King Charles marked his 78th birthday a day early on Friday (November 13) with an unexpected visit to Surrey Street Market, where he surprised shoppers and stallholders as they gathered to catch a glimpse of the monarch.
The market, which is celebrating 750 years of trading, saw crowds gather as the King walked around looking at stalls. Many onlookers were left stunned to see him walking down the street, with several managing to get a glimpse of the King they rarely get to see as he arguably showed what appeared to be his "true colours".
A Personal Moment at a Chinese Street Stall
A video shared on Instagram by a woman known as Amanda's Xi'an Royal Kitchen online, who makes authentic Xi'an food for the people of Croydon, showed the King conversing with her and taking time to chat about her stall. He is seen telling her he "hope's she's succeeding" and noting it "smells very good", before she asked if he would like to try some.
Alongside the clip, Amanda wrote: "What an honour to welcome King Charles at Surrey street market and at my Chinese street stall. He said my food smelt amazing and he's was definitely right!"
It appears he couldn't stop though as he had to continue on his visit. Even so, he was very kind, and appeared very interested in her story.
Serenaded with Happy Birthday
During the visit, the King was also mobbed and serenaded with 'Happy Birthday' as he surprised market shoppers. The footage has been viewed thousands of times since it was shared, and it's racked up hundreds of comments too.
One said: "It is nice to see the King out and about meeting his subjects." Another added: "Love this."
A third replied: "This is surreal, can't quite believe that the King was walking around in the streets of Croydon. Must have been a highlight in the week for ordinary people doing their jobs."
Meanwhile, a fourth commented: "King Charles is a good man." Someone else also responded: "Wow, that's a remarkable moment"
One more also noted: "He seems very personable. God bless him."
Reactions from Viewers
Many seemed to think it showed how lovely the King is, as he's so kind to people and generous with his time. Several thought the interaction was rather gorgeous.
Various viewers pointed out that he appears to be "lovely" with people and were completely wowed by the moment. It's really brightened people's timelines.
