The King had a heartwarming reaction after a well-wisher accidentally broke royal protocol out of excitement to meet him.
Charles, 77, met staff at Grimsby Town Football Club’s Blundell Park in Cleethorpes, north-east Lincolnshire, on Thursday.
Despite the downpours, dozens of people turned out to greet the monarch, holding umbrellas, flags, and even a banner with his face on it.
Francine Orr, ticket office manager for the football club, revealed she accidentally addressed the King as “darling” instead of “Your Majesty” when it was her turn to meet him.
Charles appeared to be left rather pleased with the pet name and told her, “I like being called darling.”
Francine said afterwards: “We were briefed on what we should say and what we shouldn’t say, how we should bow and how we should curtsy.
“I’ve had it in my brain all morning, then he comes up to me… and he shakes my hand, and I said ‘All right darling, oh no, I’m so sorry Your Majesty’.
“He went ‘That’s OK’, and he laughed, and he stood back, and he went ‘I like being called darling’.”
She added, “He was so down to earth. Lovely, lovely man. It was so good he’s come to Grimsby to meet everyone at Grimsby Town.”
Meeting crowds
Earlier on Thursday, the King toured the Horizon Youth Zone state-of-the-art facility in Grimsby, chatting to schoolchildren, cadets from the armed services and scouts.
They showed him the centre’s climbing wall, sports hall and training kitchen, where he watched teenagers make pizza muffins as he asked them how they felt about missing school for the day.
© POOL/AFP via Getty Images“I have my uses,” he joked, as one girl said they had missed their maths lessons.
As he toured the sports hall, the King said, “I’m sorry we can’t stop and play some badminton”, and he asked a group of youngsters about Grimsby Town’s victory over Manchester United in the Carabao Cup in August.
The King’s second stop in Grimsby was at The Care Hub, a community care and housing organisation designed to provide support to people by providing a safe and nurturing environment.
Difficult dilemma
This weekend, the King is expected to join members of the royal family at the Trooping the Colour celebrations in London to celebrate the monarch’s official birthday.
© Getty ImagesThe King will take the Royal Salute at around 11 am, before watching the Fly Past by the Royal Air Force at 1 pm.
Saturday is also when the funeral for Lady Pamela Hicks, the King’s first cousin once removed and a bridesmaid of the late Queen, will take place.
It means the King could face a conflicting schedule on Saturday, as Lady Pamela will be laid to rest at Brightwell Baldwin Church in Oxfordshire at 3 pm.
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