His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh visited Leicester last week, where he toured four venues which showcase the city’s diversity and rich history.
The Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire, Mike Kapur, accompanied Prince Edward, The Duke of Edinburgh during his visit last Tuesday (May 16). It began at the Shama Women’s Centre in Sparkenhoe Street – a charity which has been supporting women from diverse communities to overcome cultural, economic and language barriers for over 35 years.
Khudeja Amer-Sharif, the centre’s CEO, showed His Royal Highness around the centre, where he got the chance to see several activities in progress, including a baking class, a hair and beauty group, and arts and crafts sessions. He also learned more about the centre’s English for Speakers of Other languages (ESOL) and Workers Rights Learners programmes.
The next stop was the African Caribbean Centre in Maidstone Road, a community hub which provides a centre for events and activities for people of all ages. The Duke of Edinburgh was treated to a short performance by children from the Contrast Steelpan class.
He then met several people who take part in one of the many activity and education classes held at the centre, before hearing more about the centre’s and community’s links to the Windrush Generation and viewing a mural honouring those who arrived in Leicester from the Caribbean during the 1950s and 1960s.
The Duke’s next stop was at the King Richard III Visitor Centre, which tells the story of the discovery and identification of the King’s mortal remains in a Leicester car park. He was shown part of the exhibition and the grave site, and spoke to volunteers about the history and legends of King Richard III.
The final stop of the day was at Leicester Cathedral, where His Royal Highness was shown progress of the work of the Leicester Cathedral Revealed Project and learned more about the discoveries made during the archaeological dig. The day closed with a visit to the tomb of King Richard III, which has been protected and closed to the public during construction work at the Cathedral.
Mike Kapur OBE, Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire, said: “It is always a privilege to receive Royal visitors to Leicester and Leicestershire, and today’s visit by His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh.
“It was an honour to host this important visit, and I was delighted that His Royal Highness was able to spend so much time talking to people from different communities and learning more about their lives and interests, as well as learning more about Leicester’s rich history and how it is shaping the city’s future.”
Leicester City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: “I was pleased to share a small part of Leicester’s 2,000 years of history with the Duke of Edinburgh and hope that he enjoyed his visit to our diverse and welcoming city.”
