Having given up the strenuous sport of polo, Prince Charles tried his hand at an altogether gentler game as he went bowling on Tuesday.
Opening new facilities for the disabled at Callington bowling club in east Cornwall, Charles got into the spirit of things - to the approval of 120 club representatives and members of the public who roundly applauded his efforts.
The Prince is on an official two-day trip to Cornwall and Devon where he is visiting various community projects. His appearance at Fentogollan Farm near Tresilian for the Cornish Fresh Produce Open Day drew a large crowd, including the family who run the farm.
Jim and Jill Hosking's children presented the royal farmer - Charles raises organic produce on his own estates - with a hefty basket of fresh fruit and vegetables which he jokingly pretended to struggle with. "He said thank you for the strawberries. He's a very jolly man," revealed a delighted seven-year-old Frances of her royal encounter.
At the open day Charles was also presented with a picture of a new variety of narcissi named after the Duchess of Cornwall. "We are very grateful for a particular daffodil named after my wife," Charles said of the gesture, and added he hoped it wouldn't be long before Camilla would be able to see the farm for herself.
Charles attended the Cornish engagements on his own after Camilla pulled out of the trip following the death of her father Major Bruce Shand on Sunday. The Prince has scaled down his own commitments in order to be at his wife's side. War hero Bruce, 89, had been ill for some time and the family were at his bedside when he passed away at his home in Dorset.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
