News
HRH receives the Freedom of Caithness
4th August 2008
The Prince of Wales received the Freedom of Caithness today and said it was one of the best "early 60th birthday presents" he could have received.
The Prince was presented with the honour during a series of engagements in the area.
Since the death of The Queen Mother, he has maintained a connection with her former private residence at the Castle of Mey.
The Freedom of Caithness was bestowed upon him by the Highland Council at the Assembly Rooms in Wick.
The Prince, who turns 60 in November, described the honour as one of the best early birthday presents he could receive.
And he also expressed his disappointment that he could not have shared the news of his "enormous honour" with his grandmother.
He said: "I can't tell you how touched I have been by the news you wished to do this.
"I could not be more flattered, and indeed grateful to Highland Council for what has turned out to be probably one of the best early 60th birthday presents I could receive."
The Prince, who wore a kilt, described his childhood memories of arriving in the port town of Scrabster on the Royal Yacht Britannia and being driven to the Castle of Mey.
He said: "There was something tucked away in my heart for a very long time in this part of the world.
"As many of you will know, I adored my grandmother, and one of the most frustrating things about today is that I cannot ring her up and tell her about it."
The Prince has continued The Queen Mother's tradition of spending time in the summer at the Castle of Mey and getting involved with the local community.
Through his North Highland Initiative, The Prince also promotes Caithness and the North Highlands at a national level.
He spoke about the future of farming and insisted the region could create a "sustainable and integrated approach to the future".
The Prince met various dignitaries before he received his honour, and was described by civic leader for Caithness David Bremner as "very much part of the community of Caithness and indeed one of us".
The Prince remained in Wick to meet staff responsible for producing food and other items as part of a North Highland Initiative scheme.
Under the scheme, products are sourced within a 100-mile radius of the Castle of Mey and sold under the Mey Selections brand name.
In the nearby town of Thurso, The Prince visited a small outreach project of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD), where he launched North Highland Connections.
The initiative is aimed at developing the cultural life of the North Highlands, and the Thurso scheme is one of its first projects.
The Prince heard a series of arias and duets from well-known operas at the Mill Theatre, and praised the performances of the students from the RSAMD.
The Prince who is Patron of the RSAMD, said: "It has been such a treat to hear them sing and to raise the rafters, and also to bring a tear to the eye.
"Now you can perhaps see why I am so proud of being Patron to the academy.
"What is so encouraging for me is this connection being made in the North Highlands.
"With the academy we will indeed overcome the complications and problems of distance so that in the future there will be all sorts of levels of encouragement for talent in the North of Scotland."
The Prince then went to Thurso High School to see the Society of Caithness Artists' annual summer exhibition, where two of his own watercolour landscapes were hung.
He was shown round the exhibition by the society's Chairman, Barbara Myatt, stopping at one point to laugh at the "funny faces" he had seen in a painting of a flock of sheep.
Ms Myatt said: "I think he thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing, he always does.
"He said the paintings he submitted he had done a long time ago, and that he wished he had time to do more."
The Prince later attended a reception at the Castle of Mey to meet supporters of a new history centre planned for the region.
The University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) is currently raising funds to build a permanent home in Dornoch for its Centre for History.
Professor Jim Hunter, of the Centre for History, said he hoped The Prince's visit would raise the profile of UHI and its efforts to build a base for its history centre.
He said: "We are aware The Prince has committed himself strongly to the regional economy, and what we are doing is integral to that."
Currently UHI has around 7,000 students in institutions across Scotland.
It is designated as a higher educational institute, but hopes to gain full university status.