Moment excitable Labrador jumps up to greet Prince William during Cornwall visit

  • Watch the moment dog River steals the spotlight from Prince William during royal visit

An excitable Labrador stole the spotlight from Prince William during his visit to a college in Cornwall.

The Duke of Cornwall was visiting Duchy College in Callington, Cornwall, to meet staff, students and the animals they learn from.

But as the Prince of Wales went to greet one dog handler, the cheeky Labrador seized the opportunity to say hello.

The dog, called river, leaped up at Prince william, who laughed off the encounter and carried on posing for photographs and selfies with some of the hundreds of students who were hoping to catch a glimpse of him.

Holly Rushton, animal management programme manager, said animals visit the college to help its students learn about their management.

“She comes in and helps the students with their dog training and things like grooming,” she said.

“The students find it great working with the dogs.”

Students take a selfie with William at Duchy College in Cornwall Credit: Justin Tallis/PA

During the visit, William learned about the courses the college offers students, including degrees in equine science, agriculture and horticulture.

The college also offers courses in the armed forces and emergency services, business, health and construction.

William took part in a crime scene investigation where students were examining an abandoned vehicle that had been used in a burglary – with a bag of trophies scattered across the floor.

When someone quipped that could be from Aston Villa’s trophy cabinet, the prince, who is a fan of the team, jokingly replied: “There are a few comments I could make about that but I am not going to.”

William tries his hand at dusting for fingerprints Credit: Justin Tallis/PA

He also dusted aluminium powder onto the side of a car to reveal a fingerprint of a suspect.

William also visited a student-run cafe on the campus and heard from students who work there.

Darren Watson, enterprise co-ordinator, explained to William they had researched his favourite cake and had made him a chocolate refrigerator cake – based on a recipe from the royal collection.

The land for the college was originally leased by the Duchy of Cornwall, to Cornwall County Council in 1984 as a new agricultural college.

The Duchy has been a long-standing supporter of the college.

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