Watch: Prince Charles opens new garden at Royal Welsh Show
Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall were greeted by members of a Zulu regiment on their arrival at a national celebration.
The couple were the guests of honour at the Royal Welsh Show, which is the pinnacle of the British agricultural calendar.
During their visit on the opening day of the Llanelwedd festival in Powys the Prince and Camilla opened a new garden, toured the cattle rings and unveiled the new equine area.
The royal couple arrived after the show was opened by members of a Zulu regiment performing a traditional Impi warrior dance, in front of King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu, leader of the Zulu nation.
The dance provided a spectacular welcome for the Prince and the Duchess, who wore a pale pink and polka dot dress for the event.
Wearing leopardskin tops and fur skirts, and wielding goat-skin shields, a war party of 35 Zulu warriors provided a rousing rendition of the dance.
Members of the Regimental Band and Corps of Drums of The Royal Welsh played a trumpet fanfare and Rhayader Male Voice Choir was also present, with a hearty rendition of Men of Harlech served up for the visitors.
The Royal Welsh Show is a huge part of the calendar for Mid Wales and around 200,000 people are expected to attend the three-day event, which showcases the best Wales’ agriculture has to offer.
Speaking after his brush with fellow royalty King Goodwill said he would be using the visit to meet influential farming leaders and other members of the agricultural industry, and intends to take examples of good practice to further improve their farming skills home with him.
Gugu Ngcobo, who helped organise the Zulu visit, said she hoped the marking of the anniversary would lead to cooperation between the UK and her people, who she said were in “dire need” of help.
She said: “In the spirit of peace and development we are here because the king desired it most that we have to create cordial relations between these two kingdoms, and we must look beyond what happened 140 years ago and see what positive energies can come out of the experiences of the past.”
The show, being held for its 100th year, also saw an appearance from Environment Secretary Michael Gove.
