King Charles was mobbed by well-wishers and serenaded with 'Happy Birthday' during a visit to Surrey Street Market in Croydon, South London, where he marked his 78th birthday a day early.
The monarch, who turns 78 tomorrow, visited the market as it celebrates 750 years of trading. Crowds of stallholders and shoppers gathered to catch a glimpse of the King, who also watched performances by a local Bollywood band and dancers and was presented with a birthday cake to cut.
Market visit and birthday celebrations
During his tour, Charles 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, an Asian convenience supermarket on Surrey Street co-founded by Amber-Rose Badrudin, a candidate and finalist on The Apprentice. Inside, he spoke to the store's owner, Michael, about its expansion and whether all the products needed to be imported.
The King also reunited with George Whatle, who has been trading at the market for 25 years and showed His Majesty an array of jerk chicken, pork and oxtail. He met Kevin Allagapen, a certified nutritionist who told the King about his mission to make Croydon a healthier place with his Amati juice and fresh fruit stall, adding: "I know he's quite conscious about health." Allagapen handed the monarch a raw juice with pomegranate inside, after Charles told him he liked the fruit.
BRIT School visit
After cutting his birthday cake, the King said it was "brilliant" as he listened 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 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.
The world-famous BRIT School boasts alumni including Adele, Amy Winehouse, Tom Holland and RAYE. On arrival, Charles was greeted by fashion students who held an impromptu catwalk show including an inflatable 'lifeboat dress'. He then watched a 'powerful' performance by students Daisy and Fatima about youth on youth crime and chatted to them afterwards about the community projects they undertake.
Reactions to the royal visit
Charles 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 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 how they remembered all their moves.
Outside, so 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. The student replied: "I don't care, I'll die happy!"
Principal Stuart Worden said afterwards: "This is life-changing for students. A lot of these young people come from challenging backgrounds, they can't afford guitars, they can't afford dance lessons. So for people from those backgrounds to have access to the monarch, the King, is quite powerful." He added: "For the head of state, the King, to come to this school in Selhurst today, it is inspiring for them to know that they have been seen."
