On the eve of his coronation with great fanfare, King Charles III appeared in front of Buckingham Palace on Friday to treat himself to a surprise walkabout with fans already gathered en masse awaiting this historic event.
The 74-year-old monarch, in a blue suit, was accompanied by his eldest son William and his wife Kate, who also took part in the game of selfies and handshakes.
Queen Consort Camilla was not present.
The greatest admirers of the monarchy sometimes camp for several days on the Mall, the long avenue which leads to Buckingham, in order to be in the front row on Saturday when the king leaves the palace to go to Westminster Abbey, where he will be crowned.
“God Save The King”
When Charles, William and Kate arrived, some sang “
God Save The King
”.
The King interacted with fans on one side of the Mall while William and Kate were on the other.
The walkabout lasted about twenty minutes before the trio set off again, by car, towards the palace.
Thursday, William and Kate had already given themselves a long walkabout by going to a pub in Soho, a lively district in the center of the capital.
In a controlled communication operation, the ultra-popular princely couple, who are trying to bring a glamorous and modern touch to an aging monarchy, had gone to the pub by taking the metro, an extremely rare event which had made the headlines of news channels.