Duchess of Cornwall ‘can’t wait to get rid’ of face mask

The Duchess of Cornwall has revealed she is looking forward to leaving her face mask at home, telling a Welsh college student “I can’t wait to get rid of this”.

Camilla’s comment came as she and the Prince of Wales visited the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama to learn how staff and students have coped during the pandemic.

She was also spotted with a Fitbit Charge 4 Fitness Tracker on her wrist, which helps wearers track their efforts to stay in shape.

The gadget costs around £130 and has proved popular with those wanting to keep in shape during the lockdown, allowing users to monitor everything from heart rate to calories.

When the royal couple first arrived, they met students and staff in the college’s foyer and the duchess told William Pearson, studying for an MA in advanced opera performance “I can’t wait to get rid of this” and touched her face mask.

Charles and Camilla were treated to performances of music and drama by the talented students who, with the help of lecturers and tutors, have managed to continue their studies at the Cardiff-based college despite Covid restrictions.

Zoe Goriely, 24, who completes an MA in acting this month, gave a heartfelt performance of a scene from Shakespeare’s The Two Gentlemen of Verona.

In the solo scene, she played the character of a maid who teases her teenage ward about a love letter the young girl has received from an admirer, and at one point stamps on the pages of the note.

The 24-year-old spoke to the prince and his wife after the performance and said later: “It’s lovely to be able to do what we love to do, for people who love what we do.”

Charles’ official harpist Alis Huws, who is a graduate of the college, also gave a performance before the royal couple met opera students in costume.

The prince is the college’s president and while he held a private meeting with senior executives the duchess watched a brief scene from The Flying Bedroom – an immersive children’s theatre production from a new company of music, composition and design students from the college.

As Ruby Brown cradled a puppet she chatted to Camilla who said about the performance “It’s brilliant” adding: “I think it’s a lovely thing to do, you’re a really clever lady.”

The group of students who began working together via video calls are due to perform their show at Theatr Clwyd in north Wales in July and tour schools in the region in September.