During a royal walkabout in Middlesbrough, King Charles shown unflinching confidence by directly addressing a small gathering of anti-monarchist demonstrators.
Following a 20-minute walkabout around the town, the King and Queen Camilla had spent the day participating in a variety of activities in Teesside.
With anti-monarchist flags in hand, a small handful of republican activists stood out as they mixed with the crowd, shaking hands and welcoming well-wishers.
Unfazed, King Charles went forward to the demonstrators and kept shaking hands with supporters in front of them, receiving shouts and acclaim from the audience.
“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,” the Mirror reported, describing the crowd’s pleasure at the King’s choice to approach them personally and confront them.
Although everyone is free to express their opinions, I believe they might have chosen a better time and location, and we didn’t anticipate the King would be around.
However, he did! We also got to greet each other. He truly is a fantastic dude. He is highly admired by us.
The King introduced her, who had been excitedly awaiting his arrival, and then bent down to shake her hand. “A very, very happy birthday,” he added. A card from both of us is attached.
“From both of us,” he said, touching Queen Camilla’s shoulder as she murmured, “A very happy birthday.”
The King went down the line with the Queen and got into his waiting State Bentley, but the car had hardly gone a few yards when the King told his driver to stop.
The royal pair then left again amid roaring cheers, insisting on handshakes until they reached the end of the street.
