The palace makes a striking statement as King Charles confronts protesters

 

King Charles and Queen Camilla came in Middlesbrough on Thursday for a historic tour that included a customary walkabout.

On a royal walkabout, the 76-year-old queen defied a tiny handful of demonstrators, leaving well-wishers startled.

A message from the royal family accompanied the moving footage of the King and Queen's journey.

The Palace stated, "What a wonderful welcome to Middlesbrough!"

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"Before meeting so many kind people who turned out to show their support, The King and Queen visited the International Centre and heard about a number of local community projects, including REPOD Doctors, an initiative that supports refugee medical practitioners as they train to transition into the NHS.

"Their Majesties also joined @TheJunctionCharity, faith initiative 'Together Middlesbrough', Cleveland Police, and young people from @KingsTrust for a knife crime community education workshop."

"At the end of the day, Their Majesties wished Rona Grafton a very happy 100th birthday today - and delivered some very special 'Royal Mail'."

During the historic trip, both Queen Camilla and the King played table tennis.

People were waving flags and applauding, and some had dressed up in union flag clothes or with their pets.

There was a small gathering of republican activists waving anti-monarchist flags, but the King chose to confront them hard on, marching directly up to them and continuing to shake the hands of the well-wishers in front of them, much to the joy of the audience.

In another video uploaded by the royal family, the Queen is seen applauding the effect of the @literacy_trust in Middlesbrough.

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