PICTURES: East Preston Festival royals are crowned

Because a new prince and princess have been crowned, and they will be VIPs at the East Preston Festival, which starts on Friday, June 1.

Year 6 pupils Dylan Tibbs and Chiara Ballard were crowned at East Preston Junior School on Thursday, having put themselves forward for the honour, and received a trophy, sash and £25 cash prize in the process.

Chiara, 11, impressed her classmates with a song she wrote and played on her guitar about the school’s values. When she found out, she said: “I was really excited, but a bit nervous.”

She beat out around 15 other girls for the title – but Dylan, 11, was the only volunteer for the boy’s crown.

He said what appealed was the free haircut, so he could look his best for the event. He said: “My friends wanted to touch the trophy and the sash. I let them, but I wouldn’t let them wear it.”

The pair will be dressed to the nines for their starring role in the East Preston Festival carnival procession on Saturday, June 9, driven around in a vintage car.

Their fellow Year 6 classmates Giselle Ball and Coral Blows were voted runner-up princesses, and received a trophy and a £15 prize. They will also be involved in the festival celebrations.

Giselle, 11, said: “I’m really proud. It is a really nice thing to do and it will be a really good memory.”

Festival chairman Jackie Pilcher said they would be ‘fantastic representatives’ and inject a bit of grandeur in the wake of the royal wedding. She said: “We did wonder about asking the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex to present the awards for the dog show, but we thought they might be busy.”

The festival kicks off tomorrow with a photo competition. Highlights include horse race betting, an opera night, arts trails and a Rod Stewart tribute which sold out in an hour.