WHAT with the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition one week, and then leading members of royalty the next, our neck of the woods is suddenly the place to visit.

All, of course, in their own ways, are seeking our support. The politicians are quite openly canvassing for votes, but the royal family also needs to work to keep the people on side. They need to be visible and out and about in the provinces so people can develop a personal connection with them.

Yesterday’s visit, by all accounts, went down a treat.

Wills and Kate didn’t visit one of the region’s blockbuster attractions, like Durham cathedral, and they didn’t go to one of our headline-grabbing businesses, like the vaccine factory on Teesside. Instead, they mingled with ordinary people down on a farm near Darlington and then visited a centre – the delightfully named Cheesy Waffles Project – for people with special needs near Durham.

In our coverage of the life of Prince Philip, we’ve been struck by how his visits from the 1950s and 1960s stayed with people throughout their lives. Now the Cambridges in the 2020s have been laying down memories that will stay with this generation for a long time and so help keep the connection going between people and monarchy.

And we hope they had just as enjoyable day as everyone they met seems to have had.