The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Warm welcome for royals
Walkabout: Charles and Camilla visit Ballater to see life after flooding
The Duke and Duchess of Rothesay paid a visit to a north-east village to witness its resurgence in the aftermath of devastating floods.
The royal couple went on a walkabout tour of Ballater, dropping into several shops that were damaged by Storm Frank in December 2015.
Hundreds of residents were forced to flee their homes and dozens of businesses
“It was wonderful and so nice to see them in Ballater”
were wrecked when the River Dee burst its banks and engulfed the historic community.
Charles and Camilla sampled some sweet treats at Shorty’s ice cream parlour, which reopened only three weeks ago.
The Duchess tucked into several flavours, declaring mango her favourite of the bunch.
Owner Cheryl Littlewood said: “It was wonderful and so nice to see them in Ballater.
“The duke and duchess are always so lovely when they come and visit, they are so relaxed and it is so easy to have a conversation with them.
“The duchess tried a number of ice creams and seemed to like them all, which is always good to hear, especially when it comes from royalty.
“They were always round the village at the time of the floods, so the support they gave has been brilliant and this visit will only help.”
Other business owners declared it was a great opportunity to show how much the community had bounced back from the brink of disaster.
The royal couple also stopped by to chat with Byrn and Marilyn Wayte, owners of Deeside Books.
The shop, on Bridge Street, had to shut for 14 months after the floodwater destroyed almost 10,000 books.
The couple kept the company going by selling books online.
Mrs Wayte said: “It was very nice to speak to them, they came when it was newly flooded and remember the smell of the oil and the mess it was in. It was really nice of them to come back, now it has been opened up again.”
The VIP guests dropped in to fashion and homeware store Wilkies, where they met staff and managing director Karen Forret. She said: “It was lovely to have them visit, I was a bit nervous and so were the staff. They were genuinely interested in the store and spent around 10 minutes speaking to staff.”