Prince officially opens Town Hall

Pictures of the Royal visit to Birmingham

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall have officially opened Birmingham Town Hall.

The Grade I-listed building dating from 1834, which was closed for 11 years over safety concerns, reopened in October after a £35m refurbishment.

Thousands of people, including 500 children, turned out in Victoria Square to welcome the Royal couple.

Visits were also taking place to a Muslim centre in Coventry and a primary school in Stourbridge.

The Prince told the invited guests at the Town Hall that it was "an enormous pleasure" for the couple to be at the official opening.

Musical theatre

He said: "It's a real joy to see this building revealed once again in all its original glory."

The couple watched students from Birmingham's Elmhurst Ballet School perform classical ballet, jazz, tap and musical theatre at the newly-opened hall, which is a 1,100-seater concert venue.

Alongside Charles, Camilla - who is patron of Elmhurst, the UK's oldest vocational dance school - met pupils after the performance.

Ballet student Rex Wheeler, 17, from London, said: "They were friendly and just spoke to us on a very informal level. They said they really enjoyed the performance."

Lifestyle advice

Camilla then stayed to attend a lunch reception at the Council House, while the Prince left for Coventry.

He was due to meet pupils, staff and business leaders during a visit to the Cardinal Wiseman School Farm in Potters Green.

He was then due to meet beneficiaries and staff of the Apnee Sehat Project, which aims to provide health and lifestyle advice to the Asian community.

Prince Charles will open the new Outpatient Suite at the Muslim Resource Centre in Foleshill.

The Duchess of Cornwall will meet pupils, staff, and volunteers from the Dudley National Osteoporosis Society Group at Rufford Primary School in Stourbridge.