Damien Hirst Lucian Freud David Hockney Henry Moore Banksy Henry Moore Illustrator José Cisneros Has Died The Appendix: Portraits of a Marriage, a Man in a Speedo, and Jesse Helms

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"I'd just like to admit to something today," he told an audience of staff and supporters at the gallery before unveiling a plaque to commemorate his visit. "I'm actually Banksy.

"I thought that this would be a good forum to bring it out," he told a chuckling audience. "Any autographs I will do afterwards."

The quip has earned the prince cred for both his wit and for being familiar with the elusive street artist and has drawn attention to the gallery.

Whitechapel was founded in 1901 to bring art to the disadvantaged in east London, and has since made a name for itself both for its work with the community and for its exhibitions of important British and international art. The opening of its ambitious £13.5 million (about $21 million) expansion project featured artwork by top British artists Lucian Freud, David Hockney, Henry Moore, and Damien Hirst.

"I am particularly delighted to be here today to open the new gallery, as it's nearly a quarter of a century since my great grandmother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, opened the last expansion of the gallery in 1985," said the prince. "She was devoted to this place, and this morning I learnt why."