King Charles begins the working week near Balmoral Castle.
The King, 74, visited the James Jones and Sons Limited sawmill in Aboyne, Scotland, on Tuesday. The family-owned and operated forest products company is currently in its fifth generation of leadership, and the company is headquartered not far from the King’s private residence, where the royal family retreats during the summer months.
Charles traveled to James Jones Sawmill to learn more about how the recently refurbished facility has increased the production of structural timber as a renewable building product that can be recycled to high carbon alternatives such as steel and concrete.
King Charles appeared to be in good spirits when he arrived, where he was greeted by the Lord Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire and Tom R. Bruce-Jones, chairman of James Jones and Sons Limited. The trio toured the facility – which Charles had visited before. The king previously visited the Scottish sawmill in 1999 when he was Prince of Wales (a title Charles announced Prince William would hold in his first speech as king).
The monarch got a glimpse of the action from the log sorting cabin before walking through a flood defense area put in place after the 2015 flood and taking a tour of the sawmill’s main operations room.
King Charles visits the James Jones and Sons sawmill in Aboyne, Scotland on October 3.
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The king also met with plant officials, including the site manager, primary processing manager and sawmill operator to learn more about their work. From there, he moved to the treatment plant to talk to longtime employees, interns and a gap year student.
Rounding off the trip with royal pomp, King Charles unveiled a plaque to celebrate the visit and signed the visitor’s book.
James Jones and Sons Limited operates in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand and deals in sawmilling, timber engineering, pallet manufacturing, forestry and land management, biomass and wind farms – specialties that would surely interest King Charles, a lifelong environmentalist. Aboyne sawmill opened its doors in 1962 and was rebuilt in 1991, producing a range of sawn timber such as fence and pallet timber, mainly for the Scottish market.
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King Charles visits the James Jones and Sons sawmill in Aboyne, Scotland on October 3.
PA images/INSTARimages
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The center recently underwent an $18 million upgrade with new technology to meet the needs of today’s market. Its sawing line can transform one large log into smaller pieces in one pass and sustainably use all the wood for market, horticulture and heating kilns for wood drying.
King Charles’ latest engagement comes days after he paid an unannounced visit to the Global Underwater Hub in Aberdeenshire. King Charles viewed exhibits on scuba diving technology, underwater 3D imaging and eco-friendly artificial reefs, and mingled with officials and senior students from nearby Mintlaw Academy.
The Global Underwater Hub is the leading trade and industry development body for the UK’s underwater sectors and represents companies operating in the UK’s $9.7 billion underwater industry. The organisation’s office is an hour’s drive from Balmoral and Birkhall Estate, where the King and Queen Camilla may have spent time following their three-day state visit to France from September 20-22.
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Charles and Camilla, 76, appear to be continuing Queen Elizabeth’s tradition of kicking off autumn in Scotland. Queen Elizabeth, who died in September 2022 aged 96, traditionally spent the late summer months, when Buckingham Palace was open to the public, at her cherished retreat in the Scottish Highlands.
On Sunday, the couple drove to Crathie Kirk near Balmoral for a Sunday service at the British royal family’s place of worship during their stay in Scotland.
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Source: HIS Education