The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall have made history by becoming the first members of the British royal family to visit Cuba in an official capacity.
On Tuesday Prince Charles and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, took to the streets of Havana to embrace Cuba’s love of classic cars and visit some of the cities more famous landmarks.
A day earlier, the royal couple payed a historic visit to Palacio de la Revolución – the president’s official building – where the royals met President Miguel Diaz Canel and his wife Lis Cuesta Peraza on Monday.
Prince Charles and Camilla’s trip is being seen as an attempt to help form closer ties between the UK and Cuba, which were foes during the Cold War, the BBC reports.
On Tuesday, the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall attended a wreath-laying ceremony for Cuba’s national hero, the essayist and poet Jose Marti.
Prince Charles stood in silent contemplation as a large wreath of roses was laid at the open-air monument in Havana’s Revolution Square.
The couple drove a beautifully restored 66-year-old MG TD – a rare sight on an island where many still drive American Cadillacs, Chevrolets and Dodges – as they made a stylish entrance to the Cuban capital’s famous John Lennon square.
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall arrive at a British Classic Car event in Havana, Cuba March 26, 2019. Photo Credit: Chris Jackson/Pool via REUTERSAccording to The Telegraph, Prince Charles told onlookers: “The one I was driving is the most beautiful car. It has an incredibly powerful accelerator. It is incredibly close to the brake so you have to be careful you don’t press the wrong one.”
At the square, the couple sat on a bench which has a statue of the distinctive Beatles singer sculpted by Cuban artist, Jose Villa Soberon, sitting on it, alongside a marble plaque inscribed with lyrics from John Lennon’s song, ‘Imagine’.
The four-day Cuban is seen by political commentators as having the potential to develop new avenues with a country that has already begun the process of opening up economically and socially.
