HRH The Duchess of Cornwall visits the Weston Library and the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre

HRH The Duchess of Cornwall began her visit touring the Weston Library, part of the Bodleian Libraries at Oxford University. Met on arrival by the Lord-Lieutenant, Marjorie Glasgow, HRH was introduced to the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Louise Richardson, Chief Operating Officer of the Bodleian Libraries, Laura Howe and Sir Philip Pullman.

HRH is committed to the importance of literacy, and promoting the benefits of reading to both children and adults alike, and this visit aimed to highlight this.

HRH’s visit included a guided tour of the ‘Melancholy: A New Anatomy’ exhibition, with the exhibition’s Lead Curator, Professor John Geddes.

She then stopped at the recently opened Space for Reading, which is designed to be a quiet space for visitors to read. She also viewed the Sheldon Tapestry Map of Oxfordshire, which is on display for the first time in a century.

HRH also met Sally Dunsmore and Tony Byrne, the organisers of the Oxford Literary Festival, which will run from 25 March to 23 April 2022, in partnership with the Bodleian Libraries.

Following this, HRH briefly met students and library staff in the Mackerras Reading Room, where she signed the library visitor book.

HRH was given demonstrations of conservation projects and insight into how precious manuscripts are preserved in the Conservation Studio. These included original items and pre-treatment images from Japanese Nara Ehon picture books and the French Book of Hours. Finally, HRH moved on to the Centre for Digital Scholarship where she enjoyed a viewing of some of the library’s special treasures including The Bodley Bestiary, Princess Elizabeth’s (later Queen Elizabeth I) New Year’s Book for Katherine Parr, Volume the First: Jane Austen’s earliest book of fiction and J. R. R. Tolkien’s dust-jacket design for The Hobbit.

HRH then travelled to the Botnar Institute for Musculoskeletal Sciences at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre where she was met on arrival by Miranda Markham DL. HRH is Patron of the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre Charity, which raised £9 million for the new wing. HRH opened the Botnar’s other buildings in 2003 and 2014. The three buildings together will house around 500 University researchers.

The Botnar Institute for Musculoskeletal Sciences carries out research into improving the treatment of arthritis, osteoporosis and other bone and joint diseases. The new wing will focus on bio-engineering, with researchers working on developing new technologies, materials, and interventions to treat patients with musculoskeletal conditions.

HRH toured the new facility, including a bio-manufacturing clean room which is the first university owned clean room in the UK. Here HRH was shown how synthetic biomaterials such as biopatches and bioyarns, for use in tissue repair, will be made in a sterile environment.

Following the official opening, HRH was invited to plant a tree for The Queen’s Green Canopy at the entrance to the Botnar Campus.