music hall songs by pupils from Harry Gosling Primary School before joining parents and children from St Paul's and Shapla primary schools for a craft session in the AAPL Studio - where the Duchess helped to make bunting!
The tour finished in the auditorium where they joined our guests for a short variety performance which The Prince of Wales later described as The Simon Callow Breakfast Show. Despite a tight schedule and traffic jams, Simon managed to make his way here to compere a show featuring those spiffingly magical chaps Morgan and West, Gwyneth Herbert and Frances Ruffelle performing a song from Springtime for Henry (and Barbara) and the bill was topped in true music hall style by father and son duo Bob and Barry Cryer.
After a few heartfelt words of thanks from George Marsh, The Prince of Wales closed the event with an informal, impromptu speech, recalling his first visit as Patron in 2006, when the building was largely derelict and the rescue mission was still in its early stages. He paid tribute to all those who have contributed in every way to the success of the campaign to save Wilton's and was clearly delighted to be with us to celebrate our landmark achievement and to look forward to a bright and exciting future. The Royal Couple also signed a commemorative document which will be framed and hung in the John Wilton Room.
What a day!