WITH the Coronation of King Charles III happening today (Saturday, May 6), there is never a better time to pause and remember the king's historic visits to North Somerset.

Portishead

King Charles III, who then held the title of HRH The Prince of Wales (otherwise known as Prince Charles), visited the Avon and Somerset Constabulary HQ on November 1, 2002.

The police and fire headquarters were officially opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on June 2, 1995. The site hosts a variety of operational departments and administrative functions, including Criminal Investigations and the Road Policing Unit.

Just like everyone else, the prince had to sign a visitors book to enter the HQ.

Some of the people he met during his visit included the then Avon and Somerset chief constable, Steve Pilkington, and family contact officer PC Gary Mackenzie.

Wraxall

On July 18, 2006, Prince Charles was given a guided tour of Tyntesfield House by its former owner Lord Wraxall. Tyntesfield House is based in North Somerset, just north of Weston-super-Mare.

Whilst there, the prince met volunteers and staff involved in the restoration of the historic house, which was brought by the National Trust in 2002.

According to BBC News, Prince Charles also met Philippa Perks, who lived at the house as an evacuee in the 1940s and who had also met with Prince Charles' great grandmother, Queen Mary, in 1941.

Pupils from St Mary Redcliffe School and members of the Brandon Trust, which supports people with learning and physical disabilities, were also eager to meet the prince.

His tour of the house saw him looking in on historic rooms such as the butler's pantry, billiard room and the impressive Gothic chapel.

Tyntesfield was acquired by the Trust following a successful public appeal which raised £8.2 million in 100 days and a £17.4 million from the National Heritage Memorial Fund.

 

Pill

As documented by BBC News, Prince Charles played an important role in opening the Penny Brohn Cancer Care unit in Pill on July 18, 2007. The centre was opened to offer complementary therapies to cancer survivors.

Years later, on July 26, 2016, Prince Charles spent time at Penny Brohn UK in Chapel Pill Lane where he met staff and found out more about its work to support people living with cancer.

The Prince of Wales watched a cooking demonstration, explored the charity’s gardens and planted a sapling to replace a 180-year-old Cedar of Lebanon tree which had been removed.

Prior to this, Prince Charles became patron of the charity in 1997.