Prince of Wales Visited Solovki Islands

On the Solovki Islands, Prince Charles planted a young plant of Siberian fir
On July 16, Britain's RG-85 civil airplane arrived at the airport of Arkhangelsk at 12:10 p. according to the schedule. At the airport the British delegation was received by governor of the Arkhangelsk Region Anatoly Yefremov and other official figures of the region. A folklore group of the Northern Russian chorus met HRH Prince Charles, The Price of Wales in accordance with the Russian tradition offering him bread and salt. 

The Prince was obviously in good humor; he even agreed to be photographed near his airplane together with members of the delegation that met him at the airport. After a brief ceremony, the Prince of Wales accompanied with the governor of the Arkhangelsk region and members of the delegation boarded an AN-24 airplane of the Arkhangelsk Airlines company and left for the Solovki Islands.

Right from the airport on the Solovki Islands Prince Charles and his escort went to the Solovki Monastery and met with Archimandrite Joseph. In the monastery and at the Solovki Museum the British delegation was accompanied by Director of the Museum Mikhail Lopatkin. Prince Charles and Governor Anatoly Yefremov visited the Assumption and Transfiguration Cathedrals of the Solovki Kremlin.

Eyewitnesses say that the monastery cathedrals and all buildings, the museum exposition strongly impressed Prince Charles. The news agency Nomka of the Pomorye Region informs, Director of the Solovki museum Mikhail Lopatkin told the honorable guest the story of the Solovki Sanctuary and its present-day life. Then the guests went to the botanical gardens where the Prince of Whales planted a young plant of Siberian fir; that was done in the framework of the Intersad (International Garden) program. The project is carried out by the Solovki Museum together with foreign partners; participation of Prince Charles in the project will attach particular importance to the project. When the Prince of Wales got back to Arkhagelsk, he boarded the British airplane and left for Great Britain.