The pair visited the Dundee-based headquarters of DC Thompson and Co, which is where the iconic comics are created. They received a tour of the premises and started up a new printing press at the firm, before being presented with caricatures of themselves making cameos in the Beano, with Charles meeting the gang in the canteen at Bash Street School and Camilla opening a new school library.
Craig Graham, the editor of the Beano, spoke about the visit, saying:
“Often we're a little bit nervous because we do, by the nature of things, have to caricature people. But they were both absolutely delighted with their likenesses and hugely impressed to be involved with characters like Dennis the Menace and Roger the Dodger."
The Beano and Dandy comics are printed in Ayrshire each week on professional printing presses using full colour printing. Ayr, Dundee and the surrounding areas may be the home of characters like the Bash Street Kids and Dennis the Menace, but their reach is far wider than local Scottish towns, with an impressive circulation figure of over 120,000.
Charles and Camilla aren’t the only members of the Royal Family to be featured in the comic recently, as Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge were given similar treatment last year as part of a one-off special celebrating the London 2012 Olympic Games.