Crime & Safety
King Charles hopes transition ‘can be sped up’ on royal visit
Charles toured the headquarters of Oxford PV (Photovoltaics) in Yarnton on Friday, which has developed solar panels that are significantly more efficient than conventional products and were described by the King as “so vitally needed”.
The head of state has been championing sustainability and climate action for decades, speaking regularly about the threat to the planet and adopting practical measures like running his Aston Martin car on eco-fuel.
He told a group of staff “I hope you can speed up the transition a bit” – an apparent reference to the aim of moving away from fossil fuels to renewable energy.
The King added: “I think you’re remarkable, how you’ve managed to keep it all going, but it does take time to get to the point where you can actually commercialise all these things.
“But we need it all badly, all your products, fantastic – applicable on one or two roofs.”
There was a lighter moment when Charles pulled a sheet to unveil a plaque to mark his visit, quipping “disaster” after it tumbled to the ground from an easel.
READ MORE: King Charles suffers awkward blunder during visit to Oxfordshire
He was shown the research and development lab of Oxford PV, founded in 2010 as a spin-out from nearby Oxford University, which has become a world leader in using light-sensitive perovskite to develop solar panels that are over 20 per cent more efficient than conventional panels.
He looked at an electron microscope image of the surface of perovskite, a material layered on to silicon solar panels to increases their efficiency at creating electricity as it absorbs different parts of the light spectrum.
The King was delayed by around 45 minutes when bad weather forced him to switch from a helicopter to a car for his journey to Oxford, believed to be from London, and he joked a number of times about the delay after apologising for being late.
When Charles was shown images of commercial applications of the advanced solar panels, not yet available to the public, he appeared impressed with the potential use in car manufacturing, aeronautics and satellites.
David Ward, chief executive of Oxford PV, said after the visit that the firm was shipping “pilot volumes” of products to early customers, adding: “There’s been a decade of work, getting it from a brilliant piece of science into a real module that you see here, that we could give to a customer and they put on a roof.
“I don’t think one energy source will dominate all others, but solar right now is the cheapest form of energy generation and deals with security and energy transition.”
Oxford Stand Up To Racism has accused Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, of inciting the ‘awful violent scenes’ in Southampton on Tuesday night (June 2).
The city where 18-year-old Henry Nowak died and where his killer, Vickrum Digwa, lived became a scene of destruction after hundreds descended to smash car windows, hurl bricks and cause eleven officers and a police dog to be injured.
READ MORE: New date set for Tommy Robinson appearance in Oxford
Following the disorder, the chief of Hampshire police said those involved were ‘determined to spark fear and division’.
Yaxley-Lennon, who has been jailed multiple times for a variety of offences including when he was imprisoned in October 2024 for contempt of caught, addressed the crowd at the riot.
He said: “I heard someone say this wasn’t about race, this is about race.
“A white boy who done nothing was handcuffed, a murderer in possession of a knife who stabbed someone five times isn’t.”
Oxford Stand Up to Racism is now renewing its call for the Oxford Union to withdraw its invitation for the ‘riot agitator’ to speak on June 17 on the subject of Islam.
He was originally due to speak at the historic debating society on Thursday, May 28 before his appearance was postponed over security concerns and after massive backlash.
READ MORE: Major emergency response in Oxford as paramedics on scene
Ian McKendrick, a member of the anti-racism group, said: “Despite Henry Nowak’s family clearly requesting that his death should not be used to promote further hatred, Robinson was at the centre of protests in Southampton last night and clearly inciting violence.
“Giving him a televised platform at the Oxford Union legitimises hate and violence, and gives him the opportunity to incite violence to an audience of millions.
“It does not promote free speech – instead, it promotes fear and intimidation among minoritised communities.
“Already we have seen Oxford fascists alongside Robinson in Southampton and now mobilising to bring more hate onto Oxford’s streets.”
Members of Raise the Colours: Oxfordshire were called to attend the Southampton protest on Tuesday night, with the leader of the group posting on Facebook to ask followers to join the ‘justice for Henry Nowak’ protest.
Mr McKendrick added: “There is a concerted effort by far right leaders and fascist groups to incite outrage and bring people on to the streets to riot.
READ MORE: Traffic chaos in Witney amid report of ‘major incident’
“We risk an explosion of violence similar to what we saw around the Southport murders across the UK.
“We’re calling on Oxford to say a clear ‘no’ to this hate and division by protesting against Yaxley-Lennon’s appearance at the Oxford Union.”
Faith and civic leaders of Oxford already wrote to the Oxford Union asking it to rescind the controversial figure’s invitation, and hundreds have signed an open letter calling for the same.
A reported incident at a junction in Witney is causing traffic chaos in the town, with drivers coming off the A40 and elsewhere stuck in long queues.
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An incident occurred in St Aldate’s, outside the entrance to Christ Church Meadows, at about 4pm on Tuesday, June 2.
At least three ambulances were responding to what appeared to be a medical emergency on the pavement.
READ MORE: Oxfordshire footbridge over A-road a collapse risk for years
An individual was scene on a stretcher being cared for by paramedics.
An eyewitness said the incident occurred opposite the Alice Shop, and the medical teams ‘evacuated’ the person.
Apart from the pavement briefly being blocked while the first responders dealt with the emergency, it did not appear to affect traffic or block the road in busy St Aldate’s.
South Central Ambulance Service has been contacted for comment.
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