King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain, accompanied by the Duke of York, visited the Francis Crick Institute this morning as part of their three-day state visit to the UK.
Sir Paul Nurse, Director of the Crick, welcomed the King and Queen as they arrived and took them on a tour of some of the Crick's state-of-the-art biomedical facilities, including the Advanced Sequencing Lab and his own Cell Cycle Lab. They were joined by British Minister of State, Jo Johnson, and Spanish Secretary of State of Investigation, Development and Innovation, Carmen Vela.
Image: The King observes yeast cells down a
microscope in Paul Nurse's Cell Cycle Lab. Credit: Ben Gilbert,
Wellcome.
After the tour, Their Majesties met 35 of the Crick's Spanish staff, including Group Leader Patricia Barral alongside fellow scientists and service partners. At the reception in the Crick's Manby Gallery, they were joined by an additional 29 Spanish scientists from the Society of Spanish Researchers in the UK, giving them a chance to chat to a variety of Spanish nationals living and working in the UK.
Image: The King mingling
with Spanish staff at the Crick. Credit: Ben Gilbert,
Wellcome.
After mingling over refreshments, Their Majesties signed the Crick's visitors' book before setting off for the University of Oxford, where they concluded their state visit.
