We went to see the King in Lancaster, and here’s how we spent our day

On Monday, 9th June, Lancaster was visited by King Charles III, who is also known as the Duke of Lancaster.

It is not often that special appearances happen in Lancaster, so, of course, we went down to have a look.

Unfortunately, the council couldn’t reveal any details of His Majesty’s visit for security reasons, so we headed down early morning in an attempt to find an ideal viewing vantage point. With a picnic in hand, umbrellas and sun hats packed, we were fully equipped for anything the day would throw at us. 

Despite our efforts, immense crowds were already lining Castle Hill; the area looked busier than Sugarhouse Alley during the Roses weekend. We expected a great turnout for the visit, considering it was his first to the area since 2022, but we didn’t account for what appeared to be the entire population of Lancaster in one place!

We battled the treacherous walk up Castle Hill, avoiding the hundreds of people (and surprisingly enthusiastic dogs) who were frantically trying to locate an acceptable place to stand. We managed to secure an optimal position, which was relatively close to the barrier and not long after, news spread amongst the crowds that His Majesty had arrived at the train station.

In a moment of true community spirit, one man started a chorus of God Save the King.

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His Majesty was driven the short distance from the train station up towards Lancaster Castle, where we got a glimpse of a small wave from out of the King’s car window. There were large amounts of enthusiastic cheers and excitement from the crowd, which was a beautiful moment to witness, seeing the community come together.

Once His Majesty reached the top of Castle Hill, he was almost entirely obscured from our view. We knew the King was participating in the Ceremony of the Keys, but being so far away, we may as well have been excitedly looking at a bunch of cars.

A quick Google search informed us that the Ceremony of the Keys is a traditional, nightly ritual that takes place at the Tower of London, and it has been performed every single night for over 700 years. The John O’Gaunt keys were first given to Queen Victoria in 1851 and again to Queen Elizabeth in 2015, which we found quite interesting. However, what the internet couldn’t tell us was how long His Majesty would actually spend inside the castle.

Along with the festivities, there was also a handful of protestors chanting with the King’s arrival, and they proceeded to wait around the area, all the while His Majesty was inside the castle. The protestors were met with a constant cacophony of boos from hundreds of citizens who were wanting to spend a day in celebration.

Ultimately, we were relieved we had brought our picnic. We waited three hours (to the minute, might we add) for the King to come out of the Castle and head back down Castle Hill. We got another half-sighted wave from our new viewing point, and then it was just time to get on with our day.

 A Lancaster University student at the event told The Lancaster Tab: “A fantastically planned out day, with such order and safety. The atmosphere was brilliant, and what a great once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have the King in our town of Lancaster. He waved at me, too!”

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our day, solely down to the community spirit! Waiting all that time would not have been half as fun if it weren’t for such a great atmosphere. Maybe Will and Kate could come along next time?

Featured image by Lancaster City Council/White House