King Charles and Queen Camilla travelled to Middlesbrough today for a royal away day where they carried out a traditional walkabout – and even met a lady celebrating her 100th birthday
King Charles left wellwishers stunned as he defiantly faced a small group of protestors on a royal walkabout.
The monarch and Queen Camilla had been visiting Middlesbrough on Teesside for what’s known as a royal ‘awayday’ to Middlesbrough, packing in four engagements. At the end of the day, they undertook a traditional walkabout in the town. Many were waving flags and cheering, while others had dressed up in union flag outfits or dressed up their dogs. The King and Queen spent 20 minutes walking up and down, shaking hands with members of the throng.
Among those in the crowd was a small demonstration of republican campaigners waving anti-monarchist flags but the King decided to face them head-on, walking directly up to them and continuing shaking the hands of the well-wishers in front of them, much to the delight of the crowd.
King Charles with Rona Grafton who turns 100 today (
Image:
Andy Commins / Daily Mirror)
Julie Parker, 65, said she was ‘overjoyed’. “I had been waiting here since 11am [three hours] to see him and then that lot [Republic] turned up behind me and started waving their flags. Everyone has a right to their opinion but I do think they could have picked a better time and place and we didn’t think the King would come near us,” she said.
“But he did! And we got to say hello. He’s a remarkable man, he really is. We have a lot of admiration for him.” Also on the walkabout, the King made the day of a centenarian who was celebrating her 100th birthday today – by personally handing her a card from himself and the Queen.
He was introduced to Rona Grafton who had been waiting patiently to meet him. He bent down and shook her hand and said: “A very, very happy birthday. Here’s a card from both of us.” Touching Queen Camilla’s shoulder, he repeated: “From both of us.” The Queen said: “A very happy birthday.”
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King Charles meets wellwishers next to anti-monarchy protestors in Middlesbrough today (
Image:
Andy Commins / Daily Mirror)
After moving down the line the King got into his waiting State Bentley with the Queen but had only got a few yards down the road when he saw how far the crowds stretched and asked his driver to stop.
He and Camilla got out again to huge cheers, with the couple insisting on shaking hands right the way down to the end of the street. Paul and Shirley Williams said they were shocked to see him stop.
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“We thought we wouldn’t get the chance and that maybe his car would slow down and he would wave out of the window,” said Paul. “We couldn’t believe it when they got out. He came up to me and asked me how he was. Given everything he has been through I couldn’t believe it. How kind. I asked him how he was feeling and he said he was doing well.”
Val Haskins, 64, said the king stopped and admired her Union Jack coat. “He said I looked very patriotic,” she said. I shook his hand. It was absolutely mint.”
The King during a visit to SeAH Wind’s XXXL offshore turbine base factory (
Image:
PA)
Her friend Elaine Dunn, 67, added: “We love King Charles, we really do. He’s a good man. We are so delighted he has got the chance to show the nation the kind of man he is after the Queen died. He cares about his people, he really does. It was a lovely moment and I can’t believe we got the chance to speak to him.”
Earlier, the King said that his “skiing days are behind me” as he inspected a Swiss machine assisting in the production of wind turbines close to the town. During a visit to the world’s largest offshore wind monopile factory, King Charles inspected and switched on a newly imported Swiss-made calibration roll machine.
Charles, 76, discussed his favoured alpine sport with machinery expert Avzi Jusufi, who is temporarily in England from Basel, Switzerland, to install them in the SeAH Wind factory. Speaking to Jusufi about his home country, the King, who has regularly skied in the Swiss resort Klosters over the years, told him: “I think my skiing days are behind me.”
He made the comments while wearing a hard hat and protective high-vis gear and inspecting the process of making the structural support for wind turbines. As part of the visit, the King toured the SeAH Wind monopile factory in Teesside’s Freeport, near Redcar, which is due for completion later this year. At the same time, the Queen undertook a literary engagement elsewhere.
