The Duchess of Cornwall at the Tower of London
The Duchess of Cornwall joined her husband, the Prince of Wales for a visit to the world famous, Tower of London. The tower attracts nearly 3 million tourists each year and has been used as a fortress, prison, menagerie and jewel house. Camilla and Charles arrived, with the Prince of Wales standard flying, and met with the Yeoman Warders who are all former warrant officers from her Majesty's service with at least 22 years of honorable service. The Warders are often referred to as beef-eaters and were in charge of guarding the gates and royal prisoners in the early years of the Tower.
The Prince of Wales helped mark the 535th anniversary of the warders by cutting a cake using a replica of King Henry VIII's hunting knife. The couple also saw some of the regalia used in the Prince of Wales investiture over fifty years ago. The Coronet and Rod used in the ceremony will be going on public display in the Jewel House of the Tower of London in the near future.
Camilla and Charles visited the room where Guy Fawkes gave his written confession after the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. They both signed the visitor book before greeting some members of the public who were visiting the tower. Camilla was heard speaking french to some of the children, who were presumably on a school visit. The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall continued on to meet key representatives from London’s tourist attractions. It has been fifty years since the Tourist Act of 1969 and the birth of the Tourism Board of Great Britain.
Finally the pair visited the Cabinet Office where they met civil servants to recognize the work done on behalf of Her Majesty's Government. Both dog lovers, Camilla and Charles met Monty, the Cabinet Offices team dog before the Prince of Wales addressed the civil servants thanking them for their dedication and work. xx