The Duchess of Cornwall has said she is “very
honoured and very touched” about her new future royal title.
It marks the first time Camilla, 74, has spoken publicly
about the Queen’s wish for her to be known as Queen
Consort when the Prince of Wales becomes King.
A diner asked the Duchess about the monarch’s statement as she
officially opened UKHarvest‘s ‘Nourish Hub’
in west London on Thursday. The community kitchen has been designed to combat
social isolation and loneliness.
The local man, who gave his name as DJ, 49, added: “How do you
feel? Because people want to know.”
Camilla told him: “I feel very honoured, very honoured and
very touched.”
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The Duchess officially opened UKHarvest’s Nourish Hub in west London
On the eve of her Platinum Jubilee on Saturday, the Queen released a deeply personal statement, expressing her wishes for
the monarchy in future.
“I remain eternally grateful for, and humbled by, the loyalty and
affection that you continue to give me,” she said. “And when, in the
fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his
wife Camilla the same support that you have given me; and it is my sincere
wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she
continues her own loyal service.”
Prince Charles reacted to the news in a personal statement to mark his mother’s milestone on
Sunday, saying: “We are deeply conscious of the honour represented by my
mother’s wish. As we have sought together to serve and support Her Majesty and
the people of our communities, my darling wife has been my own steadfast
support throughout.”
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The Duchess spoke with staff and clients
Speaking afterwards, DJ said: “I just asked [the Duchess] what
everyone wanted to know.” He said of the new centre: “This place
saved my life. About a year ago I was on the verge of doing something stupid. I
am disabled, I’m epileptic and I was struggling. Coming here every day has
changed my life. It’s given me conversation; people I can really trust. There
should be more places like this. It’s not just about food.”
Touring the site in Shepherd’s Bush, West London, the Duchess met staff,
volunteers, clients, trustees and partners before joining a cooking
demonstration with recently arrived refugees. In the training kitchen, she
joined members of the group Welcome West London, who were learning to cook an
Iranian rice dish called Loobia Polo.
The Duchess, who is a keen cook, helped Aiman Al-Ruwishan, 29, from
Yemen, to add saffron oil to the pan of steamed rice, which was layered with
green beans, tomatoes, Quorn mince, cinnamon and turmeric.
“How much should I add?” she asked him. “This adds
some taste and it’s lovely to get that yellow colour.”
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Keen cook Camilla joined a cooking demonstration
Aiman, a trained surgeon, was forced to flee war-torn Yemen nine months
ago after his life was threatened by Islamic extremists.
He said: “When I arrived, I had no friends or family here and it
was really difficult for me. I found West London Welcome and I started going
there, volunteering and meeting new friends and they have become my
family.”
Nourish Hub also features a working catering kitchen and dining area
which offers a “donate as you dine” scheme so visitors can eat
healthy nutritious food in return for a small donation.
Using seasonal, rescued produce that would otherwise go to waste, vegan
and vegetarian meals are freshly made each morning by a team of chefs.
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Camilla was given a posy of flowers at the Nourish Hub
The Duchess was shown the Hub’s electric delivery bike, which has helped
to deliver some of the 1500 meals provided to elderly and vulnerable people in
the community last month alone.
Inside the main kitchen, she met the Hub’s head chef Oli Way and UK
Harvest chef Simon Thresher, who were preparing the day’s menu with volunteers
Kai and Vitus. The team prepares up to 200 meals for diners visiting the hub
each day and offer different cultural menus to reflect the local community.
“My goodness that must keep you busy!” said
Camilla. “Never a dull moment.”
The purpose-built space is run by UK Harvest and has received £2.3
million in funding from Hammersmith and Fulham Council, as well as £1.1million
from the Mayor of London’s Good Growth Fund to help communities tackle food
waste while coming together to eat and learn essential skills for life.
After unveiling a plaque to officially open the Hub, which has been
operating since October, Camilla said: “I want to congratulate everyone
who has been a part of this. I think you’ve done a brilliant job. The
minute you walk in here there’s this lovely, uplifting, cheerful feeling and
what you are doing, bringing people together, getting people talking over food.
many congratulations to you all.”
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Earlier in the day, the Duchess visited Paddington Haven
The Duchess chatted to regular diners including Faiza Bellili, a
community interpreter who volunteers at the Hub and Gianni, 59, who did not
want to give his surname.
Italian born Gianni, who presented the Duchess with his own posy of
flowers, said afterwards: “I’ve always been a big fan of Camilla and I
wish her all the best because she deserves it. People like her now because
she’s bringing a lot of attention to people who need it. She cares about people
and she is making an impact. I will remember her shaking my hand for the rest
of my life.”
Aiman, who cooked with Camilla, added: “She was really friendly and
when I told her I came from Yemen, she said ‘I hope we are treating you well’.
That was very kind. She said she likes to cook and I told her it’s good
for mindfulness and relaxing.”
Stephen Cowan Leader of Hammersmith and Fulham council, said of the
royal visit: “It’s great that the Duchess of Cornwall took the time out to
come and support this frontline project. Her shining a spotlight on it is
really crucial because it’s really important that charities like this can bring
issues like this [food poverty, food waste] to the fore. She was charming, she
was very interested in how the scheme came about and in how people have
benefitted from it.”
Nourish Hub is part of UKHarvest, which operates a food rescue and
redistribution operation, and they use this edible surplus food throughout
their menu. Their efforts have prevented more than 1500 tonnes of food from going to
waste, provided over 5.5 million meals to vulnerable communities and helped
upskill and educate more than12,000 people to fight food waste in the home. UKH
expects to deliver at least 5 million meals in 2022.
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, around 700,000 UK households used a food
bank, while data from the Trust for London found that almost one third (31 per
cent) of residents of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham were living
in poverty in 2020.
