The Duchess of Cornwall receives flowers as she opens the new Royal Academy of Dance
(Picture: PA)The Duchess of Cornwall has “good posture” as a ballerina and an “astonishing” work ethic, her teacher has said.
Camilla, who was opening the new Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) headquarters, in Battersea, is known to take Silver Swan ballet classes which are designed for older learners.
But she sat in for a class of women and two men being held at the new building, she told them: “I think I’ll just watch.”
The group were doing plies and were being told to “open their palms” by the teacher Sarah Platt.
“I’m rather impressed by all of you,” the duchess said: “You’re much better than I am”. A screen at the front of the room showed a similar class taking place in Australia.
The duchess remarked she would “have to do a lot more practice” before putting herself in the spotlight.
Platt also teaches the duchess who she told the group was used to practicing with no barres.
Camilla talked to the students about the concentration required in the classes and then posed for a picture, smiling nervously as the group adopted various ballet poses.
She also remarked how she would be back to classes herself "next week". It is thought that she missed a couple due to contracting Covid.
Speaking afterwards, Platt said Camilla has the classes at Clarence House with a small group of other women on a “sporadic” basis but “delightfully regularly”.
She continued: “We don’t have the luxury of a studio, obviously, we are working in a lovely room but there are no barres. So she actually has to work a lot harder than everyone else because there are no barres to hold on to.”
Platt said the duchess is making "great progress”. She added: “The work ethic is astonishing – that’s what really impressed me about being there, of all those ladies”.
Platt added of the duchess: “She is very musical, she has got good posture and a good strong back, which I attributed to horse-riding, but I might have put two and two together and made five.”
She described teaching Swans in general as “the most fulfilling and joyous thing I have ever done”.
She said: “Even though they are silver swans and we are adapting it and making it easier for their bodies, we still absolutely do proper ballet technique. It really makes you leave your troubles outside.”
Camilla, wearing a navy blue dress by Bruce Oldfield, was greeted by figures including Dame Darcey Bussell, RAD’s president, and Luke Rittner, RAD’s chief executive.
She was taken through to a studio where a class of students were studying the Karsavina syllabus and appeared impressed as she watched from the side of the room.
Camilla was also shown some paintings by winners of RAD’s art competition from primary schools across the Wandsworth borough.
She told one of the children: “the colours are brilliant.”
She asked: “Do you love painting?” After visiting the Silver Swans students, she had visited youngsters taking part in RADiate, which provides subsidies inclusive dance classes to children with additional learning needs.
The group had been given netting scarves and foil sheets to wave. “Are you enjoying that?” Camilla asked one child sitting on a mat.
She then viewed some of the RAD’s archival material, including the original Royal Charter in the Library and Archive.
The material included a handwritten letter dated May 1905 from Queen Alexandra’s private secretary to Adeline Genee, the ballerina, as well as photographs of the current Queen.
The duchess could be heard remarking on her experience in the Silver Swans class to those present, saying she had gone in “to see if they were better than me – and they were”.
Camilla then watched a presentation featuring students from the RAD Dance School as well as Step Into Dance, a programme that the RAD runs in partnership with the Jack Petchey Foundation to provide accessible and low-cost dance classes to secondary pupils.
Following a speech by Rittner, during which a short silence was held for Ukraine, the duchess unveiled a commemorative plaque to mark the official opening of the new headquarters.
She then said a few words, congratulating everyone who had made the building possible.
“Having had a very short tour of it, I have seen its complete magnificence and it’s just doing so much for so many young people – and old people like me”, Camilla said, prompting laughs from the audience.
“As a Silver swan myself, I was inspired on my first visit here to try it out and I have been doing it ever since”, she added.
The RAD developed Silver Swans in response to a growing demand for ballet classes for older learners. Sessions are specially designed for over 55s, but there is no upper or lower age limit.
The Duchess, who has been Vice-Patron of the Royal Academy of Dance since 2020, said last year that she had “been completely hooked” by the Silver Swan classes.
Dame Darcey Bussell, DBE, said in a statement after the visit: “Today marks the start of an important new chapter for the RAD. By way of our high quality classical ballet training, our teachers empower hundreds of thousands of young people annually worldwide and spread the joy of dance across the community.
“The RAD is a British cultural export to treasure and these new headquarters will be so inspiring for all. As President, I could not be more proud and thankful to everyone who has made this happen.”
