Prince Charles of Wales paid a private visit to Romania on Wednesday and visited the Ukrainian refugees centre organised at Romexpo, in Bucharest, “to see first-hand the excellent response Romania has provided to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine in the past few months”, as reads a press release by the British Embassy in Bucharest. His Royal Highness was accompanied by the Custodian of the Romanian Crown, Margareta.
“The visit was short, but I think he left with a very good idea of how Romania reacted overall, Romania and the support of international organizations. What he saw was how we worked at the level of citizens, at the level of non-governmental organizations, at the level of local authorities “, said Raed Arafat, the chief of the Department for Emergency Situations, after the departure of Prince Charles.
He said his message to Ukrainian families was one of “encouragement and hope that they will return home as soon as possible.”
Previously, the heir to the British Crown was welcomed by President Klaus Iohannis at Cotroceni Palace and by Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca at Victoria Palace.
Also, the Prince of Wales had a meeting, at Elisabeta Palace, with Her Majesty Margareta and Prince Radu.
Talks on climate change, education at Cotroceni
During their meeting Cotroceni Palace, Prince Charles of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland discussed with President Iohannis bilateral relations and the Romanian-British Strategic Partnership, the Romanian support to Ukraine and the Ukrainian refugees, about solutions to limit the effects of climate change and for the conservation of biodiversity, but also about the opportunity to develop educational projects on climate change, as a press release by the Presidential Administration informs.
“The President of Romania stressed the role of a binder of the bilateral relationship played by the Romanian community in the UK, well integrated and having a positive contribution in the essential sectors of the British economy and society,” the statement said.
As for the serious security situation prompted by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, President Klaus Iohannis informed Prince Charles about the aid granted by Romania to Ukraine and the Ukrainian refugees, including the coordination, through the humanitarian hub in northeastern Suceava, of the support efforts of several states for the benefit of Ukraine.
According to the Presidential Administration, Klaus Iohannis hailed Prince of Wales’s commitment and involvement in promoting biodiversity and the Romanian countryside, as well as in charitable activities in our country. In this regard, the Romanian head of state discussed with HRH the Prince of Wales about solutions to limit the effects of climate change and to enable biodiversity conservation, enforceable in Romania, the United Kingdom and internationally, underlining Romania’s commitment to achieving European climate change objectives.
Iohannis underscored that the financing of green projects, afforestation of degraded land and the reconstruction of habitats are priorities set out in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, with substantial financial allocations.
At the same time, President Klaus Iohannis and Prince Charles talked about the intention to develop education projects on climate change, aimed at increasing awareness, but also to prepare the young generations for the green jobs, available on the labour market, capable of generating sustainable economic growth.
President Iohannis also conveyed congratulations to His Royal Highness on the occasion of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Jubilee of Platinum.
The heir to the British crown has been present in our country since 1998, almost every year, and in Great Britain, the Royal Family of Romania participates annually in public or official visits.
Prince Charles owns two properties in Romania: one in the Zălan Valley (Covasna County), which is open to tourists, and another in the village of Viscri (Brasov County). The Viscri House is also home to the Prince of Wales Foundation, which is home to a Training Center for apprentices, craftsmen, students and architects across the country.