Prince arrives in city for eco-friendly tour

Crowds gathered at the platform to welcome Prince Charles, visiting Edinburgh as part of a wider UK trip to promote his Start initiative and open a new Start Living shop in the St James Centre, launched in association with Scottish Business in the Community and Scottish Hydro.

When the prince stepped on to the platform he was greeted with high-fives, handshakes and rousing applause.

The heir to the throne unveiled a poster designed by Liberton High School pupils to promote his sustainable living project, before visiting several large tents in St Andrew Square crammed with green-minded exhibits from charities, energy-saving companies and eco-friendly enterprises.

While he was without his wife The Duchess of Cornwall, the prince took the opportunity to buy a hand-felted bonnet for her from Fawns Reid of Fabhatrix, based in Grassmarket.

"He seemed very taken with it and said he wondered if he should chance it with his other half," said Mrs Reid, who charged the Royal 85 for the hat. "I presented him with a Harris Tweed flat cap which he seemed to like but was determined not to try on in front of the press."

Fashion designer Joey D of Broughton Street, who recycles old clothes, also gifted the Prince a tweed handbag for Camilla.

Evening News competition winners the Brotchie family, who scooped an energy-efficient washing machine at the weekend after coming out top in the Evening News' contest to be more green, was also treated to a royal audience.

Dad Iain, 35, who works at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society on Holyrood Road, said Prince Charles was intrigued by the competition.

"He was very friendly and wanted to chat. I imagine I must have been the 200th person that he saw that day and it was impressive that he was keen to talk," he said.

"(Environmentalism] is obviously a subject he is very interested in.

"He asked if we read the Evening News and said he was very pleased the newspaper was running this competition."

Wife Rosemary, 36, who wrote the winning pledge charting how her family planned to improve their carbon footprint, said: "He asked us what we had to do to win the competition and we told him how pleased we were with the washing machine."

Later the Royal entourage visited the new Start Living shop in the St James Centre which aims to highlight simple money-saving ways in which people can change their lifestyles to reduce their impact on the environment. Prince Charles officially opened the outlet by cutting a ribbon.

During the four-day Royal tour, Prince Charles will be travelling between destinations on a train running on sustainable bio-fuel, with the aim of promoting the best community sustainability projects in the country, as well as three national Start festivals.

Businesses working for fairer nation

FOUNDED in 1982, Scottish Business in the Community (SBC) is recognised internationally as a forerunner in responsible business practices and boasts His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales, as its patron.

Run as an independent not-for-profit company, it is limited by guarantee with charitable status and brings together businesses across all sectors to help build a "stronger, fairer, wealthier, healthier, and greener Scotland".

Its membership represents seven percent of the working population, tens of thousands of people from the Scottish workforce, many of whom are using their influence to shape a new way of doing better business.

A statement on the SBC website reads: "(We] tackle the newness and complexities of the sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility agendas to provide straightforward and effective ways to take the actions necessary to make your business more fit and focused."