News
HRH spends a day in North Wales
25th April 2008
The Prince of Wales spent a day in North Wales today and visited one of the most beautiful gardens in the United Kingdom.
The Prince enjoyed a tour of the National Trust's Bodnant Garden in the Conwy Valley.
His Royal Highness spent more than an hour walking through the garden, which is well known for its collections of Magnolia, Camellia, Clematis and Hydrangea.
The Prince was shown the grounds by the Hon Michael McLaren, garden manager and son of Lady Aberconway, who lives at nearby Bodnant Hall.
During his tour His Royal Highness also stopped to chat to head gardener Troy Smith, who said: "The Prince asked me about our plans for the summer and about the difficulties of maintaining the garden at this time of year.
"He also asked me about my son, Rowan, who is six months old."
The Prince opened a new visitor centre at Bodnant and planted a tree alongside two trees planted by his parents, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, in 1977 to mark Her Majesty's Silver Jubilee.
Later, a crowd of 250 people, cheering and waving Welsh flags, greeted his arrival in Llanrwst.
His Royal Highness was presented with a posy of Sweetheart roses by Lara Pyves, five, of Bro Gwydir primary school.
The Prince had asked to visit Llanrwst's St Grwst Church, and the adjoining Gwydir Chapel, home to the sarcophagus of the 13th Century Welsh leader Llewelyn The Great.
The Prince was welcomed into the church by members of the local Mother's Union and the choir of Llanddoged primary school, who sang a Welsh-language translation of a Swahili holy song called Walking in the Light of the Lord.
His Royal Highness spent 30 minutes in the 17th Century Chapel, looking at the elaborate wooden ceiling, and enquiring about how the sarcophagus came to be at the chapel.
He also learnt about the ancestry of his grandmother, The Queen Mother.
Rev Lynette Norman, of St Grwst, said: "I told him that Llewelyn's daughter married a Scottish prince who is an ancestor of the Bowes-Lyon family. "
"He was very pleased."
Afterwards, The Prince of Wales officially opened the new press hall at North Wales Newspapers, publishers of the Wrexham Leader and the Chester Standard.
After meeting the company's board members and other employees, The Prince pushed a button to start the presses rolling.