PRINCE CHARLES IN WALES

Prince Charles recently spent the day in Wales, a whirlwind trip that took in a train factory, Aston Martin, a visit to a Marie Curie hospice and the British Airways Maintenance Centre. His Royal Highness also met with local residents and businesses impacted by recent flooding in the town of Pontypridd…

The Prince of Wales headed to his namesake country on February 21st at a time when Wales and parts of the north of England and the Midlands were in the grip of Storm Dennis, which brought more than a month’s worth of rain in less than 48 hours. The environmentally concerned Prince wanted to see for himself the devastation caused, and his visit was warmly welcomed by the locals, many of whose homes and businesses had been ruined.

For his first engagement in the country, the heir to the throne visited the CAF train factory in Newport. It was a grey and blustery day when the Prince and his entourage arrived by car and were greeted by Brigadier Robert Aitken, who introduced the Prince of Wales to Newport East’s MP, Jessica Morden; AM John Griffiths, Newport council’s leader Jane Mudd and chief executive Sheila Davies, Gwent Police Chief Constable Pam Kelly, and Dame Claire Clancy, the high sheriff of Gwent.

He then met CAF officials, including company president Andrés Arizkorreta, and was given a tour of the huge hangar in which the firm constructs and fits out trains for use around the UK.

Spanish firm CAF (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles) currently employs around 220 people in Newport, where diesel trains are produced for companies like West Midlands Metro and Wales and Borders.

Prince Charles was clearly impressed by the work ethic of the engineers and fitters he met on the factory floor – and, to laughs, also praised workers for their immaculate facial hair.