The Duchess of Cornwall had a delayed start to her engagement in Swindon on Thursday but for a reason that was out of her control, which many UK fans will be able to relate to. The royal was travelling from Paddington to the Wiltshire town, but due to signalling problems in London, several train journeys were affected by an approximate 20-minute delay.
Despite her late arrival, Camilla was given a warm welcome by the children at North Swindon Library who had waited patiently for their royal guest of honour. Prince Charles' wife was visiting the library as patron of the National Literacy Trust and met winners of the organisation's Lost Words poetry competition.
The children were also treated to some cake, with Camilla given the honours of cutting it. The Duchess, 71, enlisted the help of nine-year-old Sebastian who helped cut the woodland-themed cake. Sebastian, who tried the cake after Camilla offered him the first slice, said: "It was pretty nice, it's a sponge cake covered in chocolate with jam – it must have taken a long time to make."
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The royal visit also marked the first anniversary of Swindon's involvement in the National Literacy Trust Hub project. The initiative provides a range of programmes to equip children and young people in Swindon with the literacy skills they need to succeed. Camilla also visited the Lyndhurst Centre where she met foster carers and children benefitting from the project. It's not the first time a royal has been affected by train delays.
© Photo: Getty ImagesCamilla is patron of the National Literacy Trust
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Shortly after they announced their engagement, Prince Harry and Meghan were delayed by an hour during their visit to Cardiff. A faulty rail joint meant the pair were going to be delayed by ten minutes, but this stretched to an hour when a second error resulted in their train being moved to a slower track. Prince Harry apologised to the crowds for their lateness upon arriving in Cardiff. While shaking hands, he said: "Most of you have freezing cold hands! We're very sorry we're late, blame the trains!"
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