The last thing you expect when you head off to a luxurious spa is an encounter with the King and Queen.
But that's exactly what happened to three shocked people during their pampering day – and they were even still wearing their fluffy, white bathrobes.
King Charles and Queen Camilla shook hands with the two women and man – who were visiting a five star award-winning venue, called Monart Spa – during their visit to the King's eco-village, Poundbury, in Dorset.
Many hundreds of well-wishers also gathered to see them. During the strange meeting, the King smiled and joked outside the luxury day spa.
One of the three, 34 year old Faye Harris, spoke of her surprise, saying: “It was very surreal, and I did not expect to meet them this morning. We were aware The King and Queen were coming this morning when we first turned up and did not expect to see them."
She continued: “The manager came up and said they were likely to be here around midday and would we like to pop our heads out of the window, not shake his hand in our bathrobes."
Ms Harris was enjoying the spa day as part of a week-long visit to her parents who live in Dorset.
The King and Queen were visiting Poundbury, built on Duchy of Cornwall land, to mark the completion of Queen Mother Square, the centre of the village.
To commemorate the visit, Poundbury development director Andrew Hamilton pulled back a curtain to unveil bronze reliefs of Their Majesties, which have been created by artist Ian Rank-Broadly,
As he revealed the sculptures in a gust of wind The King quipped: “It very nearly unveiled itself.”
They sit above a Portland stone plaque that records architects and businesses that worked with the Duchy to create the Queen Mother Square.
Charles, as Duke of Cornwall, ran the Duchy from 1969 until the death of the late Queen last year when he handed it over to the Prince of Wales.
It was the Royal couple’s first visit to Poundbury, near Dorchester in Dorset since the Coronation.
During the visit, they officially opened The Duke of Edinburgh Garden which forms part of Pavilion Green.
They met with George Carter, the landscape designer, before listening to children from Damers First School perform their Coronation song Sing For The King.
The King and Queen thanked the children and also met the outgoing headteacher Catherine Smith.
Addressing the children, Charles said: “Thank you very much that was brilliant.”
King Charles, who recently celebrated his first official birthday as the monarch, is “keen to heal the family rift” between his son Prince Harry and Meghan Markle since they stepped down as senior royals in March 2020, according to an expert on the Royals.
Richard Palmer revealed to The Express that King Charles would “welcome them back” if Meghan and Harry ever decided to move back to the UK.
The couple have only returned to the UK a handful of times since they left the royal family, and subsequently the UK. Prince Harry’s most recent visit back was to attend the King’s Coronation celebrations last month where Meghan stayed at their home in the US with their two children.
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