Britain’s Prince Charles will visit a Sri Lankan tea estate next month, following in the footsteps of his father Prince Philip, who planted tea in Pedro Estate, Nuwara Eliya in 1954.
Prince Charles is expected to visit a Tea Estate in Sri Lanka next month. (Picture by Mahesh Abeyewardene)
Nearly six decades ago Prince Philip drove up the hills of Pedro Estate in an open top car and met with the plantation’s workers after a tea planting ceremony.
The tea harvested from a bush planted by the Prince went on sale for about $40 a cup last year to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Each caddy was handcrafted, came complete with its own silver spoon and was available from The East India Tea Company, at around $120 for 60g, according to a Daily Mail report.
“The resulting brew is described as ‘a subtle, long leafed tea with specks of silver and golden tips give a golden liquor that is light, smooth, bright and delicate – with a slight hint of sweetness.’”
The 1954 visit to Ceylon, marked the royal couple’s first world tour, two years after Queen Elizabeth’s coronation. Prince Charles will represent the Queen at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) next month in Sri Lanka. The Prince will also celebrate his 65th birthday in the island nation for which he has a particular affection.
The last time Prince Charles visited Sri Lanka was in the wake of 2004 Boxing Day tsunami and to attend the 50th anniversary of Sri Lanka’s independence from Britain in 1998. Britain ruled Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) from 1796 to 1948.
