Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles went mask-free today during a visit to Exeter Cathedral – the first stop on their three-day tour of the South West.
The Prince of Wales, 72, and the Duchess of Cornwall, who turned 74 on Saturday, were all smiles as they chatted to crowds and were greeted by lord lieutenant Julian Tagg.
Once inside the cathedral, Charles and Camilla spoke to members of its choir, none of whom were wearing masks.
Camilla looked stylish in a navy blue dress adorned with colourful feathers, while the prince donned a pale grey suit with a jazzy tie emblazoned with zebras and his orange-rimmed Serengeti sunglasses.
The royal couple will visit several sites in Devon today, beginning in Exeter to celebrate it becoming a UNESCO City of Literature.
The Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles kicked off their three-day tour of the South West with a visit to Exeter Cathedral today
Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles went mask-free today during a visit to Exeter Cathedral – the first stop on their three-day tour of the South West
Camilla looked stylish in a navy blue dress adorned with colourful feathers, teamed with tan court shoes as she spoke to members of the choir
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales pictured departing Exeter Cathedral this morning
The couple were all smiles as they chatted to crowds that had gathered for their visit and were greeted by lord lieutenant Julian Tagg
Yesterday it was revealed that Charles will only wear a mask when Government advice dictates that he should do so. Camilla is also known to dislike masks
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales meets and chats to unmasked members of the public during a visit to Exeter Cathedral
The royal couple looked delighted to be able to interact with the public again without the requirement for face coverings
As Charles is patron of the Exeter Cathedral Development appeal, the place of worship was the first stop on their list, followed by Devon Wildlife Trust, Exeter City Community Trust and the Met Office.
There they learned about the restoration of the grand building before meeting community groups that work closely with the prince’s passion for the environment. The Bishop of Exeter said of their visit: ‘It’s been a triumph.’
Founded in 1050, the Cathedral continues to offer daily Christian worship and choral music, alongside its roles as a community hub, heritage destination and venue for concerts and events.
It is home to an extensive library and archive, housing important treasures such as the Exeter Book, a famous dark age poetry book written on parchment thought to be the world’s oldest surviving book of English literature.
Joe Milne, the cathedral’s stonemason, told Devon Live: ‘We showed [Charles] the clay maquettes which are basically grotesques that will hang in the Cathedral.
‘He seemed really interested. I’ve met him before when I was a student at Weymouth college and he’s always interested in historical objects.’
Duchess of Cornwall is presented with a bunch of posys by the youngest member of the Cathedral’s choir on her departure from Exeter Cathedral
As Prince Charles is patron of the Exeter Cathedral Development appeal, the place of worship was the first stop on their list
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall views some of the Cathedral’s historic treasures including the Exeter Book during a visit to Exeter Cathedral
The visit celebrates the city’s designation as a UNESCO City of Literature and launch of The Royal College of Nursing’s Prince of Wales Nursing Cadet Scheme in England
The Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall meet Lord Mayor of Exeter, Councillor Trish Oliver during a visit to Exeter Cathedral
The Prince of Wales meets with young people dressed in uniform from Devon Nursing Cadets during a visit to Exeter Cathedral
Camilla views some of the cathedral’s historic artefacts (left) while Prince Charles chats to young people from Devon Nursing Cadets
Camilla Parker Bowles is seen particularly admiring one of the cathedral’s historic artefacts – a religious robe on a mannequin
The Prince of Wales, dressed in a grey suit, observes a gargoyle statue with a wry smile during a visit to Exeter Cathedral today
Lightbulb moment? Prince Charles, wearing his trusty thistle beside a silver pin, is seen stood beneath a circular light fitting at Exeter Cathedral
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales sign the visitors book during a visit to Exeter Cathedral
The Duchess of Cornwall clutches her posy of flowers, given to her by members of the choir, as she departs Exeter Cathedral today
Prince Charles will also launch the new Prince of Wales Nursing Cadet Scheme. Following their visit to the cathedral, the couple made their way to Exeter’s new bus station to meet with transport workers and ‘Net Zero Heroes’ involved in Exeter City Council’s ambition to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030.
For the first time in months, the royals’ trip was made public in advance; during the pandemic, visits have been kept secret to prevent crowds congregating.
It coincided with Freedom Day, which saw almost all legal Covid restrictions including social distancing and compulsory mask wearing lifted across England today.
Yesterday it was revealed that Charles will only wear a mask when Government advice dictates that he should do so.
Prince Charles will also launch the new Prince of Wales Nursing Cadet Scheme while in Devon (pictured on a tour of some of the Cathedral’s historic treasures by The Very Reverend Jonathan Greener, Dean of Exeter)
Keen reader Camilla, who recently launched a book club, admires the array of children’s literature on offer as she picks up a candle
An animated Duchess of Cornwall speaks with Exeter Cathedral staff during their visit on day one of their South West tour
Founded in 1050, the Cathedral continues to offer daily Christian worship and choral music, alongside its roles as a community hub, heritage destination and venue for concerts and events. Pictured: the Cap of Maintenance at Exeter Cathedral
A Palace source told The Mail on Sunday: ‘This will be the first time in 18 months that we are seeing a return to normality. We’ll be looking forwards, not backwards.
‘This is the first time the Prince has been to a location inside and won’t be wearing a mask because it’s a large area where people will be social distancing and it will be the first day of the new rules.
‘When the rules state that a mask should be worn, then the Prince will wear one but not otherwise.’
The Duchess of Cornwall is known to dislike wearing a mask – despite owning an array of colourful options.
This is the first time the Prince has been to a location inside and won’t be wearing a mask because it’s a large area where people will be social distancing and it will be the first day of the new rules, according to a Palace source
The Duchess of Cornwall is known to dislike wearing a mask – despite owning an array of colourful options. During a visit to the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff earlier this month, she told a student: ‘I can’t wait to get rid of this!’
For the first time in months, the royals’ trip was made public in advance; during the pandemic, visits have been kept secret to prevent crowds congregating
During a visit to the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff earlier this month, she told a student: ‘I can’t wait to get rid of this!’
However, Freedom Day has been branded ‘disaster day’ by stricken businesses today as self-isolating Boris Johnson faces fresh demands to dump farcical test and trace rules to quell the ‘pingdemic’.
The PM is marking the grand unlocking alone at Chequers after performing a comical U-turn from initially saying he and Rishi Sunak would dodge quarantine despite having met Health Secretary Sajid Javid – who has tested positive.
But the lifting of almost all legal restrictions have merely fuelled fears about spiking cases bringing the economy grinding to a halt, as more and more people are doomed to house arrest.
The Prince of Wales during a visit to Exeter Cathedral in Devon to hear about restoration work and meet with community groups
Experts estimate around 1.7million people are still self-isolating after being ‘pinged’ by the NHS Covid app or contacted by Test and Trace.
Many firms say their sites are having to open with reduced hours or shut completely because up to a quarter of staff are off as a precautionary measure – with scientists warning the situation could spiral as the UK faces up to 200,000 cases a day.
Freedom Day came as daily cases hit 50,000 – a result of the rapidly spreading Delta variant – and rising hospitalisations.