Saturday 3 September 2016

Sunshine and showers for William and Kate


When the weather turned hellish, the Cambridges headed to Eden
(photo Kensington Palace Instagram)

The best laid plans of dukes and duchesses....like all good visitors to Cornwall, William and Kate found themselves at the whim of the weather. Day two of their time in the south west had a very definite itinerary but then the heavens opened and it was back to square one. Luckily. when you're a royal visitor, finding something to do in the rain isn't hard. Welcome to a very different looking day two in Cornwall.





This part of the visit had been all about the Scilly Isles with the royal couple due to start their first visit there together on Friday morning. But bad weather meant getting there was far from easy so after a brief rethink, they headed instead to the Eden Project just outside St Austell to meet a dinosaur.





The Eden Project is an educational charity and social enterprise, showcasing the environment and bringing visitors into contact with some of the most exotic and unusual plants in the world. William and Kate were given a tour of its biospheres and the ever increasing flora that is being cared for there.





And how else do you greet a duchess sheltering from the rain than by introducing her to a dinosaur? The muttoburrosaurus puppet that popped out on Kate is part of the summer exhibition that has kept kids and adults entertained, Dinosaur Uprising.  To calm their nerves, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge tried a glass of maobab drink, flavoured with a fruit from Malawi. Judging from Kate's face, the cider on day one was a more popular choice.





As they wandered round the Eden Project, the weather began to clear up and by lunchtime they were able to head to the Scillies, albeit for a truncated visit.





The first royal stops involved yet more flowers and plants as the couple toured the sub tropical Tresco Abbey Gardens which were by now bathed in sunlight.






From there it was a whistle stop whizz to St Martin's where they were greeted by one of the oldest residents on the Scilly Islands, Gladys Wilkins.





William and Kate visited Scilly Flowers which sends exotic blooms around the world all year long thanks to the special climate on the islands.




Then they headed to St Martin's Community Hall where they were met by some of the youngest people on the Scillies.  There were presents, there was time to chat and there were moments for another stroll in the sunshine.



A trip to St Mary's was postponed with the royal couple promising to return there as soon as they could. And then it was time for William and Kate to hit the waves as they jumped on board a boat and sparkled their way out of the Scillies on what looked like a perfect late summer's afternoon. The best laid plans may have gone awry but they ended their second day on a high.

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