Prince Charles proved he was game for a laugh when he played snooker against youngsters at Menzieshill Community Centre.
The young people did need to stump up the 20p for the battle on the baize, though, as the future king didn’t have any cash on him.
Our pictures prove Charles’s cue technique may have been lacking but he again displayed an easy manner when meeting members of the Dundee public.
Some of our images have never been seen before.
Charles arrived in Menzieshill in March 1986 to view projects financed by the Royal Jubilee Trust and Prince’s Trust.
Charles has been a regular visitor to Dundee since the 1970s.
The future king looked relaxed on arrival at Dundee Airport and was met by Lord Provost Tom Mitchell before being taken by car to Menzieshill Community Centre.
He was treated to a rousing reception on arrival at Orleans Place.
Hundreds of well-wishers lined the streets to catch a glimpse of Charles, while huge cheers went up from people living in the multi-storey blocks.
There was no pomp and pageantry and Charles spent time chatting to the crowd before meeting local dignitaries gathered outside the community centre.
Lord Provost Mitchell introduced Charles to Elizabeth Nicoll, chair of the Fife, Central and Tayside committee of the Royal Jubilee Trust and Prince’s Trust.
She took Charles through the centre to meet 150 young people aged eight to 25 who had benefited from the £62,000 distributed by the charity since 1984.
Charles toured the centre’s games room, coffee bar, snooker room and cookery room to chat to them and have a look at the specially mounted exhibitions on display.
This was a day no-one who was part of will ever forget.
Charles was ‘absolutely charming’
The first teenager the prince met was 17-year-old Lawrence Evans.
The Morgan Academy pupil said he used a donation from the Prince’s Trust to buy a pair of skis so he could start training to join the Glenshee Ski Rescue Service.
Charles joked about a risky bike that gave him saddle sores during his chat with Maureen and Sheila Hood from Tay Tandem Cycling Club for the Blind.
“He asked if we felt confident and said that when he was at school he had a bike with four seats but it was more dangerous, as it didn’t have synchronised pedals,” said Sheila.
She said the heir to the throne had been “absolutely charming” to them.
Charles also provided an insight to his musical taste.
On moving into the coffee bar, he was greeted by the music of the Muirhead Accordion Band and was so impressed he asked the girls to play another tune.
One of the girls, Audrey Cant, then presented a delighted Charles with two of their tapes in a presentation carved wooden box.
Play it again, Charles?
Snooker loopy in Menzieshill
The prince met representatives of 3rd Carnoustie Brownies who tidied gardens for the elderly during his tour and young adults from Whitfield who took children on holiday.
He then spoke to the Coaltown of Burnturk Putting Club from Fife and Tayside Youth Heritage Trust, whose projects included a play about Dundee poet William McGonagall.
Snooker was king and football had to take a back seat in the 1980s.
Charles arrived at the snooker room and immediately challenged members of the Inverkeilor Youth Club and Douglas and Angus Unemployed Workers Group.
Charles asked for “any Steve Davis’s to step forward”.
Not many people can say they have played a game of snooker with a member of the royal family.
Sadly, the call from Barry Hearn was not forthcoming!
Two young Dundee men – Stanley McKelvie and David Miller – had a special reason to thank the prince during the walkabout.
Helped by a grant from the trust’s local committee, Stanley and David were now both successful businessmen, each with his own motor repair garage in the city.
The tone became more sombre and serious when he moved upstairs.
Charles showed off his compassionate side during a private meeting he requested with the parents of David Stirling from Forfar, who died at the age of 21.
David was given a grant by the Prince’s Trust to write a book about his terminal illness and Mrs Stirling presented Charles with a copy following the emotional exchange.
His legacy would live on through the pages.
Other books were presented by disabled Dundee poet Thomas Malone.
Charles met another group close to his heart from Operation Raleigh, which was a trailblazing programme for young people to volunteer on projects around the world.
Charles launched Operation Raleigh in 1984 and spoke to young explorers Lorraine Hoolachan, Gillian Meekison, Judith Morrison, Elaine Ross and Rona Fisher.
He was laughing and joking and fell into a fit of giggles when he asked how they managed to pass one initiation test of plunging their hands into buckets of maggots.
Charles warned the girls still going abroad to beware of “creepy crawlies”.
He ended his special day in Menzieshill by meeting Douglas Elder of Perth, who had been given a grant by the Prince’s Trust to take part in an expedition to the Himalayas.
After spending some time talking about the trek with Douglas, he finished up by chatting with self-employed carpet-layer James McDiarmid and artist Stuart McKenzie.
He then cut a specially-baked cake made by Colin McPhail of Glenrothes, before signing the official City of Dundee visitors book after the sugar rush wore off.
Elizabeth Nicoll, chair of the Fife, Central and Tayside committee of the Royal Jubilee Trust and Prince’s Trust, summed up the success of the visit afterwards.
She said: “It is fitting that this public occasion should have given the public at large a glimpse of the work of the trusts and of the commitment and involvement of so many adults and young folk from Fife, Central and Tayside.
“We, as a committee, are privileged to have met so many of those who have benefited from the trusts.
“We wish them all well in the ongoing work of the groups with which they are involved.”
Charles waved to the crowd before getting back in his royal car after a visit that, typically, over-ran because he spent so long chatting to the 150 young people.
A thousand cheers rang out in return!
He was driven away to Balmoral Castle to the strains of Scotland the Brave, which was played by East Neuk of Fife Pipe Band under pipe major Arthur Timperley.
Charles would be spending a romantic weekend on Royal Deeside with Princess Diana with the music of the Muirhead Accordion Band sure to have set the right mood!
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