Celebrations to mark the Huddersfield Daily Examiner’s 150th anniversary took on a royal flavour when Prince Charles visited the company headquarters this week.

The official anniversary was marked yesterday and the Prince made his visit earlier in the week to unveil a plaque in the boardroom, sign a visitors’ book and have a guided tour of Queen Street South building.

The Prince of Wales was greeted by John Griffith, the Examiner’s managing director, and Philip Graf, chief executive of Trinity Mirror, the paper’s parent group.

On his tour of the premises he took time out to chat to a number of staff.

He met editor John Williams, who explained the day’s news and sports agenda, and introduced him to deputy editor John Bird and deputy sports editor Mel Booth.

After being shown how the pages were put together on computer, he was taken to the pre-press area where the newly digitised production process was explained to him.

Prince Charles told them what a pleasure it was to have the opportunity to visit the Examiner and help the company and staff celebrate 150 years – he was a huge admirer of local papers and the principles on which the Examiner was founded.

John Griffith referred to those principles, and said: “The Examiner has what some might regard as a rather odd proclamation which was determined by our founder Joseph Woodhead and which appears in our newspaper each day.

“It commits the Huddersfield Examiner to ‘The policy of honesty. The might of right. The expediency of principle’.

“Trying to live up to those ideals is no easy task for our staff, but after 150 years we remain committed to them.”

Do you have a story about the regional press? Ring 0116 227 3122/3121, or
e-mail [email protected]