Royal visitors make a splash in South Wales

TWO of the youngest members of the Royal Family will have their own Wales football shirts after their grandfather was presented with them during a visit to Wales.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall visited the National Lido of Wales in Pontypridd as part of their annual summer tour of Wales.

Prince Charles and Camilla visited the £6.3m facility at Ynysangharad Park yesterday morning, where they were greeted by a colourful crowd, many waving Welsh flags and Union Jacks and wearing Wales football shirts ahead of last night’s Euro 2016 semifinal.

And, with the big game in mind, the couple were handed a pair of children’s shirts from the Mayor of Rhondda Cynon Taff Rhys Lewis, with the names Prince George and Princess Charlotte printed on the back.

Lido Ponty opened last August and has attracted tens of thousands of visitors since, who have all enjoyed free swimming in the outdoor heated pools.

The Prince and Duchess were led on a tour of the facility by Rhondda Cynon Taff (RCT) council leader Andrew Morgan, and met young members of many local schools, the RCT Performance Swim Squad and members of the public.

Among them was Sam Davies, niece of the late Jenny James, from Pontypridd, who was the first Welsh woman to swim across the English Channel, and who used to use the town’s old baths.

Sam said: “Prince Charles asked me what year Jenny swam, and asked if she was covered in grease from the water. He seemed to know her story.

“I’m just so proud this [the lido] is all in honour of my aunty Jenny – it’s amazing. It is sad she isn’t here to see this, but it’s an amazing tribute to her.”

The royal tour, which included a visit to the lido’s exhibition centre and the unveiling of a plaque to commemorate the visit, ended at the front of the lido building – where Ian Rees, 53, from Aberdare, spoke to Prince Charles about Wales’ Euro 2016 match with Portugal.

“I shouted over and asked him what the score would be, then he came over