King jokes plaque for Oxford visit will go in 'downstairs loo' The King joked during a visit to a solar panel company that a plaque commemorating his appearance would be placed in the firm's "downstairs loo." The visit occurred at a "trailblazing" company developing advanced solar panels capable of converting more of the sun's spectrum into clean energy. The King described the technology as "so vitally needed" during the meeting. A lighter moment arose when Charles pulled a sheet to unveil the plaque, only for it to tumble from an easel. He quipped "disaster" before joking about its potential location. "Have we got somewhere to put it?" he asked the crowd, suggesting the "downstairs loo" as a humorous option. The King was later presented with a custom solar panel cell engraved with the company's name and the date of his visit, which he called "marvellous." The head of state, who has long championed sustainability and climate action, praised the company's efforts during the visit. He told employees: "I hope you can speed up the transition a bit," referencing the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy. The King also acknowledged the challenges of commercializing such technology, stating: "It does take time to get to the point where you can actually commercialise all these things," while emphasizing the urgent need for their products. David Ward, CEO of Oxford PV, noted that the firm is shipping "pilot volumes" of its products to early customers. He highlighted the decade-long journey of transforming scientific innovation into a commercially viable module, stating: "There's been a decade of work, getting it from a brilliant piece of science into a real module that you see here, that we could give to a customer and they put on a roof.#solar_panels #oxford #oxford_pv #king_charles #charles
