Prince and Princess of Wales revamp royal visits for legacy

Traditional 'away days' typically involve royal entourage sweeping into a town, greeting crowds, unveiling a plaque or two and leaving

Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales and Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales play with children in Scarborough. AFP

The Prince and Princess of Wales are revamping royal visit to help provide a lasting legacy for towns in the UK.

Prince William and his wife Kate were in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, on Thursday for what has been described as the first pilot project of the new type of royal visit.

The royal couple were in the seaside resort to engage with local organisations involved in supporting young people with mental health issues.

During their visit, they announced funding for young people's mental health projects worth £345,000, created from a collaboration between the Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales and the Two Ridings Community Foundation.

The Prince and Princess of Wales began their visit by meeting the grant panel — which includes some of the young people benefiting from the project — to help decide how the money will be allocated.

“We heard a lot about mental health priorities, safe spaces, places to go for young people after schools and food, these are particularly keen issues that seem to be resonating through the community today,” Prince William said.

“I think, particularly on the mental health side of things, tackling that stigma, talking about mental health and providing services throughout the community are crucial to how we go forwards and deal with mental health issues that many, many people face.”

He added: “Showing what can be done when a community comes together collaboratively is really something we’d like to follow on and be represented more widely across the country. You’re leading where I hope others will follow.”

Jan Garrill, chief executive at Two Ridings, said the fund was a “perfect opportunity” to help and involve young people.

“The fund for Scarborough is the perfect opportunity to involve young people in decisions that affect them,” she said.

“Thanks to the collaboration with the Royal Foundation and the generosity of our donors, we are delighted to announce £345,000 of funding which will continue to support the work we have seen today.

“These funds are just the start, and we hope others show the same leadership and compassion and invest in this work.”

Traditional “away days” typically involve the royal entourage sweeping into a town, greeting crowds, unveiling a plaque or two and leaving.

But the new type of visits will aim to create a “lasting legacy” for towns, royal sources said.

Many of the traditional aspects of the royal visit continued.

The prince and princess were greeted by a cheering crowd as they started their day at The Street — a community hub that supports local organisations to grow and develop their services.

The Princess of Wales wore a camel-coloured overcoat over a similar-coloured outfit, while Prince William sported a burgundy jumper and blue shirt under a blue jacket.

The royal couple plan to roll out further pilot projects this year.