That’s the drill! Charles tries his hand at DIY
HE doesn’t really need to display any DIY skills around the palace.
So when Prince Charles was handed a power tool on a visit to a community centre yesterday, his quizzical expression seemed to indicate that he wasn’t sure whether it was a screwdriver or a drill.
And it was the cue for a caustic comment from his wife. ‘I’ll just step out of the way,’ Camilla announced.
Charles, who normally has handymen on call, chuckled as he gamely had a go at putting the final few screws into an ornamental wheelbarrow in the Men’s Shed area at Owenkillew Community Centre in Gortin, Co Tyrone.
He and Camilla were given a taste of rural life in Northern Ireland as they were treated to displays involving rare breed sheep, biodiversity, traditional music, natural remedies for animals and Gaelic football – which brought an inquiry from Charles as to whether the game is as rough as hurling.
The royal couple both took an interest in Mother Bee, a local brand of healing remedies for animals.
‘Just beautiful,’ Camilla declared after sniffing one of the pots of the secret family recipe. Brand owner Cheryl McWilliams said: ‘It’s also now being tested for humans. I gave them some pots of it so we’ll see what happens.’
Charles and Camilla later reflected in silence at a memorial garden dedicated to 29 people and two unborn babies killed by the Omagh bomb in August 1998. They laid a floral wreath of thyme, lavender and rosemary – picked from the garden at Hillsborough Castle, the royal residence in Northern Ireland – and paused for a moment’s reflection.
The bombing was carried out by the Real IRA months after the Good Friday peace agreement. The Daily Mail has long championed the Omagh families’ battle for justice.