PRINCE Charles has shared his Poundbury vision with his family.

Thousands of people lined the streets of Dorchester and Poundbury on Thursday to give the Queen a true royal welcome as she visited the county town to unveil a statue in honour of the Queen Mother and take a tour of the Duchy of Cornwall estate.

The royal party visited the 'urban extension' of the county town, home to 3,000 people, to see the latest developments and visit Queen Mother Square.

The last time the Queen visited the estate was 18 years ago.

Accompanied by Prince Philip, son Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, the Queen arrived by train to Dorchester South yesterday morning.

She was welcomed by the Lord-Lieutenant of Dorset, Angus Campbell and the mayor and mayoress of Dorchester, Tim and Anita Harries.

Dorchester town crier Alistair Chisholm welcomed the Queen to the county town with a cry.

Mr Harries said it was an "honour" to be the town's mayor for the royal visit.

Families gathered outside the station for the momentous occasion in the hope to catch a glimpse of the Queen.

Melissa Hart, from Dorchester said: "We've been waiting her since about 9.30am as we wanted to get a good spot and we weren't too sure what time she would be arriving. My mother is a big, and I mean big, fan of the Queen so we came down early.

"I know my mother thinks it was definitely worth the wait and I do too. It was a great atmosphere. This is a fantastic day for Dorchester."

Her Majesty made her way to Poundbury and was welcomed in Queen Mother Square by thousands of people cheering and waving flags.

The Queen visited Waitrose and viewed plans of the estate before visiting the Duchess of Cornwall, the new pub in the square.

Wearing a sky blue cashmere coat and paisley patterned dress for the occasion, the Queen walked down the dairy isle of Waitrose and met with a local farming family who supply milk for the organic range sold in the shop.

Rupert Thomas, marketing director for Waitrose, said: "It was lovely and a delightful experience for all of our partners to have and such an honour. The Queen was fascinated to talk with the dairy farmers and the local producers."

Farmer Ed Hiscock was one of the first to speak to Her Majesty in Waitrose, and stood alongside his wife Julia and sons Max and Josh who work on the family farm in Plush to greet the Queen.

Mr Hiscock said: "It's a real privilege to meet Prince Charles and the Queen. Prince Charles asked me about the breed of cows we use, he always has had an interest in cattle and farming.

"We are honoured to be here today. It's a family farm and our sons grew up on the farm and work there now."

His son, Max, added: "We are really lucky and it's so exciting to meet the Queen. It's a lovely experience."

Before leaving Waitrose, the Queen and Prince Philip were presented with big hampers which Prince Philip was particularly taken with, full of local produce, pies and extra dog biscuits in the Queen's hamper for her corgis.

Waitrose worker Beth Parker, from Poundbury, spoke with the Queen.

She said: "She was wonderful. It's amazing to be a part of today. She asked me how long I had worked here and what I do in the shop."

Master planner Leon Krier and development director Andrew Hamilton, showed the Queen the plans of the estate and were both thanked by Prince Charles in his speech for their contribution to the vision of Poundbury.

Addressing the crowds before the unveiling of the Queen Mother's Statue, Prince Charles said: "It is a great honour for Her Majesty to be with us today 18 years after you first came here for such an important occasion in the history of Poundbury, on the edge of the historic town of Dorchester.

"Twenty-five years ago all this was a mere dream – to most people, except for the late Sir David Landale the then Duchy of Cornwall secretary, a completely mad dream.

"Battling against the tide is an uncomfortable experience I can assure you, and for that reason I'm indebted to both the brilliant master planner and conventional mould breaker Leon Krier and to Andrew Hamilton, the long suffering and highly professional development director."

Prince Charles thanked the builders, who he called 'local Dorset men through and through' for their 'dedicated efforts and loyalty' and everyone involved in making the vision for Poundbury a reality.

Today, over 2000 people work in 180 businesses on the estate first built in 1993 and over 500 people are employed in construction. The vision was to create a 'walkable community' where people, not machines and cars, are a priority.

Speaking to the crowds, Andrew Hamilton said: "If you look about you now it's very easy to forget how truly groundbreaking it was at its inception.

"At a time when there is a nationwide clamour for new housing I believe that Poundbury stands as a beacon to the way forward."

After the speeches, the Queen unveiled the cast bronze statue of the Queen Mother before the National Anthem was played.

After the Queen departed, the opening of The Duchess of Cornwall Inn was officially marked by the Duchess herself as she poured a pint for Prince Charles of a specially brewed beer, appropriately called Duchess.

Owner of the inn, Mark Woodhouse, said: "It gives me great pleasure to welcome their royal highnesses to the opening of the Duchess of Cornwall Inn, a joint venture between ourselves and the Duchess of Cornwall. I would like to thanks the Duchess on her interest on this project. It will become the beating heart of the community.

"I would like to wish the team led by Matt Hughes the very best of luck."

The Duchess of Cornwall Inn will be officially open to the public on Friday, November 4.

Lydia Norbury, 7, from Winterbourne Steepleton, was in the crowd with her family for the royal occasion.

She said: "I love the Queen and I really wanted to see her because I have never seen her in real life before. I like when she dresses in her pretty dresses and her brooches."

Her best friend, Ruby Burgess, also 7, said: "I think it's really good for the town and the people who haven't ever seen her and get to see her."

Carol Heyes, 70, travelled from Bury, Greater Manchester to see the Queen with her friend, Jean Fitton, 78, whose son lives in Poundbury.

Mrs Heyes said: "It was a fabulous morning. We have been here since 8am and it was well worth the wait. Last time I saw the Queen was when I was seven for her coronation in 1953, I was a brownie!

"I just wanted to see the Queen."

James Gollop, 9, from Poole was with his grandparents Judy and Charlie and siblings William and Jessica for a family day out.

James said: "I sent the Queen a card for her 90th birthday but I'm still waiting for a reply. It's been really fun coming and I'm just happy to see her as I was sat on my grandad's shoulders."

Christine and Barry White, from Poundbury, were waving flags for the royal visit.

Mrs White said: "We have been residents for 15 years so obviously we had to be here. I'm amazed at the square it's a mixture of architecture.

"We love the community. It's very much everyone looking out for each other.

"It was a thrill to see her and it was better than going to London, she came to us!"

See Friday's Dorset Echo for a picture special of the royal visit. Get 25 per cent off all the pictures using code Dorset16.

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