Prince Charles thanks 'remarkable' Battle of Britain veterans as he opens new £9.5million museum at Fighter Command HQ

  1. •The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall visited Bentley Priory

  2. •It was the headquarters for Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain

  3. •A Spitfire and Hurricane flew overhead as the Prince opened museum

  4. •Veterans attended the HQ in north-west London where the movements of Nazis aircraft were tracked which stopped Hitler invading Britain 

By Tara Brady

PUBLISHED: 19:33, 12 September 2013 | UPDATED: 20:09, 12 September 2013

Second World War fighter planes swooped overhead as Prince Charles thanked the 'remarkable' Battle of Britain veterans who helped to win the war at their spiritual home today.

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall were visiting Bentley Priory in Harrow, north-west London, the headquarters of Fighter Command during the decisive air battle.

A Spitfire and a Hurricane flew low overhead as the Prince spoke to a crowd including 10 veterans of the air and eight women who assisted them from the ground, tracking enemy movements from what was known as the 'filter room'.



The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall tour the Filter Room with Patrica Clark (second right) and Eileen Younghusband, at the opening of the new Bentley Priory Battle of Britain Museum


The Royal told them: 'Having just become a grandfather, one of the great things I remember when I was very small is having stories told to me about the war.

'I wanted to know everything in those days as I was born in 1948.'



The Prince explained that during his youth he had been lucky enough to meet people who had risked their lives defending Britain as part of Fighter Command.

He added: 'I at least have some idea of the remarkable nature of such people like, of course, the wonderful lady veterans who are here today from the filter room.



The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall pose with members of the 'Beauty Chorus' (left to right) Kate Orchard, Gladys Eva, Patricia Clark, Georgie Caudwell, Trish Mantell, Marias Hart (wheelchair), Vera Organ, Eileen Younghusband and Joan Fanshaw



History lesson: The Duchess of Cornwall talks to veteran Ken Wilkinson during afternoon tea at Bentley Priory



The Prince of Wales talks to veteran Squadren leader Nigel Rose at Bentley Priory



'At the age of 18, 19, 20 they were ensuring that this country never gave up.'

Charles, who is patron of the Bentley Priory Battle of Britain Trust, opened a new £9.5m museum at the mansion house.

He also unveiled a bust of Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, Fighter Command's leader and creator of the strategy which saw Britain defeat Germany's planes, averting Hitler's planned invasion of the British Isles.

Veteran Patricia Clark, 92, posed for a picture with Charles and Camilla in the restored filter room, which boasts a statue of her with her colleagues tracing the movements of Nazi aircraft.






The Prince of Wales makes a speech before unveiling the bust of Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding who led RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain




Historic: The Prince of Wales unveils the bust of Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding who led RAF Fighter Command




The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall attend the opening of the new Bentley Priory's new museum




To mark the occasion a Spitfire flew over Fighter Command HQ in north-west London


Mrs Clark, a grandmother of eight who lives in Marsh Green, Kent, said: 'We have never been recognised, this is the first time.

'We were a secret for 30 years after the war and weren't made public until 1975.

'Of course by that time everybody was utterly fed up of war stories and there wasn't much interest anymore.

'If anyone asked what you did during the war and you said 'I was in the filter room' and no one would know what you were taking about.'

Serving in the Women's RAF from 1940 to 1945, Mrs Clark rose to the role of supervisor working from the balcony of the filter room and went on to become a writer after the war.



The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall watch Second World War aircraft fly over Bentley Priory



Delighted: The Duchess of Cornwall talks to the mayor of Harrow Nana Asante at the opening of the museum at Bentley Priory



Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall leave Bentley Priory - the headquarters of Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall tour the 'Filter Room' where German aircraft were monitored






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