LAUGHS were heard all around Weighbridge Place when one of the seven heifers being gifted to the King briefly mounted another.
Some of those laughs came from King Charles and Queen Camilla themselves, who arrived at the Jersey Expo after the conclusion of the special States sitting.
It was a genuine moment – and fitted with the Genuine Jersey theme of the showcase event, which had been put together in a frenzy over several weeks.
“I have practically lived down here for the past three days,” said Andrew Le Gallais, a dairy farmer who has worked closely with the Crown Estate on the project to gift the animals, shortly before their arrival. “This building is the quickest piece of planning permission that has ever gone through in Jersey.”
“It’s not called Genuine Jersey for nothing,” he added, as he gestured around at the other stalls: from the Jersey Beekeepers’ Association, crates of Jersey Royals, crops from Homefields, touch tanks with lobsters and crabs, a Jersey Dairy van, pottery displays made from clay taken from the Royal Bay of Grouville, products from Jersey Sea Salt, and more.
He continued: “This is what makes Jersey Jersey. To have this level of opportunity to portray what we do in front of the King is a massive honour. The Island sometimes forgets about this, that this is what Jersey means.”
Wearing a tie adorned with Jersey cows, Mr Le Gallais added: “It’s fantastic that we’ve been given the opportunity to gift these special heifers to the King. These animals go back 31 generations, you won’t find that anywhere else in the world.”
Mr Le Gallais later told the JEP that Their Majesties were “thrilled to receive” the seven different heifers from seven different Jersey farms.
Nearby, Peter Tabb, who has been involved with Genuine Jersey since 2001, was also patiently awaiting the arrival of Their Majesties, who were due to take part in a potato-judging competition.
It would not be his last meeting with the King this week, as the local charity stalwart is due to receive his British Empire Medal from His Majesty on Friday.
But Mr Tabb was proudly wearing the medal on his chest yesterday to meet the King, following some arrangements by Government House.
“We are one of the oldest possessions of the Crown, and it’s marvellous to see them here,” he said.
Growing sounds of a brass band – which seemed to appeal to the heifers, who crowded closer to the noise – meant the Royal couple had arrived, and they soon started to make their way around, shaking hands, engaging in conversation.
The space was divided into two, and halfway around, Queen Camilla went toward the fisheries display and King Charles headed to the area closest to Route de la Libération, which was devoted to the environment, climate change and the community.
Jersey Electricity was on hand to explain the Island’s low-carbon energy supply and, assisted by Digital Jersey, illustrate what a future wind farm might look like. Move More Jersey, Acorn and Jersey Trees for Life were also part of the display.
Environment Minister Steve Luce, speaking to the JEP after meeting the King, said: “The King is a great environmentalist and has been promoting the environment for decades now.
“I welcomed him on behalf of everyone in the Environment Department and said how honoured we were for him to look at our environmental work. He had so many questions, he wanted to know answers.
“It’s just wonderful to show him some of the things we have here in the Island, the steps we’re taking to save carbon and look after the environment.”
Queen Camilla, meanwhile, was holding a lobster – something that impressed Gabby Mason of Jade-S Fisheries when the JEP spoke to her afterwards.
“It was brilliant,” she said, beaming in her waders. “I got to talk to Queen Camilla for quite a while. She’s a fan of fish and chips, so I was able to talk to her about local seafood and how sustainable the fleet is.”
She even tried to convince the Queen to return to Jersey to try their fish and chips at Driftwood Café, her beachside restaurant in Archirondel.
“For her to give us five minutes and to be included in something like this is absolutely incredible,” she said.
After the Royals departed, and minutes before the Expo opened to the public, Farm Jersey’s John Garton, who conceived the idea for the showcase, stood having a breather – and a well-deserved ice cream. The picture of relief.
“It has turned out better than I imagined, which is quite something, because I had a clear idea of what I wanted,” he said. “I am really pleased.”
“There were a lot of nerves, but everyone did a fabulous job of staying calm under pressure and telling their story. I’m really proud of them. I feel proud to talk about it all and to present it to the people of Jersey.”
Unfortunately, Their Majesties’ tour of the expo was cut short by what the JEP understood was a security alert – which turned out to be a false alarm – meaning the King was not able to participate in the potato-judging competition and meet competition winners from La Moye School and Victoria College Prep.
But, just as all seemed lost, the children were gathered up and brought over to the Pomme d’Or to meet the royals.
One of the excited children, who was wolfing down an ice cream from the Jersey Dairy van, could be heard squealing: “This is the best day of my life!”
lThe Expo will be open to the public today from 10am until 4pm.
