Royal Couple to Visit Great Yorkshire Show

The Yorkshire Agricultural Society is delighted to announce that TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall are to visit the Great Yorkshire Show on its final day this year.

The largest farming and country event in the North of England, the show runs from Tuesday 11 - Thursday 13 July 2006 at the Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate.

The Royal couple are expected to tour the show, meeting visitors, exhibitors and staff. The Prince of Wales is Patron of the Society which organises the event and last visited in 1999 when crowds turned out in their thousands to welcome him. It will be the Duchess's first visit to the event which is one of the highlights of the Yorkshire calendar.

Prince Charles and the Duchess will be escorted around the show by the Honorary Show Director, Mr Bill Cowling and Mrs Caroline Cowling. A farmer from Pannal near Harrogate, it is Mr Cowling's first year in the role. He commented: "We were absolutely delighted to learn that our invitation had been accepted. They both have a genuine love of the countryside and a real interest in agriculture. They will receive a warm Yorkshire welcome, both from the Society and the Show visitors. It will be a wonderfully memorable day I am sure." Mr Cowling was Chief Cattle Steward for many years before taking the show's most senior role.

The royal programme is varied and extensive and includes time spent in the livestock areas, The Royal couple will also present a number of prizes to winners in the main livestock and equestrian classes.

This will be the 148th Great Yorkshire Show, and last year the event had an all time record of 134,810 visitors over the three days, as well as record breaking entries in many of the main classes.

There have been a number of royal visits to the show in recent years (see below), the most recent being that of HRH The Duke of York in 2002.

Royal Visits to the Great Yorkshire Show

1977 Her Majesty The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh

1982 HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon

1984 HRH The Duke of Gloucester

1987 HRH The Duchess of Kent

1990 TRH The Duke and Duchess of York

1992 HRH The Princess Royal

1994 HRH Princess Alexandra, The Hon Lady Ogilvy

1999 HRH The Prince of Wales

2002 HRH The Duke of York