Britain's Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, went mask-free on Monday for their first official duties since coronavirus restrictions across the country were lifted.
At their first engagement in Exeter Cathedral, Devon, the couple chatted with a group of people all without masks for the royal visit.
The Prince of Wales, 72 and the Duchess of Cornwall, who was 74 on Saturday, were greeted by Lord Lieutenant Julian Tagg.
Unusually, the royal itinerary was made public in advance to attract crowds to the Devon locations rather than being kept secret to avoid royal fans attending public appearances.
England's reopening was greeted with some caution on Monday, with most people planning to continue wearing masks as the Delta variant wreaks havoc in Britain.
The long-awaited “Freedom Day” means there are no more restrictions on social gatherings, masks are no longer a legal requirement, and nightclubs opened for the first time since March 2020.
Prince Charles’s aides said on Sunday that he would wear masks only as government advice dictates.
The couple started the day in Exeter to celebrate the city becoming a Unesco City of Literature, before moving on to find out about the city’s goals for net zero emissions at the new bus station.
“It's been a triumph,” the Bishop of Exeter said after the visit.
Founded in 1050, the cathedral is home to a large library and archive, including the Exeter Book, a famous dark age poetry book written on parchment.
“We showed [Charles] the clay maquettes which are basically grotesques that will hang in the Cathedral,” said cathedral stonemason Joe Milne.
“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.”
Ministers urged caution as they pressed ahead with the unlocking despite infection rates climbing to all-time highs in about one in six areas of England, including almost all local authority areas in north-east England, close to a half in south-west England and nearly a third in Yorkshire and the Humber.
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People celebrate as they queue to enter a nightclub in Leeds after the final legal coronavirus restrictions were lifted in England at midnight. -
Protesters shout anti-government slogans at the Houses of Parliament from Parliament Square at an anti-lockdown protest in London. -
Commuters arrive at London Waterloo railway station. Most coronavirus restrictions ended in England on Monday. -
Protesters confront a police line outside the House of Commons during a freedom protest in London. -
Kate Shemirani addresses protesters through a megaphone in Parliament Square as part of the protest. -
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan wears a mask at Bond Street underground station in central London. He said that passengers on the capital’s buses and trains must continue to wear face masks. -
On what some have called 'Freedom Day', marking the end of coronavirus restrictions in England, people walk over London Bridge during the morning rush hour. -
Pedestrians without face masks shop on Oxford Street in central London. -
Commuters with and without masks board trains at Richmond station in south-west London. -
Prince Charles and Camilla meet a group of young people during a visit to Exeter Cathedral. -
People queue outside a London nightclub in the early hours of this morning. -
Commuters walk through Waterloo station during the morning rush hour. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called for caution as restrictions are lifted in England. -
A worker offers free Rapid Antigen tests to members of the public in Carnaby Street in London. -
A Yeoman Warder gestures as he leads the first 'Beefeater' tour of the Tower of London in 16 months. -
A travel guidance sign at Waterloo station in London. -
People wear masks on an Underground train in London. -
A live band performs during a "00:01" event organised by a nightclub in London.
Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi said the success of Britain's vaccination programme made it possible to press ahead but that people should act responsibly.
“We must not be complacent or take the freedoms of today for granted,” he said.
“As we move away from government diktat, we enter a new stage, a new phase, where our response to the virus is with an emphasis on personal responsibility and corporate responsibility.”
