The Duchess of Cornwall proved just how down-to-earth she can be when she joined a group of Egyptian seamstresses in their workplace this week. No sooner had she arrived in the traditional Kershef building, made of salt rock mixed with straw, than she sat down on the floor alongside the women for a chat.
Despite the fact that she speaks no Berber, Prince Charles' wife managed to strike up an animated conversation with the workers, pointing and using gestures to make herself understood. After a few minutes she called on her husband for a helping hand to get back on her feet, telling him "you can pull me up", which he promptly did.
And Camilla's 27-year-old daughter Laura can look forward to receiving some new goodies, as her mum couldn't help snapping up some of the intricately embroidered denims. "So brilliant, so beautiful," said the royal as she perused the garments. "My daughter would love it, absolutely love it. Can I buy some?"
She and Charles, who are currently visiting Egypt as part of a two-week tour that will also take them to Saudi Arabia and India, showed their willingness to give up the trappings of royal life by staying in an eco-lodge with no electricity. The royal pair spent Wednesday night in the Adrere Amellal hotel, on the edge of the Sahara, where beeswax candles are used instead of normal lights. The boarding house, which is made of mud, no doubt met with the eco-friendly Prince's approval, as it serves only organic food.
And the couple also found time to visit the oasis town of Siwa, where, in the Temple of the Oracle, Alexander the Great was famously told he was a god. Egypt's latest royal visitor proved she could also make an ethereal impression when she arrived for a banquet in Cairo's Presidential Palace wearing a floaty white chiffon dress.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
