The Queen Consort, patron of the Eden Project’s biggest community outreach initiative The Big Lunch, features in a special episode of the Antiques Roadshow tonight.
BBC One viewers will see Presenter Fiona Bruce introducing The Queen Consort to Roadshow visitors in the much-anticipated broadcast which goes at 8pm on Sunday March 5.
Fiona learns about Her Majesty’s close connection to Eden and The Big Lunch, which The Queen Consort has supported since 2013 to bring millions of people together annually, helping to reduce loneliness, and strengthening UK communities.
Like any visitor to the Roadshow, The Queen Consort has brought some personal items to share with the experts.
Silver specialist Duncan Campbell is thrilled to see a rare snuffbox from the Royal Collection that was made from Cornish silver, while books expert Justin Croft admires a copy of ‘Gray’s Elegy in a Country Churchyard.’
The Queen Consort describes her love for the poem and her interest in the book’s exquisite binding, which was done in 1899 by the Guild of Women Binders.
The Queen Consort also joins Fiona for a ‘guess the mystery item’ challenge, posed by jewellery specialist Geoffrey Munn. Can they work out the true purpose of three unusual items – a piece of rock crystal, a silver plaque decorated with a pair of eyes and two jewelled arrows?
Peter Stewart, Chief Purpose Office at the Eden Project, said: “It was a total privilege to welcome Her Majesty The Queen Consort and the Antiques Roadshow team to Eden last summer for what was a real red-letter day for us.
“Her Majesty has been an incredible supporter of The Big Lunch and has been patron since 2013. The airing of this episode is a timely reminder of this special connection as we look forward to the Coronation Big Lunch May 6-8.
“We hope everyone tuning in this Sunday enjoys what will be a memorable episode of the Antiques Roadshow.”
Elsewhere in the show, Alastair Chandler comes across a Rolex Submariner bought in Yemen in the 1960s and used by its owner for underwater swimming and spear-fishing.
Robert Tilney meets a member of the Goldfish Club bearing his precious Goldfish badge, awarded after surviving a crash-landing in the North Sea.
Cornish treasures spotted by Chris Yeo include a ‘Huer’s horn’, sounded by lookouts on cliffs when they spotted a shoal of pilchards during the height of Cornwall’s fishing industry. Duncan Campbell is delighted to see a rare silver gig trophy, awarded in the Cornish sport of gig racing.
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And from the other side of the world, Lee Young is wowed by a Ming Dynasty bronze Buddha, discovered by metal detectors on a beach in Western Australia. Could it have links to a 15th century Chinese treasure expedition or was it left on the beach more recently?
After the broadcast on BBC One on Sunday March 5, the episode will also be available on BBC iPlayer.
The special episode airs as the country gears up for the Coronation Big Lunch, which is an official part of the celebrations for His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort’s Coronation Weekend on May 6-8.
Tens of thousands of events are expected to take place across the United Kingdom, bringing neighbours, communities and the nation together in celebration and friendship, and raising community spirits as part of this historic occasion.
To find out more or to get involved in the Coronation Big Lunch, go to www.CoronationBigLunch.com.
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