THE Duke of Edinburgh declared himself to be “the world’s most experienced plaque unveiler” as he opened a royal garden and a new academy today (Wednesday, April 24).

Prince Philip pulled back curtains to reveal plaques at the Royal Garden at Langley Park Primary School, near Durham City, and Glendene Arts Academy, in Easington Colliery.

The 91-year-old, wearing a dark blue suit, white shirt and pink tie, arrived in Langley Park by helicopter, greeted by cheering families waving Union flags.

Meeting a row of pensioners lined up in their wheelchairs, he asked whether they were having a race to the gate and said their brakes had better be working well.

The Duke was given a tour of the school before being shown into the Royal Garden, created by pupils and volunteers.

He congratulated the school on the work before turning to children and saying: “Pay attention, you are about to see the world’s most experienced plaque unveiler.”

Holly Kirby, seven, and Jay Wharton, ten, presented the Duke with a book of pupils’ poems and a miners’ lamp, which he said would be useful to him in the dark.

The Prince then went for a school lunch, joking everyone should go “back to work”.

He travelled by helicopter to Shotton and then by Range Rover to Glendene, which caters for youngsters aged two to 19 with learning difficulties and last year was refurbished and extended and became an academy.

He was given a tour by principal Eric Baker, who said it was a “great honour”.

The Duke saw children using a ‘rebound therapy’ trampoline, making cucumber sandwiches and scones and painting in art class, where he met a girl with a computerised voice box.

In a digital animation suite, he watched a pupil-made shadow puppet film telling the story of the Easington Colliery disaster of 1951, which claimed 83 lives.

The school choir sang the National Anthem and Take That hit Rule the World.

The Prince declined Mr Baker’s invitation to ‘boogie’, instead clapping politely.

James Watson, 13, and Amy-Leigh Duffield, nine, presented him with a book of pupils’ art.

He became the first person to sign the school’s visitors’ book, joking that “you don’t get many visitors, do you?” before leaving in the Range Rover.