Typically when a new building is unveiled, a member of the Royal Family unveils a plaque to mark the occasion. This was no different for the Duke of Edinburgh on Tuesday at the at the Shakespeare North Playhouse in Merseyside – a moment that included some light relief as he joked about living up to his father’s plaque-unveiling skills.

The Duke joked that he had to make the unveiling look as professional and slick as possible.

Referring to his late father, Prince Philip, he said: “I was really worried having been given this new title.

“I was actually following in the footsteps of the most experienced plaque-unveiler the planet has ever known.”

His father, Prince Philip, was notorious for being a busy member of the royal family as he carried out hundreds of engagements. During a tour of a former RAF site in Wiltshire in 2016, the late Prince even joked he was “the world’s most experienced plaque unveiler.”

The current Duke, previously the Earl of Wessex, took over the title which once belonged to his father when King Charles III bestowed the Dukedom upon him in early 2023.

During the visit, His Royal Highness met with local dignitaries and members of the Shakespeare North team. In addition, he chatted with some of the people who have played a part in the creation of the new venue.

The theatre first opened to the public in July 2022 after being constructed during the global health crisis. The Duke visited the venue’s Cockpit Theatre which is the only 17th-century style timber theatre outside London. The Duke was able to watch a local school taking part in an educational session.

The 450-seat theatre is accompanied by a studio for smaller showers, a learning room, and an outside performance garden. It’s believed more than 140,000 people will visit this area every year because of the theatre.