Prince Charles was left impressed by the "remarkable" work of a County Durham technology firm during a visit to the North East.
The Prince of Wales visited Kromek Group plc in Sedgefield on Tuesday, April 5 to learn more about the firm, which is a world leader in breast imaging technology for the early detection of cancers and for highly sensitive radiation detectors to keep people safe from nuclear threats. Kromek is the only independent producer of cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) across the globe - there are 154 furnaces on site - and this is compound is used in radiation detection and medical imaging.
His Royal Highness was taken on a tour of the company's laboratories and facilities by Dr Arnab Basu, who is the CEO of Kromek. The Prince of Wales saw Kromek’s latest project, a machine to form the basis of a global pandemic early warning system in detecting biological threats.
READ MORE: The Purple Peacock to undergo huge £350k transformation into Newcastle 'show bar'
His Royal Highness spoke with staff involved in the projects before unveiling a plaque to officially open The Brinkman CZT Growth Facility. Speaking to staff at Kromek, the Prince of Wales said: "I do hope this will draw attention to the remarkable work [of] Professor Brinkman, who I hear was an extraordinary person, who helped start all of this and, by the sound of it, trained quite a few people as well. I think it is remarkable, having just had a very short glimpse of what you all do here, just what a high-powered company this is.
"It gives this county an even greater reputation in so many of these fields. The fact that you are so much in demand for what you produce here all around the world is a great tribute to your incredible hard work and genius.
"I can only congratulate you on the success you have had so far."
The Royal visit comes after Prince Charles met Kromek CEO Dr Basu when the firm received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2020. Dr Basu was awarded an honorary fellowship from the Institute of Physics in 2021 for technological innovation and scientific advances of immeasurable significance.
Kromek employs more than 175 people and sells its products to over 55 countries in Europe, Asia and the United States.
Dr Arnab Basu, CEO of Kromek, said: “It was a privilege to host His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales on a visit to Kromek today. The visit is recognition of the hard work and dedication of the extraordinary team we have built at Kromek.
“The tour of our facility included all areas of our work: medical imaging; radiation detection and our emerging, bio-security capability. It also marked the official commissioning of the company’s Brinkman CZT Growth Facility of 154 furnaces, which provides the core of our detection technology for the advanced imaging segment.
“I was also delighted to be able to tell the Kromek story, and to share our advanced capability of pathogen detection, which can provide the intelligence to prevent another global pandemic.”
The Prince of Wales then travelled to Auckland Castle in County Durham where he met Her Majesty The Queen of Spain to view the Francisco de Zurbarán art collection, Jacob and His Twelve Sons. Her Majesty Queen Letizia of Spain and His Royal Highness were greeted by Jonathan and Jane Ruffer, founders of The Auckland Project, a charity that aims to revitalise the town of Bishop Auckland.
Inside the castle, The Queen of Spain and The Prince of Wales studied the Zurbarán paintings which have been housed in Auckland Castle for over 250 years. The Queen of Spain's visit to the UK aimed to help raise the profile of Spanish cultural projects worldwide.
Her Majesty and The Prince of Wales then visited The Spanish Art Gallery in Bishop Auckland to officially open the gallery. The Spanish Gallery opened in Bishop Auckland in October 2021, becoming the first gallery in the UK dedicated to the art, history and culture of Spain.
Inside the gallery, Her Majesty and His Royal Highness met apprentices, volunteers and staff before going on a tour of the gallery and viewing works of art including The Holy Family by El Greco and Cherubs Scattering Flowers by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo. The pair then unveiled a plaque to mark the official opening of the gallery before meeting local schoolchildren.
The Prince of Wales also officially opened Darlington Farmers Auction Mart during his visit to the region, where he met farmers from Upper Teesdale Agricultural Support Services (UTASS) to learn how they are meeting the challenges of growing costs and structural changes in the sector.
