King Charles: Radiant visit from Lancaster Castle

King Charles (76) completed his first official visit to Lancashire since his crowning glory on Whit Monday. The historic city of Lancaster gave the monarch a great reception – thousands of people lined the streets and applauded enthusiastically when the king – and Duke of Lancaster – arrived at the Lancaster Castle.

In the morning, Charles was officially welcomed by the Lord lieutenant of Lancashire, Amanda Parker, at the Lancaster Bahnhof. The heart of the visit was the ceremonial handover of the keys to the John-O’Gaunt goal of the Lancaster Castle. In a centuries -old ceremony in the presence of the military, Pam Barker, the castleian, and the king officially presented the keys to the castle.

This “Ceremony of the Keys” has a long tradition: British monarchs have been participating in this ceremony since 1851, at that time Queen Victoria was given the keys for the first time. Queen Elizabeth II also went through the 2015 ritual – now her son continued this royal tradition.

After the ceremony, Charles met with representatives of seven local companies and was interested in their challenges and success. During a subsequent tour of the castle, he visited the ongoing restoration work and met with stonemasons that are currently working on the outside of the building. The visit ended with the unveiling of several plaques in the main courtyard of the property. King Charles seemed very relaxed throughout the stay in good weather, waved the crowd again and again and joked with those present.

The police had taken extensive security measures to visit the king, including a flight ban zone over the city. Many local shops had decorated their shop windows Royal.