The Earl of Wessex discovers the secrets of Bletchley Park

HRH The Earl of Wessex visited Bletchley Park yesterday to discover the secrets of the historic World War Two codebreaking site.

The Earl, who was on a tour of engagements in Buckinghamshire and Cambridgeshire, looked around the new exhibition ‘Off Duty: High Spirits in Low Times’ where he listened to audio accounts of life at Bletchley Park from some of its Veterans.

Two visiting school groups were delighted to meet The Earl, who stopped to chat with the pupils from Prince William School, Northamptonshire, and Bay House School, Gosport.

Iain Standen, CEO of the Bletchley Park Trust, said: “We were honoured to welcome The Earl of Wessex today and to show him some of the highlights of Bletchley Park, including the restored Hut 6, where Enigma messages were decrypted, and our new ‘Off Duty’ exhibition.

“Our staff, volunteers and visitors were all thrilled to see him and were touched by his enthusiasm for the museum.”

Bletchley Park has hosted several royal visits, including an appearance by The Queen in 2011 and, in 2014, The Duchess of Cambridge, whose grandmother Valerie Glassborow worked as part of the codebreaking operation.