CORNWALL Museum and Art Gallery in Truro welcomed HRH The Duke of Gloucester today [Friday, July 11] - the first Royal visitor since the venue reopened in March following major work.

He was warmly welcomed to the museum by co-directors Jonathan Morton and Bryony Robins and chair of trustees Julie Caplin Grey, as well as local council representatives and Truro and Falmouth MP Jayne Kirkham.

The late Queen Elizabeth II’s cousin and a full-time working member of the Royal Family, the Duke is associated with over 150 charities and organisations and has a personal interest in heritage, architecture, and conservation.

He was shown the new Mineral, Nature and Art Galleries where the museum’s impressive collections have been reimagined for a new generation of visitors. He also toured the Heart of Cornwall Gallery, where artefacts from Cornish history are displayed and famous local characters and places brought to life.

Artist and explorer Tony Foster guided the Duke through his recently opened exhibition, Exploring Time: A Painter’s Perspective; the watercolour diaries recording journeys to remote wild places appealed to the Duke’s passion for conservation.

“It was encouraging to hear the Duke’s positive comments throughout the tour,” said Mr Morton. “He was particularly impressed with the work of the designers, Wignall and Moore, to uncover the building’s beautiful original architecture, and how Cornwall's rich history has been brought to life in fresh new ways.”

After refreshments in the Courtney Library, home to the Royal Institution of Cornwall’s collection of manuscripts, books and archival materials - the Duke buried a time capsule in the museum’s new garden.

Although the building is over 200 years old, the museum opened in 1919. It now houses more than one million artefacts, and is currently undergoing major refurbishment and rebranding with the goal of securing a sustainable, thriving future for the institution, which receives no regular government funding.