Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 21, 2019 (SKNIS): As part of Their Royal Highnesses Caribbean tour, Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall visited Nevis’s oldest wooden structure, the Hermitage Plantation Inn on Thursday, March 21, 2019. One of Her Royal Highness’s charity work focuses on heritage.
At Hermitage Inn, the Duchess of Cornwall was greeted by staff, as well as students from the Gingerland Secondary School and Nevis International Secondary School. She then met with the owner, Richard Lupinacci along with the Honourable Hazel Brandy-Williams, Junior Minister in the Nevis Island Administration, Mariney Newton, who represented women, and former CARICOM Youth Ambassador, Joy Napier.
The Duchess was accompanied on the visit by the Deputy Governor-General, Her Honour Hyleta Liburd. After the meet and greet, Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall toured the facility and was given a briefing on its history, before signing the guest book.
Mr. Lupinacci expressed his delight in Her Royal Highness’s visit.
“We are very flattered and very happy that the Duchess wants to visit the Hermitage and Nevis. An old house like this is very modest and there aren’t many places left like this anymore, apparently in the Caribbean, so I am so glad that she has heard about it and likes to see the authentic Caribbean – very traditional – and we love it. We are thrilled,” said Mr. Lupinacci.
Charles, the Prince of Wales and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, are currently on a 12-day royal tour of the Caribbean. Prince Charles and Camilla arrived in the Caribbean on Monday, March 17 celebrating Saint Lucia’s 40th year of Independence. From there, they travelled to Barbados. They then journeyed to St. Vincent & the Grenadines, then on to St. Kitts and Nevis on Thursday, March 21. The Royal Couple is expected to be in Grenada on Saturday, March 23, Cuba on Sunday 24 before reaching the Cayman Islands on March 27. They are due to return to the United Kingdom on March 29.
According to information from https://hermitagenevis.com/, Hermitage Plantation House was built around the oldest existing wooden house in the Caribbean, ca. 1670, and is run by an English family. The Hermitage is a unique, family-run, boutique hotel offering a taste of island life. British colonial design and antique appointments set Hermitage apart from other Nevis hotels.
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall arrived at the Sir Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw (RLB) International Airport on March 21, they were welcomed and greeted by His Excellency the Governor General of St. Kitts and Nevis, Sir S.W. Tapley Seaton GCMG, CVO, QC, JP. Their Royal Highnesses were then presented to the Cabinet of Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris.
