Camilla thrilled to see documents in Havana which included relative’s signature

The Duchess of Cornwall was thrilled when she was shown orders sent to her great, great, great, great, great grandfather by King George III when he was serving in the British army in Cuba with his two brothers.

Camilla was shown the instructions bearing the monogram of the so-called “mad” monarch to defend the city of Havana during the reign of Charles III of Spain 257 years ago.

The duchess was also shown George Keppel’s signature in a book during reception at the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales in Havana, Cuba.

The cannons they used in the “glorious defence” were on display adjacent to a plaque to mark the royal couple’s visit.

Camilla said: “My grandmother wrote a book about their service in Cuba.”

George Keppel was the commander-in-chief of the invasion and occupation of Havana and west Cuba in 1762. His younger brothers, Captain Augustus Keppel and Colonel William Keppel, also served there.

Camilla’s grandmother Sonia Cubitt – born Sonia Keppel – wrote a book about her hero relatives called Three Brothers at Havana 1762, which was published in 1981.

The Duchess of Cornwall met organisers and winners of the English language essay competition Bridges between Cuba and the UK (Chris Jackson/PA)The Duchess, who is passionate about the written word, also presented prizes to Cubans who had written essays of 500 words or less about building bridges between Britain and Cuba, an initiative sponsored by the British Council.

The winning entry, entitled A White Rose for a Wild Ride, was written by Alyansdro Martinez, 24, a foreign language teacher from Havana.

He said: “I am deeply honoured to have been the recipient of this honour and honoured to have been presented with my certificate by Her Royal Highness.”