Oxfordshire's Cornbury Festival is emerging as one of Britain's must-visit festival events - and now, it seems, is good enough even for royalty The Earl of Wessex will be dropping into the two-day festival as it gets under way this weekend after The Duke of Edinburgh Awards joined up with festival organisers to support the event.
Thousands of people are expected to turn up at Cornbury Park, just outside Charlbury, to see the likes of Led Zepellin frontman Robert Plant, and bands such as Texas and The Pretenders.
Prince Edward will be visiting tomorrow as part of the involvement in the festival of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards charity for young people.
The charity is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and had planned to hold its own festival, Live Life Loud, at Windsor Great Park later this month, but instead joined forces with organisers of the Cornbury Oxford Festival.
The Earl of Wessex is a trustee of the charity after taking over duties involving the awards from his father, the Duke of Edinburgh, and was keen to visit the festival and meet some of the young people who have taken part in the scheme.
Buckingham Palace confirmed Prince Edward was visiting tomorrow, but details of times have not been released for security reasons.
Duke of Edinburgh Awards spokesman Shona Taylor said: "In association with sponsors Millets, we are supporting the festival and the Earl was keen, as a trustee of the award, to support us and the festival."
The Earl last visited Oxfordshire with his wife Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, in May 2004 to officially open John Henry Newman Primary School in Littlemore, Oxford, a new hydrotherapy pool at Oxford's Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre and the new £12m John Radcliffe Hospital casualty unit.
Cornbury, which is in its third year and last year attracted 7,000 visitors, is on tomorrow and Sunday. Other acts include Deacon Blue, Kate Rusby and The Waterboys.
Tickets cost £40 per day or £70 for the weekend. Camping facilities are available. For more details, visit the website www.cornburyfestival.com
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