King Charles made a self-deprecating joke about his age during a royal garden party at Buckingham Palace, receiving laughs and warmth from those who overheard. The King and Queen attended the third garden party of the season at the London royal residence on Tuesday, where he walked around and mingled with some of the 8,000 guests invited to the event.
During the walkabout, the King paused to speak with Virginia Cavill, who was seated in a wheelchair following a recent fall that left her with a broken ankle. King Charles quipped about the challenges of ageing, telling Ms Cavill: "This is the trouble as you get older, I know it's going to happen to me."
Ms Cavill then asked Charles about his own wellbeing, to which he gave a small smile. "I'm OK, I totter along," he said. The self-deprecating exchange drew laughter from those gathered nearby as the royals continued greeting attendees along the lines.
Elsewhere during the party, Charles spoke with podcast host and historian Tom Holland, who later described the experience of meeting the King as "surreal". He said: "We were chatting about his speech in America… I just congratulated him on it and some of the excellent jokes." He added: "I've met him once before but it's always an honour and always faintly surreal."
Also during the event, the Queen voiced her support for a parole board decision that kept a BA pilot who bludgeoned his wife to death behind bars. Queen Camilla caught up with domestic abuse campaigner Hetti Barkworth-Nanton at the party on Tuesday, who was a close friend of Joanna Simpson, 46, who was murdered by her estranged husband Robert Brown at the family home in 2010.
The Queen was inspired to use her platform to campaign against domestic abuse after meeting Joanna's mother, Diana Parkes. Ms Barkworth-Nanton, who works closely with Mrs Parkes and is on the board of Refuge, said she had discussed the decision to deny Brown parole - which was announced on Monday - with the Queen. "I was talking to her about the decision by the parole board," she said. "She thinks it is absolutely the right decision, she's delighted, particularly having read the decision summary. She's very supportive and always has been."
The King and Queen were joined by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester at the party on Tuesday afternoon. Yeomen of the Guard, in red and gold ceremonial dress, processed through the palace gardens, as the guests mingled and explored while military bands played wartime classics, as well as covers of popular songs.
