A group of Scottish cyclists have been given the surprise of their life with this very unexpected sighting of King Charles.
A group of mountain bikers have been left stunned after stumbling across King Charles out hiking on his own in Scotland.
In footage taken by one of the cyclists, the monarch, 74, stopped to chat after they all crossed paths on Balmoral Estate in Aberdeenshire.
In a clip filmed beforehand, the group can be heard joking about seeing a “minor royal” after several Land Rovers passed by them, with one admitting: “I don’t care for the royals but it would be cool to see Charlie.”
They then spotted a fairly large clue into the King’s presence.
“I think Charlie by is here because there’s guards down there with big assault rifles and stuff like that – it looks pretty cool,” the cyclist said on camera.
Shortly afterwards, the group spotted the King himself – dressed for the occasion in a jacket, flat cap, and with a trekking stick – who told them he was still on his summer holiday, remarking that “it is wonderful up here”.
The King stopped for a friendly chat. Picture: YouTube
He told the group he enjoyed walking, but complained about the bugs. Picture: YouTube
However, he told the cyclists, “the midges are horrendous” but added: “I like my walking.”
The video, published on YouTube on Tuesday, was reportedly shot on August 25, while the King and Queen Camilla were still on their annual break in Balmoral.
During the friendly conversation, the King also spoke of how he used to camp in the area with his father, the late Prince Philip, and sister, Princess Anne, before telling the group as they parted: “Take care. Don’t fall off.”
Afterwards, one of the cyclists, Andrew McAvoy, described the encounter as “pretty cool”.
“What a nice man, lovely man. Had time for us,” he said in the video. “All I can think of – I wish I met the Queen now.”
Balmoral Estate has long been a favourite residence of the royals.
The late Queen Elizabeth II spent many of her summer breaks enjoying the tranquil, picturesque property, with plenty of her family members joining her over the years.
She passed away at Balmoral Castle in September last year at the age of 96.
Meanwhile, Charles and Camilla are now in France on their rescheduled three-day State Visit after it was delayed earlier this year after protests spiralled into civil unrest.
Queen Camilla and King Charles were hosted by President Macron and his wife Brigitte at the State Banquet on Wednesday. Picture: Daniel Leal/Pool/AFP
It was followed by a lavish State Banquet held in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles in the royals’ honour.
The star-studded guest list included British stars Hugh Grant and Mick Jagger, along with French former Arsenal football manager, Arsene Wenger.
Across the rest of their trip, Charles and Camilla will attend a roundtable on climate finance and biodiversity at the Museum of Natural History, witness the wildfire destruction in Gironde and visit an organic vineyard that operates with cycles of the moon before heading home on Friday.
Leave a Reply