King Charles shares a laugh with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Deputy PM Angela Rayner on rare joint visit to show off his housing project in Cornwall

The King proudly showed off his passion housing project to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his deputy, Angela Rayner, today. The trio travelled down to Cornwall for an unprecedented public engagement together, with Charles offering the politicians a personal guided tour of Nansledan, a major 540-acre extension to the seaside town of Newquay he set in motion in 2014 when he was Prince of Wales. Royal aides said they could not find any record of an engagement involving the sovereign and a prime minister - let alone a deputy too - outside of an official or state occasion.

The Duchy of Cornwall development will see up to 3,700 homes built in a new environmentally-friendly community with its own primary school, parkland, shops and businesses. Sir Keir and his deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, who is also secretary for state for housing, communities and development, are said to be keen to see how a mixed use development works in line with their own much-debated pledge to build 1.5 million new homes in the UK within the next five years.

It is understood that The King has discussed housing with the prime minister during several of their meetings over the past few months. As a result, His Majesty offered to show him round Nansledan, to see what the Duchy of Cornwall has achieved. After visiting a community orchards and kitchen, the King and his guests walked to Nansledan School, a two-form entry primary school, designed and built by the Duchy of Cornwall and officially opened by His Majesty in March 2020.

King Charles shares a joke with Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer during a tour of the Newquay Orchard. Across fourteen classrooms it now hosts 361 pupils, with a total capacity of 420 pupils. The school has been designed to promote the ‘sustainable ethos’ of the Nansledan urban development to inform and shape their curriculum. The King, Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister were greeted by 90 flag-waving pupils, with one youngster asking the King: ‘Do you live in a palace?’.

Rayner was wearing a green coat and distinctive animal print ‘brothel creeper’ shoes - not the normal choice of footwear for a royal engagement. ‘You’re not too cold are you?' enquired the King. Inside, the trio stepped into the sport hall to watch the children taking part in a variety of activities. The King and Rayner chatted away like old friends. Upstairs they split as the king went into a cooking class while the politicians sat in on a science lesson. Both were looking at the difference of substances such as bicarbonate of soda and flour.

The King chatted away with the children who were among vanilla cupcakes, peppering the children with questions about what they were making. ‘Is this part of a special project?’ He asked. ‘Are you giving this a good mix?’. The King proudly showed off his passion housing project to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his deputy, Angela Rayner , today. The trio travelled down to Cornwall for an unprecedented public engagement together.

Charles offered the politicians a personal guided tour of Nansledan, a major 540-acre extension to the seaside town of Newquay he set in motion in 2014 when he was Prince of Wales. Royal aides said they could not find any record of an engagement involving the sovereign and a prime minister - let alone a deputy too - outside of an official or state occasion. Pictured, the King, the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister.

The Duchy of Cornwall development will see up to 3,700 homes built in a new environmentally-friendly community with its own primary school, parkland, shops and businesses. Sir Keir and his deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, who is also secretary for state for housing, communities and development, are said to be keen to see how a mixed use development works in line with their own much-debated pledge to build 1.5 million new homes in the UK within the next five years.

When one of the children told him the mixtures kept getting stuck in his whisk, he said; ‘Oh that’s really annoying isn’t it? You can get a knife and try and dig it out. At what point is it ready? By the time you go home will you to have them ready to eat? ‘. He was rejoined by Sir Keir and Ms Rayner to meet the school’s eco council before going outside to view some of the incredible outdoor spaces and activities its boasts.

They got the giggles at one little boy who was telling them about how he could remember something even though it was ‘five years ago’. ‘Well for you that’s half your life,’ the prime minister replied sympathetically. ‘You remember it, that’s impressive,’ smiled the King. The monarch was particularly enthused by the school’s new gardening facilities where some of the younger were planting out herbs they could touch, smell and taste.