Charles and Camilla to open restored Mackintosh tea rooms

The Duke and Duchess of Rothesay will put the final piece in place at restored tea rooms designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh as they officially open the building.

Charles and Camilla will visit the Willow Tea Rooms on Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street, which dates back to 1903, to open them to the public.

The Willow Tea Rooms Trust has overseen a £10 million, four-year restoration of the A-listed property, which is of international significance as it was the only building where Mackintosh had complete control over the architecture and interior decorations, including the design of furniture, cutlery and waitress uniforms.

The royal couple will tour the restored saloons, billiard room, gallery and salon de luxe, as well as a new exhibition telling the story of Mackintosh and Miss Catherine Cranston, who commissioned the tea rooms and restaurant.

They will then put in place a final wood carving in the restaurant to mark the completion of the restoration project.

They will meet trainees taken on by the tea room following a training course organised through the Prince’s Trust, as well as those involved in creating replicas of more than 50 pieces of original Charles Rennie Mackintosh furniture.

Camilla will later visit two cancer centres in the city to hear from those they have helped.

She will visit the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre to hear about the work of Target Ovarian Cancer in its 10th anniversary year, before heading to the Maggie’s Centre at Gartnavel Hospital.

The Duchess has been president of Maggie’s Centres since 2008 and she will meet Lily Jencks, daughter of the charity’s co-founders, who designed the garden surrounding the centre.