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HRH visits Land Rover's factory in Solihull to help the firm celebrate its 60th anniversary
13th May 2008
The Prince of Wales helped Land Rover workers celebrate the firm's 60th anniversary today and praised the company for its work to combat climate change.
During a two-hour visit to Land Rover's plant in Solihull, West Midlands, The Prince also took delivery of a vehicle for use on an Ayrshire estate he helped to save for the nation.
The Land Rover County Station Wagon, given to honour The Prince’s own 60th birthday in November, will be used on the Dumfries House estate, which was bought last year by a consortium led by The Prince.
After being given a tour of the area of the factory where the lower and upper sections of cars are "married" together by ten bolts, His Royal Highness praised Land Rover for leading the way in many fields.
Addressing around 100 workers as the assembly line at the plant continued to roll, The Prince said they should be proud that their product was seen all across the globe.
Recalling how he had recently travelled in a Land Rover in Uganda, The Prince said: "Your success is seen everywhere.
"Going round the factory today, the quality is only too clear.
"I just wanted to take this opportunity to congratulate all the hard-working workforce, who I know put so much skill and dedication into producing this great British product."
Land Rover had embraced innovative engineering in order to tackle climate change, The Prince said, adding: "With programmes such as your CO2 offsetting scheme... you really are showing the sort of commitment and real example that is essential to reduce the carbon footprint of global industry and therefore improve sustainability."
Workers who chatted with The Prince said they were impressed by his interest in each section of the assembly line and his willingness to stop and chat.
Electrician Richard Stiles, 46, said he felt privileged to have met The Prince.
"It was a bit nerve-wracking, but he is a really nice guy," the father-of-three said.
"He asked how long I had worked here and about my family as well.
"We all do the same job here and it was just lucky that it fell to me."
Team leader Gary Adney was asked to show The Prince a chassis being assembled for the Russian market.
"Sixty years is a great landmark for Land Rover and hopefully we can do another 60 years," Mr Adney said. "We are being taken over shortly and hopefully there's a good future for us."
Earlier, His Royal Highness took time to cut into a birthday cake baked in the shape of the first-ever Land Rover.
Clearly impressed with the detail of the sponge Series 1 model, which even boasted mud-coloured icing on its wheels, The Prince told onlookers that it would be a shame to ruin the "vehicle" by slicing into it.
The cake, which The Prince then joked that he had "wrecked", was later donated to Birmingham Children's Hospital.
Later in the day The Prince of Wales visited patients at the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine (RCDM).
While at the centre, at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham, The Prince spent time with military and civilian medical staff involved in the care and treatment of British service men and women.
The Prince is a regular visitor to the centre and last visited in December 2007.
The RCDM provides secondary and specialist care for members of the armed forces injured overseas.
It also provides dedicated training for defence personnel, in partnership with the University of Birmingham and the University of Central England.
Among the staff was consultant plastic surgeon Garth Titley. Last year, Mr Titley oversaw a pioneering operation to rebuild the shattered hand of a 22-year-old Scottish soldier, after a bomb blast in Kabul.
During the 17-hour operation, Mr Titley performed a "serratus anterior flap with ribs" procedure on Private Neil McCallion – rebuilding his hand using three of his ribs, muscle and skin from the right side of his torso.
Speaking after he was introduced to The Prince, Mr Titley said the pair discussed the growing number of Army patients being treated at the centre and the work carried out there.
"It is a team effort," he said. "Consultants here train the staff who work in the field hospitals."
He added the centre featured a team of specialists from every single department, with a consultant plastic surgeon always on duty.
Fellow consultant plastic surgeon Ruth Waters, said: "The teams out in the field are brilliant. They get trained here and they really save lives. The principles of plastic reconstructive surgery are the same but there are more people coming through with more complex things to do.
"It is the only centre of its kind in the country," she added.
His Royal Highness also chatted with soldier Carl Clowes who is recovering from injuries sustained in Afghanistan.
Commandant for the RCDM, Brigadier Chris Parker, said of The Prince's most recent visit: "Once again, The Prince was marvellous.
"He was on great form and it was a real morale boost for people here."
A spokeswoman for His Royal Highness said: "It was a wonderful opportunity for him to meet injured personnel here and to see how brave they have been to overcome their injuries and how positive they all are."