CAPTAIN CHARLES
The Prince of Wales takes the wheel in the boat house of the Lady of the Lake, the flagship vessel of the Ullswater Steamers company in Glenridding, Cumbria, during a visit to the area to mark the Lake District receiving World Heritage Site status.
IT WAS, said the Prince of Wales, quoting the Bible, the sort of place that made the spirits rise.
The Lake District, now a stablemate of India’s Taj Mahal, Arizona’s Grand Canyon and Yorkshire’s Fountains Abbey as a Unesco World Heritage site, was, Charles said, “a particularly special part of the world”.
Unveiling a plaque outside the Theatre By The Lake in Keswick, he added: “Whenever I come here and, in the words of Psalm 121, ‘lift up mine eyes unto the hills’, I feel my spirits rise and I know the same is true of countless others.”
Charles told crowds on the banks of Derwentwater: “Official recognition by the Unesco World Heritage committee of the Lake District National Park as a World Heritage Site is a significant achievement, which I am told has taken 31 years.”
But he said the survival of the Lakeland communities could not be taken for granted.
“Over the last 17 years I have made regular visits here, beginning at a time of crisis during foot and mouth,” he said.
“Over these years, as I have come to know local people and understand these unique farming communities, I am continually struck by their resilience and ability to overcome trials, whether of family tragedy, pestilence or flooding,” Charles added.
“Successful rural businesses are a prerequisite to delivering benefits for the public.”
The Environment Secretary Michael Gove was also at the event, along with Michael Ellis, Minister for Arts, Heritage and Tourism.
Meanwhile, the Duchess of Cambridge yesterday became the first Royal patron of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Kensington Palace said the patronage would further the Duchess’s interest in the visual arts, photography and design.
Kate, who did a degree in the history of art, is already patron of the National Portrait Gallery and the Natural History Museum.
She is due to give birth to her third child – a sibling for Prince George and Princess Charlotte – next month.