HRH Earl of Wessex gives Royal seal of approval for RAMM

His Royal Highness the Earl of Wessex was today taken on a whistlestop tour of Exeter's Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM), which was recently named Museum of the Year by the Art Fund and gained its 300,000th visitor last Friday. After arriving at 11am, the Earl was welcomed to the Museum by the Lord Mayor of Exeter, Cllr Rob Newby, Leader of the City Council, Cllr Pete Edwards, and Chief Executive Philip Bostock and introduced to chief patron Michael Morpurgo and patrons Show of Hands.

The Earl was then walked around the Queen Street building by the Museum Manager, Camilla Hampshire, who gave HRH a guided tour. The first stop was a dance performance by Exeter College students, which was inspired by the Museum's Royal Collection and featured Royal-inspired textiles. The Earl's visit comes ten months after the Museum reopened to the public following a four-year closure and multi-million pound refurbishment. 

To mark the occasion, the Earl unveiled an inscribed plaque commemorating his visit, which will later be installed in the foyer of the garden entrance to the Museum. HRH told the audience of dignitaries, volunteers and staff that "Although I have not visited before the renovation, the Royal Albert Memorial Museum is clearly a truly successful reincarnation." He joked that the unveiling of a plaque is not all that interesting in comparison to the fine exhibits on display and encouraged a huge cheer to go up when the plaque was revealed. 

The Lord Mayor of Exeter, Cllr Rob Newby, told The Exeter Daily "It has been a wonderful year for the City of Exeter already, what with the visit from HM The Queen and the Olympics and Paralympics torch processions. Winning Museum of the Year for RAMM was fantastic, and we already have the Royal Warrant, so this visit by HRH The Earl of Wessex has meant we also have a Royal stamp of approval for the renovation."  

This follows the Earl's visit to Montgomery Primary in St Thomas earlier this morning, which has gained the impressive accolade of being certified as England's first zero-carbon school.

Enjoy this photo journal of the Earl's visit.

Photos by Matt Austin