Camilla, Duchess Of Cornwall, To Meet Aberdeen University Students

Camilla To Meet One-Handed Piano-Playing Student

The Duchess of Cornwall will meet students and staff at a university on Wednesday, including a music student who is rewriting a Chopin piece for the left hand only after an illness left him partially paralysed.

The trip is part of a visit to Scotland where she will also see projects being run by two charities she supports.

Camilla, who is known as the Duchess of Rothesay in Scotland, will meet student teachers at the University of Aberdeen and hear about a programme which provides them with skills to meet the needs of children with educational and social difficulties.

The Duchess will also visit the music department, where she will meet Professor Paul Mealor, who composed a choral work for last year's Royal Wedding and who has reworked his Christmas number one with the Military Wives for a mixed voice choir, which Camilla will hear.

She will then meet music student Paul Murray, who has learned to play classical piano with only one hand after illness left him partially paralysed. He is now rewriting a Chopin piece for the left hand only.

Later, she will visit two charities of which she is the president to see the work they carry out in Aberdeen.

Camilla, who has been the figurehead of Barnardo's since 2007, will meet people involved with an educational programme which supports teaching and social work students to act as mentors for young people.

She will also meet foster carers who provide short break and full-time care for children aged up to 16 before privately meeting young people overcoming challenges including substance misuse and running away who receive support from a Barnardo's service.

The Duchess, who is president of cancer charity Maggie's, will then attend a reception to meet supporters of the Monty's Maggie's Appeal, which plans to build and run a new caring centre at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in memory of the mother of golfer Colin Montgomerie.

She will be introduced to his father James Montgomerie and brother Douglas, alongside other members of the family.

Maggie's has been working with the Elizabeth Montgomerie Foundation, which was established by the golfer and his family in tribute to his mother, who died of cancer in 1991.

They aim to raise £3m towards building the unit to provide a variety of services including one-to-one or group sessions with a clinical psychologist and practical advice from a benefits adviser.

The appeal hit the £1.5m mark at the start of the year.

Camilla will meet a number of donors to the appeal and architects, as well as being shown a model of the building.

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