During a surprise walkabout today, King Charles III and Prince William surprised hundreds of royal fans waiting to view the Queen lying-in-state, after thanking emergency service personnel for their efforts during the mourning period before the state burial on Monday.
At the Palace of Westminster, the new monarch and the Prince of Wales met weary mourners who had waited 16 hours to see the Queen’s coffin.
Hundreds of people waiting along the South Bank in Lambeth, south London, clapped and yelled as Charles and William emerged, with many shouting “hip hip hooray” and “God Save the King” as the royals walked by. Many snapped pictures and crowded against the metal bars, anxious to speak with the King and the heir apparent while shaking hands with those closest to them.
One woman gave Charles her sympathies as he shook her hand, while another said, “I can’t believe this.” A third woman presented the King with a Paddington Bear toy, in allusion to the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee drawing featuring the famed children’s figure.
As the Prince of Wales shook our hands, he stated, “It means an awful lot you’re here. She [the Queen] would never believe this. You’ll make some friends for life [those who have met in crowd” . William said that his wife Kate Middleton and children George, Charlotte, and Louis were ‘ok’ and ‘all united in grief’. He also revealed that he became emotional upon seeing his grandmother’s corgis and added, ‘They are being looked after – they have gone to a very good home’.
Several individuals wept upon seeing the Prince of Wales, and one woman told him, “You’ll be a brilliant king one day.”
Earlier, the royals met with Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, Home Secretary Suella Braverman, and London’s Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley at Scotland Yard’s special operations. During his visit to Lambeth today, the King also met with members of the London Ambulance Service, London Fire Brigade, Transport for London, and the Army, whom he commended for their planning and execution of policing in the days leading up to the burial of his mother.
Yesterday, the King finished his tour of the home countries with a visit to Wales, after travels to Northern Ireland and Scotland in recent days.
2,000 VIPs – including world leaders Joe Biden, Emmanuel Macron, and Jacinda Ardern, as well as royals including the Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia, Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, and the Netherlands’ King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima – are expected to arrive throughout the weekend for the funeral
It comes after the King and his brothers attended a silent vigil in Westminster Hall last night to pay a heartfelt homage to their cherished mother.