Proud Day For Teesside As King Charles III Sees Huge Progress Made Across Former Steelworks

The King has seen some of the huge progress made at Teesworks on a Royal visit to Teesside.

Almost nine years to the day since his last visit to the region, His Majesty King Charles III flew into Teesside Airport on Thursday (13 February) with the Queen.

The King was shown the huge progress that has been made at Teesworks – seeing the vast 800 metre long SeAH Wind offshore wind monopile manufacturing facility up close, at South Bank, and speaking to apprentices at the site who will be forging the future ahead.

No stranger to Redcar, the then Prince of Wales visited the former steelworks site in 2016 to speak to members of the SSI taskforce in the wake of the devastating closure of the steelworks which brought the loss of 3,000 jobs to the region.

Since then, all the former steelworks infrastructure has been successfully demolished, more than 400 acres of land have been remediated and made ready for investments, and huge nine-figure projects including SeAH Wind, bp-led Net Zero Teesside and Steel River Quay, at South Bank, have been confirmed to bring thousands of jobs to the region.

The King and Queen also visited the heart of Middlesbrough – the first time a sitting monarch has visited the town since Queen Elizabeth II opened Pallister Park, in 1993.

Here the Middlesbrough Development Corporation is working with Teesside University, businesses and Middlesbrough Council to breathe new life into the town with new accommodation, facilities and investments.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “It’s a great honour and a privilege to welcome His Majesty through our airport to our mighty region.

“We’ve made huge strides across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool since his last visit.

“We hit a new low when the steelworks shut in 2016, but from the work we’ve done to revive our former steelworks as a powerhouse for thousands of good well-paid jobs, to the huge efforts we’re taking to turn around our airport and help it grow and thrive through more flights, it’s wonderful to show our King how far we’ve come.

“It does not go unnoticed the attention His Majesty has paid to our region and I am forever grateful for his support.

“We’ve laid the groundwork and come a long way – and I sincerely hope we can welcome the King and Queen back soon to show them just how much further we can go.

“Today is a proud day for Teesside, Darlington, and Hartlepool.”