The Prince of Wales was met with cheers as he arrived at the Francis Crick Institute in central London today.
Scientists left their labs to applaud Prince William, 43, as he arrived at the biomedical research centre to highlight British innovation in the field on Thursday afternoon.
The heir to the British throne visited the centre to meet researchers investigating how the brain works.
Neuroscientists Andreas Schaefer and Katharina Schmack explained to William how ‘the neural neurons compute’ and how scientists are developing ways to help restore speech in patients, which William said was ‘incredible’.
‘Presumably you can understand emotional regulation?’ the prince asked. ‘Does that help us understand mental health? That wasn’t a deliberate segue, I’m trying to think of some good questions to ask!’
Katharina asked him to ‘imagine a young man in his 20s, about to graduate, thinking about proposing to his girlfriend, but then something shifted. He can’t sleep, he becomes restless, and he hears voices which say really bad things about him. That is what psychosis looks like.’
William, told that the condition can affect one in 100 people, looked shocked and replied: ‘Wow’.
He was told psychosis typically sets in early, ‘when life is just unfolding’ and is difficult to resolve. ‘We really need treatments and to get better treatments,’ she said. ‘We need to understand what is happening in the brain.’
The Prince of Wales visited the Francis Crick Institute, one of Europe’s largest biomedical labs, in central London today
Later in the trip, William slipped into a white lab coat as he watched scientists prepare tissue samples in the electron microscopy department.
The heir to the throne was handed a minute slice of a mouse’s kidney using an eyelash attached to a fine stick with nail varnish.
Eyelashes are used because they are soft and flexible enough to move the tiny samples around without damaging them.
Samples are fixed with chemicals to kill off any infection and then set in plastic so they can be finely sliced using diamond blades.
As the process was explained to him, the Prince said he would ‘dust my A-level biology off’.
He then sat at one of the powerful electronic microtomes to try to manoeuvre the microscopic slices into place, using the eyelash.
‘I hope this is not part of a serious research project,’ he said and was told there was a replica sample.
As he attempted to move the minute slices through water, he said: ‘It’s a bit like a dam breaking.’
William donned a white lab coat as he spoke with a scientist who works in the world-leading electron microscopy facility
The heir to the British throne was greeted with cheers from scientists as he arrived at the research centre today
Pictured: People look on as Prince William arrived at the Francis Crick Institute in London on Wednesday
Edith Heard, The Crick Institute’s CEO, told him he was ‘doing a great job,’ and added: ‘We’re hiring.’
Dumi Lumkwana, senior research scientist, later praised the Prince’s efforts. ‘He did quite alright, surprisingly,’ she explained.
‘It takes years, basically, for the skill to develop. And even when you have developed the skill, there could be a lot of things that go wrong, temperatures, the water level, you having too much coffee and shaking. So in that case, he did quite well to move the sections.’
She said of the royal visit: ‘It was very exciting. I heard that he’s also into antimicrobial resistance, which I didn’t think is something he would be interested in. So, yes, it’s very exciting.
And anyone who is interested in research, I love that. I really enjoyed having him around and coming to see what we do.
‘After a couple of training sessions, maybe, when I train him, I’m sure there will be some openings for him,’ she joked.
In the next lab, the Prince heard how scientists Max Gutierrez and Tony Fearns were studying samples of tuberculosis-infected cells to help find new antibiotic treatments – an issue William has long been interested in.
He became a patron of the appeal to create The Fleming Centre, a major new research hub dedicated to tackling antimicrobial resistance, in 2023.
William learned about psychosis during his visit to the leading medical research centre on Thursday
William then joined a group of A-level biology students from nearby William Ellis School in Camden, who were taking part in a genetic engineering workshop and had been told about the royal visitor only moments before he arrived.
Before leaving, William was shown photographs of his grandparents Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh on a 2017 visit to the Crick and added his signature to the visitors’ book.
William was also given a paperweight as a gift for himself and three paper goodie bags for Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, each containing a mini microscope, notebook and a badge saying ‘Hello Brain’.
William’s latest outing comes amid a turbulent time for the Royal Family.
In the latest developments following the tranche of explosive Epstein file revelations, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was pictured leaving police custody, following his arrest last Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
The former prince looked shellshocked as he cowered in the back of a car, leaving Aylsham police station in Norfolk shortly after 7pm on his return to Sandringham.
Andrew, 66, was detained by officers during an 8am raid on his new home at Wood Farm. In events that rocked the Royal Family, he became the first senior royal to be arrested in modern times.
Thames Valley Police confirmed the disgraced former prince had been taken into custody just after 10am on Thursday, marking one of the worst days for the family in recent history.
In a statement put out just minutes after Andrew’s departure, Thames Valley Police said ‘a man in his sixties’ has been released under investigation – as images showed how the royal seemed to be trying to evade photographers following his bruising day in the cells.
Wide-eyed and with his hands clasped in front of him, Andrew cut a lonely figure as he ditched his traditional suit and tie attire in favour of a shirt and cardigan more suited to the setting that is so far removed from the upper echelons of luxury he is used to.
The photograph of the former prince, now stripped of all his titles and privileges, is sure to haunt the Royal Family in the days and weeks to come.
Police added that searches being conducted in Norfolk, relating to Andrew’s new residence, Wood Farm, have concluded.
It is understood the former Duke of York was arrested in relation to allegations he passed sensitive information to convicted paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein while acting as a trade envoy for the British government.
King Charles issued an unprecedented statement confirming his ‘wholehearted support and co-operation’ with the investigation into Andrew just hours after he was detained – with Buckingham Palace understood not to have known the former Duke of York would be arrested.
The statement said: ‘I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office.
‘What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities. In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation.
‘Let me state clearly: the law must take its course.’
William and Kate are understood to support the King.
