King Charles was mobbed by screaming crowds during a pre-birthday visit to Croydon, South London, where he celebrated his 78th birthday a day early. On Friday, he visited a bustling market and a performing arts school, drawing large and enthusiastic crowds.
Market Visit Marks 750 Years of Trading
The King visited Surrey Street Market, one of Britain's oldest street markets, which is celebrating 750 years of trading. Crowds of stallholders and shoppers gathered to catch a glimpse of the monarch, who also watched performances by a local Bollywood band and dancers and was presented with a birthday cake to cut.
During his tour, he was often unable to move a few metres without being surrounded by excited well-wishers eager to shake his hand. One business he visited was Oree Mart, a convenience supermarket located on Surrey Street and co-founded by Amber-Rose Badrudin, a candidate and finalist on The Apprentice.
Birthday Cake and Schoolchildren's Serenade
After the market visit, the King said his birthday cake was "brilliant" as he cut a generous slice while listening to children and students from Howard Primary School and Shirley High School Performing Arts College chant "happy birthday Your Majesty".
Earlier in the day, he was also mobbed by screaming teenagers as he visited the BRIT School, also in Croydon. Hundreds of excited creative arts pupils met him outside the building, screaming his name, as his police officers struggled to stop him from being crushed. "Yes, boss!" shouted one, making Charles chuckle. "King Charles, oh my days!" yelled another.
BRIT School Performance and Old Friends
The world-famous BRIT School boasts alumni including Adele, Amy Winehouse, Tom Holland and RAYE, alongside thousands of performers, designers, technicians, producers and professionals working across the UK's creative industries.
Charles then went to watch a powerful performance by students Daisy and Fatima about youth on youth crime and chatted to them afterwards about the community projects they undertake. He also met his old friend, Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, a long-term supporter of the school who accompanied him to watch a performance from the musical Chess.
Upstairs in the digital suite, he learnt about the wide variety of talents nurtured at school, including animation and gaming, but volunteered that he might stick at his age to watercolours. Downstairs, his visit was marked by a flash mob medley, with the King asking the students afterwards in genuine admiration how they remembered all their moves.
Outside, many students had gathered screaming his name that the King decided to plunge in and say hello, shaking hands and asking them about their courses. One boy could be heard shouting that he had shaken the monarch's hand. "You'll be shaking his car's wheels as well if you don't stand back," said a member of staff. But the student replied: "I don't care, I'll die happy!"
The King will mark his birthday in private today.
