The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh visit Rutland

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh first visited Rutland Show Ground, one of the oldest Country Shows in the United Kingdom. Here, Their Royal Highnesses spoke to volunteers who make the show possible each year. 

The showground offers a Community Garden that hosts a ‘Root and Branch Out’ programme, which uses gardening as a form of learning support for children and therapy for those in the surrounding area. 

Later, Their Royal Highnesses visited Oakham Castle, the oldest court in the country, which claims to be the finest surviving example of Norman domestic architecture in Europe. At the historic venue, Their Royal Highnesses were asked to forfeit a symbolic horseshoe, an ancient right of the Lord of the Manor to demand of passing Peers of the Realm.

The Duke and Duchess presented an unusual double horseshoe which in due course will join others displayed on the walls presented by past Monarchs and members of the Royal Family, including the late Sovereign, Queen Elizabeth II in 1967 and King Charles III (when he was Prince of Wales) in 2003. 

The Duke and Duchess are the first members of the Royal Family to view the recently unveiled statue of Queen Elizabeth II and three of her Corgis in Oakham Library Gardens. This permanent memorial was commissioned by the Lord-Lieutenant of Rutland, Dr. Sarah Furness.

Their Royal Highnesses watched a short film about the statue’s creative journey and met its sculptor Hywel Pratley, who has connections to the local area. 

The Duke and Duchess also visited The late Duke of Edinburgh’s Memorial Orchard.