The Prince of Wales appeared in great spirits today as he headed to Cambridge to open a new £1billion AstraZeneca research and development facility in the city.
Prince Charles, 73, started his day by visiting the market and speaking with traders while viewing their stalls.
Later, the heir to the throne formally opened a new AstraZeneca research centre, as the company aims to fuel the growth of its drug pipeline.
AstraZeneca has supplied two billion doses of its COVID-19 vaccine, developed at Oxford University, and is also looking to bring a preventative antibody cocktail against COVID-19 to market.
Pose for a selfie! The Prince of Wales appeared in great spirits today as he headed to Cambridge
The Prince of Wales is greeted by the Lord-Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, Julie Spence, during a visit to Cambridge
Prince Charles during a visit at the AstraZenaca global Research and Development facility in Cambridge
But while the company is setting up a separate division for vaccine and antibody therapies in light of the coronavirus pandemic, it has also beefed up other areas of research.
Earlier this year, AstraZeneca completed the $39billion purchase of rare-disease specialist Alexion.
'Our new Discovery Centre in Cambridge raises the bar for sustainable R&D and global collaboration across our industry,' Chief Executive Pascal Soriot said in a statement.
'It will allow us to break new boundaries in the understanding of disease biology, bring life-changing medicines to patients and power the next stage of our company's growth.'
Prince Charles (pictured), 73, started his day by visiting the market and speaking with traders while viewing their stalls
Later, the heir to the throne (pictured left) formally opened a new AstraZeneca research centre, as the company aims to fuel the growth of its drug pipeline
AstraZeneca has supplied two billion doses of its COVID-19 vaccine, developed at Oxford University, and is also looking to bring a preventative antibody cocktail against COVID-19 to market. Pictured, Charles, right, in Cambridge
Prince Charles (pictured) will take a walking tour of the centre and give a short address at the opening
Earlier this year, AstraZeneca completed the $39billion purchase of rare-disease specialist Alexion. Pictured, The Prince of Wales during a visit to Cambridge Market to meet traders and view stalls
AstraZeneca, which has a large portfolio of treatments for diseases like cancer, heart disease and diabetes, said the centre would support research into specialised medicines and next-generation therapeutics, including gene-editing and cell therapies.
Prince Charles took a walking tour of the centre and gave a short address
