King Charles surprised a group of tourists with an impromptu walkabout as they were exploring Notting Hill in London.
His Majesty was visiting St Peter’s Church to thank volunteers and supporters of the Disasters Emergency Committee but kept the visit under wraps because of security reasons.
When onlookers caught sight of the King, cheers erupted, so the 76-year-old monarch took the time to stop and chat. After finding out a group of tourists were from Texas, the King uttered a four-word reply: “I don’t believe it!”
He also asked: “Are you having an enjoyable time in London?”
The group laughed “Now we are!”, which also raised a laugh from the King. King Charles was told other tourists were also visiting from overseas – Seattle, Barcelona, and Japan.
The King also wished the crowd a very “Happy Christmas”.
King Charles, 76, was in St Peter’s to visit staff for the Disasters Emergency Committee to thank them for their fundraising efforts to provide aid in the Middle East.
As reported in the Standard, the King talked to paediatric nurse Becky Platt, who works at the Royal London Hospital and spent just over a month working in Gaza earlier this year.
She said: “One of the particular challenges for us was that we were managing children with significant injuries – blast injuries, traumatically amputated limbs.”
She added: “The pain relief we had at that stage was paracetamol and Ibuprofen, you might take that for a headache but if you’ve had your leg blown off you want something a bit stronger than that, so that was a real challenge.”
Saleh Saeed, the DEC’s chief executive said the King, who has supported the organisation’s work for many years, thanked the DEC, its many supporters and member charities. The King has a longstanding relationship with the DEC, which brings together 15 leading UK aid charities to raise funds rapidly at times of humanitarian crisis overseas.
The DEC, an umbrella group of leading humanitarian organisations, has raised £35 million in aid of people across the Middle East since launching an appeal in October, while its Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal has amassed more than £440 million.
The visit comes after the King hosted a two-day state visit for the Qatari royals.
The King praised his Qatari guests for their “tireless mediation efforts over the past year in pursuit of peace” and
State visits are a mix of elaborate ceremony and practical politics, offering hospitality on a grand scale to an important international partner.
