Rutland welcomes royal visitor
The Duke of Gloucester has made his first visit since November 2019
Last updated 1st Dec 2021
The Duke of Gloucester has made his first visit to Rutland since November 2019.
He was welcomed to the area yesterday (30 November) by Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant Dr Sarah Furness.
His Royal Highness travelled to six official engagements around the county during his visit.
The first saw him plant a tree to complete Rutland’s Duke of Edinburgh Memorial Orchard at The Rutland County Showground.
Plans for the Orchard were first announced by the Rutland Lieutenancy in April, as a special tribute to His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh.
The Orchard has been funded by public donations and features several varieties of local rare historic apple trees, which were supplied by the Stamford Community Orchard Group and planted by The Rutland Showground.
The Duke was greeted at the Showground by High Sheriff of Rutland David Wood.
He was invited to meet Duke of Edinburgh students from Oakham School and Catmose College, before unveiling a commemorative plaque and a bas relief of The Duke of Edinburgh.
The relief was carved by South Luffenham-based sculptor Christopher Groombridge.
Lord-Lieutenant of Rutland Dr Sarah Furness said:
"It was an honour to welcome His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester back to Rutland today.
"It was particularly poignant to see him plant the final tree in Rutland’s Duke of Edinburgh Memorial Orchard.
"The Orchard has been made possible thanks to the kindness and generosity of local people, all of whom wanted to pay tribute to the life of Prince Philip and see his legacy of environmental stewardship celebrated within our county."
His Royal Highness then travelled into Oakham to meet representatives of local charity ‘For Rutland’, which provides free advice and support for people living with long-term health conditions.
The Duke also met representatives from Rutland-based business The Woolroom, before travelling to Exton-based Hambleton Bakery to meet the company’s owners and discuss the importance of locally-based farming and food businesses.
The Duke’s trip to Rutland culminated with a visit to Uppingham, where His Royal Highness stopped at the Falcon Hotel to meet representatives of local organisation Dying Matters, which provides free access to all information that can help to improve the end-of-life experience for people with terminal illnesses, as well as families and loved ones.
His visit ended at Uppingham Community College where Principal Ben Solly invited His Royal Highness to plant a tree in the school’s garden, to enhance the garden for students with special educational needs and make a further contribution to The Queen’s Green Canopy.
Lord-Lieutenant Dr Sarah Furness said:
"Today’s visit has been a truly special occasion.
"It was a pleasure to welcome His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester to Rutland and to share so much of what is great about our county – our wonderfully close-knit communities, our generosity of spirit, local businesses steeped in tradition and our vibrant young people.
"I’m grateful that The Duke was able to see all of this first-hand and would like to thank him for his visit."