Prince Charles has taken after his eldest son and daughter-in-law Prince William and Kate by lending his support to an appeal to restore the roof of a cathedral in Cornwall. The Prince of Wales signed a slate that will be used as part of the Sign-A-Slate Project at Truro Cathedral on Thursday, some 18-months after William and Kate backed the appeal.
The 69-year-old is the fourth member of the royal family to support the multimillion-pound appeal; his sister Princess Anne has also signed one of the slates with her name and the date during a previous visit to Cornwall. Liz Malloy, the cathedral's development manager, said the prince's visit was "really nice".
Prince Charles signed a slate at Truro Cathedral on Thursday
"He obviously thought it was a lovely idea and he asked if the slates were going on the roof," she said. "I explained that people sign the reverse of the slate and it is there for all time. We are thrilled that he agreed to sign a slate for us and support the appeal." Almost 5,000 people have so far taken part in the project, which aims to raise the £3.2million needed to replace the cathedral's original 60,000 slate tiles and preserve the building for future generations.
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During his visit to the cathedral, Charles also took a keen interest in the work of icon artist Cheryll Kinsley Potter, with one icon in particular catching his eye. "I told him that they were made for Richard II and we had a little chuckle because I said it was actually one of his ancestors," the artist said afterwards.
Prince William and Kate supported the appeal in 2016
In addition, the prince met community groups and businesses who use the newly-refurbished Old Cathedral School, and chatted to schoolchildren who were creating paper poppies ahead of the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War in November. He concluded his visit by unveiling a plaque outside the school, before moving on to Nansledan, an extension to the coastal town of Newquay.
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